While Jason was sealing million-dollar deals under the Dubai sun, trouble was brewing back in New York.
His meteoric rise hadn't gone unnoticed—and it hadn't gone unchallenged.
In a high-rise office overlooking Central Park, Daniel Crane, the silver-haired CEO of VistaStream, slammed his whiskey glass onto the conference table.
"This PulseCast kid is cutting into our growth in Asia, and now I hear he's partnering with a royal family?"
An aide cleared his throat nervously. "Sequoia just doubled down on their Series B. And there's chatter that Apple might be watching him, too."
Crane narrowed his eyes. "He's dangerous. Not because he's smart—because he's lucky and loud. Those are the most volatile kinds."
"What do you want to do?"
"Find his skeletons. Everyone has some. Money, women, fraud, IP theft—I don't care. Get me dirt."
---
Back in Dubai, Jason stood before a camera crew in a minimalist studio built just for his announcement.
He spoke directly to the global creator community:
> "PulseCast is going global. Starting today, creators in 12 new countries can monetize in their local currencies—and build a brand that belongs to them. Not to us. Not to algorithms."
The video exploded within hours. #PulseGlobal trended in seven languages. His Instagram doubled in followers. TikTok influencers stitched the speech with reactions ranging from teary to hyped.
Naomi looked over the numbers that evening and grinned. "We're not just building a platform anymore. We're building a movement."
Jason smiled. "Exactly. And movements are harder to kill."
---
But the storm came faster than expected.
That night, while dining at Zuma with Naomi and Farid, Jason's phone buzzed.
A message from Amy:
> "We have a problem. Someone leaked 'exclusive documents' to the media. They're claiming PulseCast's code violates VistaStream patents."
Jason froze.
Naomi looked at him, tense. "What is it?"
He handed her the phone. She read it, her eyes hardening.
Farid leaned in. "Enemies, yes?"
Jason exhaled slowly. "Competitors don't compete anymore. They sabotage."
---
Within 24 hours, headlines circled like vultures.
> "PulseCast Accused of Patent Infringement by Tech Giant VistaStream."
"Jason Nash's Billion-Dollar Empire Under Fire?"
"Too Fast, Too Loose?"
Naomi moved into damage control mode.
"We need a press conference. Legal team up front. And you—calm, confident, but firm."
Jason nodded, then turned to his phone and made a private call.
"Leo," he said, "I need the original time-stamped code commits. Everything from version one. Pull from the Git backups and encrypt it."
Leo replied instantly. "Already doing it. Also, check your inbox—I think I found where the leak came from."
Jason opened the file.
And stared.
> Internal chat logs. One of their own… had turned.