Zero Trust

Elias Cole isn't just broke; he is a walking deficit. Eighty-four grand in the hole, bleeding on a Seattle sidewalk, and out of time. Out of money. Out of options.

But when he finds the invite meant for Stephan Blankenship-the spineless heir to a venture capital empire-Elias sees a way out. He doesn't just steal Stephan's invite to the elite Miller Services Executive Program. He steals his name. He steals his life.

There's just one problem. The Miller Program implants every candidate with a Node-an experimental AI named Rai that monitors every heartbeat, every micro-expression, and every lie.

Rai knows Elias is a fraud instantly. But she doesn't report him-she decides to weaponize him.

Now, Elias must survive in a pressure cooker swimming with high powered Execs. Caught between a drunk heir in hiding in, a brilliant engineer who sees through his disguise, and a ruthless CEO building a global nervous system, Elias has one week to pull off the ultimate corporate heist.

He has to save a billion-dollar company he doesn't own, or face the debt he left behind.

High Tech. Low Life. Maximum Leverage.

Copyright © 2026 J. Donovan Strong. All Rights Reserved.