In front of the CNBC cameras, he made the whole room go quiet.

It was repackaging industrial budget spend as an AI story. That night Vera called him privately. “Are you going to break this story?” “No,” Darren said. “I’m going to break the valuation before the financing closes.” “How?” “By making the company lose credibility in public first.” The next day CNBC ran a live roundtable on AI in manufacturing. Hank’s side had been invited along with a few bullish analysts. Through a connection Noah quietly worked, Iron Curve got a seat too. Before the broadcast, the host glanced at the list with visible surprise. “You’re sure you want this new risk guy on the panel?” Darren sat under the lights in a suit that had still been altered secondhand, but he kept his back straight.