Forty Million

Forty million dollars sounded different when spoken before breakfast. The cloud billionaire's name was Adrian Kell, founder of Northstar Cloud, a company that sold GPU access to everyone from biotech labs to AI video startups with questionable burn rates. He wore a T-shirt under a jacket that cost more than Ethan's first car and spoke as if silence were a tax. "I like distribution," Kell said. "You have attention. Priya has infrastructure. I have customers. Forty million for ten percent. Board observer. Commercial partnership. Close this week." Priya did not blink. "Four hundred million pre-money is light." Kell smiled. "For a company with one real customer and a public feud?" "For a company every risk officer in America Googled this morning."