Billionaire Villainess (Unedited)

Birth of a Rivalry

Gabriel and his friends remained gathered in his dorm room, their energy buzzing with a mix of frustration, excitement, and determination. The confrontation with Judith had ignited a fire within them, and now they were ready to channel that anger into something productive.

Gabriel stood at the head of the room, pacing as he spoke. "We need to create a platform that rivals their Metube. We'll call it 'VidVerse.' It sounds futuristic and cutting-edge."

Jericho nodded thoughtfully. "VidVerse... I like it. It gives off a high-tech vibe. But we need to make sure our platform stands out. What do we have that they don't?"

"First, we need a unique selling point," Gabriel said. "We should focus on features that Metube doesn't have. Enhanced privacy options, better content discovery, maybe even a more intuitive user interface. We need to offer something that will make users want to switch."

Marko, still playing the snake game on his phone, chimed in. "How about incorporating better video quality and streaming capabilities? We could offer higher resolution options and smoother playback."

"Good idea," Gabriel said, his eyes lighting up. "We should also consider partnerships with creators to offer exclusive content. It could help us build a strong initial user base."

Hollister, still recovering from his encounter with Judith, looked up from his notebook where he had taken notes on Judith's project. "And we need to make sure the platform is secure. We can't afford any leaks or breaches. Users need to trust us with their data."

Gabriel nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We need top-notch security and transparency. If we can show users that VidVerse is safer and more reliable than Metube, we can win them over."

Jericho pulled out his laptop and began sketching out a rough plan. "We should divide the work. I can handle the backend development and server architecture. Marko, you can work on the user interface and experience design. Hollister, you focus on marketing and outreach. Gabriel, you'll oversee the project and manage our partnerships."

The group nodded in agreement, their focus sharpening as they outlined their roles and responsibilities. The plan began to take shape, each member contributing their expertise to the effort.

Thus, they began their ultimate project.

———-

Meanwhile, Judith and her team had finished securing their project and were preparing to move forward. The early morning light filtering through the lab windows brought a sense of calm, but Judith's mind was still filled with thoughts of Gabriel's intrusion.

Suddenly, she had an uneasy feeling.

"Hey guys," she began, "do you think Gabriel and his goonies might try to copy our work? When I caught them, I saw one of them writing in a notebook before I kicked him in the nuts."

The guys immediately stopped their tasks and turned to look at her in shock.

"You kicked one of them in the balls, Judith?!" Liam exclaimed.

Judith shrugged. "Yeah, I did. He was trying to hit me after talking back to Gabriel."

Zayden looked particularly angry. "Someone dared to try and hit you?!"

"It was the guy named after a Christmas tree or whatever. But you don't need to worry about him. He'll have difficulties producing future kids."

The four guys looked as though they had swallowed a lemon, reacting to what she said.

"But back to the previous topic," Judith continued, trying to refocus the group, "I honestly think they would try to copy our project. If they are..." she trailed off, looking worried.

Zayden, Liam, Charles, and Xavier all had troubled expressions.

"We need to prepare ourselves for the future," Liam declared. "It's inevitable that we would have competition, especially in tech. While the way Gabriel and his friends obtained the ideas from us is cheating, they may have the skills to execute their plans well. They could become a significant threat."

Charles leaned forward, looking concerned. "What makes you think they have the skills?"

Liam shook his head. "I believe they have a knack for technology like us. Gabriel's smart, and from what I've heard, his friends aren't slouches either. If they're half as dedicated as we are, they could turn whatever website they make into serious competition."

Xavier nodded in agreement. "We need to be ahead of the game. We can't just react to what they do; we need to set the pace and stay innovative."

"Exactly," Judith added. "We should focus on refining our unique features and making our platform as polished and user-friendly as possible. We can't afford to be complacent."

Zayden's expression hardened. "And if they try to sabotage us or steal more of our ideas, we'll have to be ready. We should think about legal protections and ways to keep our work secure."

Liam glanced around at the group. "Agreed. Let's get a plan in place for both our development and our defense strategies. We need to ensure that whatever Gabriel and his team come up with, it doesn't overshadow what we're building."
——————
Later in the day:

Verona sat at the coffee shop with a storm raging inside her. The usually cozy space felt cramped and stifling. Since yesterday, Gabriel hadn't been showing up to meet her like he promised.

"What has he been doing? Did he actually forget about me?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with both anger and confusion. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense of it all. She had texted and called him multiple time, but all went unanswered.

Verona's thoughts churned, the possibilities flashing through her mind like scenes from a bad movie. Maybe something had happened to him—an accident, or worse. But she dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. No, if something had happened, she would have heard about it by now. Her worry slowly began to transform into something more bitter: suspicion.

And what, or who is the object of her suspicion.

Judith.

It seemed Gabriel had become more distant recently, and her stupid sister is the likely culprit. Even though their engagement had already been broken, Judith must be scheming to drive a wedge between them to get back at her.

"That bitch," Verona hissed, her hands clenching into fists. "She's behind his change of behavior towards me, I know it."

Verona's phone suddenly buzzed on the table. She grabbed it, half-hoping it was Gabriel with an explanation or apology for not meeting her. But it wasn't him. It was a message from her friend, Nora.

Nora: Hey, you okay? You seem really off today.

Verona stared at the message, her anger flaring even more. She didn't want to talk about this, not with anyone. She didn't need their pity, their concern. She needed answers. She needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

Ignoring the message, she tossed her phone into her purse. If Gabriel wasn't going to come to her, then she would go find him. She decided to go to his dorm.

As she yanked open the door to the coffee shop, she paused for just a moment, her breath coming fast. Verona wasn't the type to confront someone outright, at least not like this, but she felt like she was being pushed into a corner.

She stormed out of the shop and headed back to the university. Her mind was focused, her anger driving her forward. She had questions, and Gabriel was going to give her answers, whether he wanted to or not. And if Judith had anything to do with Gabriel's behavior towards her, Verona would make sure she paid for it.