Ethan’s gaze sharpened as he read. The document stated that Isaac Hargreeves had transferred full ownership of Patent Number P-4782 ME 19 to Crypco.

Isaac’s signature was at the bottom, and beside it was a signature from a Crypco representative.

And at the top was a stamp from the Patent Office, along with the Director’s signature, indicating that the transfer had been officially recorded.

Ethan stared at the document for a long moment. This didn’t make sense.

Oswald had personally reviewed these records just the day before. He had gone through everything, and there had been no indication that Crypco held any ownership of this patent. No transfer, nor assignment agreement.

So when had this been inserted?

Slowly, the voice Ethan had heard earlier through the static began to make sense.

"The records now reflect the same."

Someone had confirmed that the records had been altered. Ethan had a growing look of fury as he closed the folder and looked up at the woman.

"Tell me everything that has happened with this patent in the last twenty-four hours," he said.

She answered.

"Nothing exactly," she began, "except that two hours ago, the Director came in before he stepped out. He asked me to retrieve every patent file from the last ten years. Not just this one. All of them."

Ethan and Wilson exchanged a look. Something wasn’t right.

"Why did he ask for all of them?" Ethan pressed.

The woman shook her head slightly. "He didn’t say. He just told me to pull them and leave them on his desk. Right before the director left, he returned every file"

"When will he be back?" Ethan asked.

She shook her head again. "I don’t know. He comes and goes when he wants to."

Ethan sighed. If the Director had requested all the patent files from the past ten years, and Isaac’s was among them, then it meant he was covering his tracks, making it appear like routine work rather than something targeted at this case.

And two hours ago. Yeah that was enough to cover the whole court hearing process to its end. It was also within this time that he heard the same voice.

Genuinely, Ethan considered playing dirty himself and simply taking the records.

But two things held him back.

The first: the court clerk might not even come today to verify the records. It was still unknown when he would arrive. And when he did, he would be coming with an order from the Court Warden, directed specifically to the Director of the Patent Office.

At that point, the clerk would confirm the Director’s availability before showing up, since he would need the Director himself to retrieve and present the correct records. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

And if the Director could insert fraudulent documents and commit this level of deception, he could just as easily weave his way around missing records.

He could tell the clerk to return at a later date, citing that some files were missing or misplaced. That they weren’t in this particular batch. That they needed more time to locate them.

Removing the records now would only give the Director an excuse to delay and cover his tracks further.

The second reason: there was also a slim 0.1% chance, however unrealistic it seemed given all the evidence before him, that this wasn’t fraud at all.

Isaac’s signature was genuine. The stamps looked real. The documents appeared authentic.

Until there was an admission from the opposing side, or undeniable proof of forgery, that possibility, however small, would always exist.

And Ethan couldn’t afford to act on assumption alone.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ethan then turned toward the others. "We’re done here."

Wilson turned to the woman. "You will return these files to their proper places and remember nothing of this conversation."

She nodded.

With that, they all left.

Under the lingering effect of the compulsion, she began returning the files as instructed. Moments later, the influence faded.

The woman blinked a few times, looking around in confusion, wondering why she was standing there at all.

—-

Eventually, they stepped out of the Patent Office and into the late afternoon light.

Lucy turned to Ethan. "What are you building onto?"

Ethan stopped walking and faced her.

"I have a strong feeling that there’s fraud involved. These records were inserted."

"My lawyer, Oswald, was here just yesterday, and he went through everything. I’m certain those records didn’t exist then. Yet now they’re suddenly there."

Lucy’s expression fell once more, but Ethan said reassuringly, "Don’t worry. We’re going to get to the bottom of this."

She nodded slowly, though the worry didn’t leave her face.

After that, they all went their separate ways.

Hayley walked over to Wilson’s car, choosing to head back to the guild with him.

But before leaving, she turned back toward Ethan.

"I’m not sure if you’ll make it back to the guild today," she said. "Given everything going on. But if I don’t see you there, I’ll come over to your place tonight."

Ethan nodded without saying much.

Hayley gave him a smile, then got into Wilson’s car. The engine started, and they pulled away.

Ethan and Lucy then headed back to Stark Industries.

—

Now, in the workshop, they stood together in front of the mecha still in its construction phase.

The frame was incomplete, with sections of plating missing and exposed wiring visible along the joints.

Lucy stared at the machine for a long time, then finally, she spoke.

"I don’t know what to do anymore, I feel like I’ve already failed my father. And I’m not sure if I should even continue, even if we end up winning the case."

She paused, her voice wavering slightly.

"The damage has already been done. I don’t know how I’m supposed to honor him anymore."

Ethan glanced at her for a moment. "You shouldn’t think that way," he said. "You’re fighting for his legacy right now, that’s what matters."

Lucy stayed quiet for a moment, her gaze still on the mecha. Then, slowly, she lifted her chin, and a sad smile formed on her lips.

"There’s something my father used to say," she said.

She took a breath.

"The point of failure tells you where to start, not where to stop."

Ethan paused, and his facial expression narrowed.

"Wait," he said. "What did you just say?"

Lucy looked at him, confused. "I just repeated what my father used to tell me. Why?"

"No," Ethan said. "I mean, say it again."

Lucy then repeated it.

"The point of failure tells you where to start, not where to stop."

Immediately, Ethan pulled out his arcphone and brought up the livestream from the previous day. He scrolled through the timeline until he found the clip he was looking for.

The part where Edgar Desdemona was being interviewed.

He played it.

On the screen, Edgar gestured toward the mecha behind him and spoke.

"Multiple times during development, we ran into structural issues with the knee assembly under heavy load. Some teams might’ve scrapped the design entirely. But the point of failure tells you where to start, not where to stop."

Lucy had a confused look on her face. Those were her father’s words.

Ethan then paused the video and immediately asked, "did you watch the live stream?"

She shook her head "I... I didn’t," she admitted. "I couldn’t bring myself to."

Then she gestured towards his arcphone, "can I?" She still found that strange, so did Ethan who handed her the phone.

She took it and skipped ahead in the video, listening as Edgar continued speaking.

And as she listened, her expression changed further. He sounded just like her father.

Not just the words, the way he emphasized certain phrases and the slight pause before finishing a thought.

She turned to Ethan with widened eyes.

"This is strange," she said. "When I listen to him... it sounds like my father. The way he speaks... it’s the same."

Ethan stared at her, then something clicking into place in his mind and his expression widened for a second.

"Oh no..."

—-

A/N:

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