“If the loan goes into default, they have the legal right to seize the collateral immediately,” she said.

“They can take my source code?” I asked, my voice rising.

“On paper, they already own the rights to it if the interest payment isn’t met,” Elena said.

“When is the next payment due?” I asked.

Elena turned to the last page of the loan agreement.

Her eyes scanned the fine print, and then she froze.

“Elena?” I asked.

“It was due yesterday,” she said softly.

The room felt suddenly colder.

I walked back to the window, looking out at the dark city.

The streetlights below looked like tiny, frozen sparks.

Everything I had built, every line of code I had written during those long, sleepless nights, was now in the hands of strangers.

“They’re going to foreclose on my company,” I said.

“We can file for an emergency injunction,” Elena said, her voice tight. “But we need concrete proof of the fraud to convince a federal judge to halt the seizure.”

“And Harrison has that proof,” I said, turning around.