Frank's smile was frozen, his cheeks starting to turn a blotchy red as the journalists bombarded him with questions about the spectacularly malfunctioning robot still smoking onstage. "Mr. Potter any comment on the robot malfunction? Did you expect this to happen?" one of the journalists asked him.noveldrama

This wasn't how his grand showcase was supposed to go. He was supposed to be basking in applause, not dodging questions about his failed invention. He was already planning how to chew out his tech team once he got backstage, but he forced a tight smile for now. Robert, seeing Frank's expression turning darker by the second, stepped up. "Look, minor issues, that's all it is. Everything is fine now. Technical hiccups happen, and we're already handling it."

But the journalists were relentless.

One reporter raised his hand, his face a mask of barely disguised amusement. "If I may ask, with Metacortex still being the leading competitor, do you really think Venus AMD's robot has a chance? Seems like Metacortex is still... well, ahead." Frank's jaw clenched. "Absolutely," he said with forced composure. "We are confident Venus AMD will outperform Metacortex. They make mere helper robots. Ours is capable of real work."

Then came another question he was dreading. "Mr. Potter, any thoughts on Claire Peterson coming to Venus AMD's rescue? It looked like your team couldn't handle it."

Frank's smile grew tighter. "Competitors help each other, even if it's rare. But Venus AMD didn't need saving," he said curtly, before practically stalking off the stage. Robert waved off the press as security moved in to redirect the journalists.

As soon as they hit backstage, Frank whipped around, his face a thundercloud. The tech team flinched as he pointed an accusatory finger at them.

"What on earth was that?" he bellowed. "Did I not tell you to make sure everything worked perfectly? How is it Claire Peterson who had to come to my aid instead of one of you? Do you people even understand technology? If don't what am I paying you all for?" he said with much anger and his tone made some of them jump in shock.

The tech employees all looked at the floor, eyes darting anywhere but at Frank. Some flinched at the intensity of his tone, and one tech lead stepped forward nervously. "We are sorry, sir. We didn't think that would happen. There were... two components missing, Mr. Potter. We needed them for the robot to function smoothly, but Venus AMD doesn't currently have access to those parts."

"Then why didn't you make them?" Frank's voice was scathing, his frustration barely contained. "How hard can it be?"

A few tech employees exchanged nervous glances, but the tech lead just nodded, gulping as he tried to explain further. "We were...well, the missing components would take time to manufacture or acquire. We did our best with what we had, but—"

"But nothing! I pay you all to work, not to make excuses. You're useless! All of you!" Frank's face was a picture of fury. "Every one of you is fired!"

Robert, who had been hovering at the side, looked at Frank with wide eyes. "Frank, we still need the team! Firing them over one malfunction doesn't make sense."

Frank turned on him, his gaze icy. "I am the boss here, Robert. I decide who stays and who leaves. And they," he gestured dismissively at the tech team, "are out."

The employees shuffled, some exchanging disbelieving looks, but one of them, a junior engineer who had been biting his lip through Frank's entire tirade, finally stepped forward, looking more frustrated than afraid. He was small, but his voice rang out with surprising force.

"Maybe it's not us who are the

problem," he said, his voice laced with bitterness. "Maybe the one who's useless is you, Mr. Potter. You may have the money, but you don't know the first thing about tech. If any of us had the choice, we'd work atoMetacortex over this circus any day."

Frank's face turned an alarming shade of purple. "What did you just say?"

The young engineer didn't back down. With a flourish, he pulled off his employee badge and tossed it at Frank's feet. "I said if we had the choice, we'd all choose Metacortex over Venus. Have fun explaining this to the board."

And with that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the backstage area. The other employees watched him go, some looking tempted to follow.

Frank sputtered, shouting after him even though he was long gone. "You're nothing without Venus! Nothing! You'll regret this!"

The other tech employees froze, their faces masks of horror and resignation. Frank rounded on them, still livid. "Well, what are the rest of you looking at? Start packing! You're all out of here!"

They scrambled to leave, casting wary glances back at Frank as they filed out. The backstage area fell into a tense silence.

"I swear that...woman! Claire Peterson. She has to come and save the day huh? Acting all smart and stepping over Venus like dirt. She thinks Metacortex is superior compared to Venus now."

Robert, who had been watching

everything with increasing disbelief,

ran a hand over his face, muttering under his breath, "Well, that went well." He turned to Frank, struggling to keep his tone calm. "Frank, you just fired our entire tech team in the middle of a press event. Do you realize the damage this is going to cause?"

Frank's gaze was still dark, and he seemed uninterested in Robert's warning. "I don't care. I don't need incompetent dragging down Venus AMD. We'll hire new tech people. Better ones, ones who actually know how to follow orders."

Robert held up his hands in frustration. "It's not about following orders, Frank! We need people who understand how to fix these issues! You can't just expect miracles with zero resources or missing components."

Frank's expression was stubborn. "This isn't my fault. It's theirs. They failed me, and they paid the price. Now we'll find people who can do the job right."

Robert sighed, clearly realizing he

né

wasn't getting through to him. "Let's hope the board sees it your way," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Meanwhile, good luck finding a tech team willing to work with someone who fires them over one hiccup."

Frank rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic. Venus AMD has a reputation. People will line up to work for us."

Robert didn't look convinced. He gave Frank one last skeptical glance, then walked away, muttering to himself. "Fine, whatever you say. I need to talk to the PR team to fix this mess."

Frank doesn't even care, his mind is occupied with the thoughts of Claire Peterson and his failed robot. He was so confident and the way he brought down Metacortex in the press release but turns out everything is a mess.

He knows in just an hour; his name will be headlined over the internet and a video of Venus AMD failed robot will be over the internet and he needs to explain it to the boards as well as his client.

It's definitely not good for business.

"Those useless pieces of shit! They can't even do anything!"