Chapter 58: The Final Exam
Monday – Caltech Physics Hall – 8:42 a.m.
Jake Harper sat at a solitary desk in the center of a vast lecture room. Morning sunlight poured through high, narrow windows, illuminating rows of freshly scrubbed chalkboards behind him. His breathing was steady, controlled—but his mind raced like a quantum engine.
Five professors entered and took their seats. Among them sat Dr. Minerva Kass, his mentor. At the far end was Dr. Rowan, the harshest critic of Jake's candidacy. And in the back corner stood Sheldon Cooper, silent, analytical, arms crossed with military stillness.
Dr. Rowan opened a folder and slid it across the table toward Jake. "These four prompts each represent the basis for a full doctoral dissertation. You are to complete two. You have three hours. No collaboration. No devices."
Jake gave a slow nod, then opened the folder. His eyes scanned the questions:
1. Develop a model for integrating relativistic time dilation with entangled systems.
2. Provide a unified field theory for low-dimensional quantum gravity.
3. Construct a self-training AI capable of learning physics from zero knowledge.
4. Explain the theoretical foundation for faster-than-light communication and its physical constraints.
He cracked his knuckles once. Picked up his pencil.
"Let's begin."
---
11:56 a.m. – Outside the Lecture Hall
Jake walked out into the courtyard and let the sun hit his face. It felt unreal—like leaving a dream. His brain still pulsed with math and logic, but his shoulders sagged, finally free.
A moment later, Dr. Kass joined him on the steps.
"You didn't just pass," she said, expression unreadable. "You challenged the very idea of what a doctoral defense should be. Even Rowan had to admit your solution to the AI prompt was… beyond what most researchers could conceptualize."
Jake breathed in deep. "So that's it?"
She gave a rare, faint smile. "You're on track to earn your Ph.D. before the year's over. All that's left is your thesis defense."
Jake nodded. He reached into his hoodie pocket, pulled out his FacePhone, and powered it on. Notifications stacked instantly.
FaceWorld Users: 100,038,455
FacePhone Sales: 2.3M units shipped
Unread Messages: 83
News Mentions: 5,314
His screen glowed with achievement—and pressure.
---
Tuesday – FaceWorld HQ (Brentwood) – 6:17 a.m.
Jake's desk was awash in light from multiple monitors. On-screen, COO Callum grinned from the FaceWorld downtown office, sipping from a huge coffee cup.
"We crossed 100 million users," Callum said. "And the FacePhone is flying off the shelves. No bottlenecks, no returns. Europe's losing its mind."
Jake leaned forward. "Revenue?"
Callum flipped the screen.
"Ad income: $13.4 million daily.
Marketplace income: $3.7 million daily.
FacePhone gross profit: $600+ per unit."
Jake blinked slowly. "What's the new company valuation?"
Callum laughed. "Conservatively? $35 to $40 billion. More if SoundStack takes off."
Jake exhaled. "And my personal stake?"
"You still own 80% of FaceWorld. That includes FacePhone, YouTube, and SoundStack. You're worth at least $28 billion right now. Give or take a private island."
---
Wednesday – National News
Jake was reading emails when Judith entered the kitchen with a copy of the Wall Street Journal, her face unreadable.
She dropped it on the table in front of him.
"Page one."
Jake looked down.
THE PRODIGY KING:
13-Year-Old Tech CEO Becomes World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire
His picture was in the corner, mid-sentence from a FacePhone keynote. The article listed his assets:
> FaceWorld Inc.: Valued between $30–40B
FacePhone Sales: 2.3M units and rising
Full ownership of YouTube
Projected net worth: $25B–$30B
Age: 13
Jake stared at the page in silence.
Judith sat down across from him, her expression soft.
"Are you okay?"
He swallowed. "Yeah. I just… never thought they'd put a price tag on me this fast."
---
Thursday – Senatorial Contact
Jake's FacePhone buzzed with a D.C. area code.
He answered.
"Mr. Harper, this is Senator Roth, California Technology Committee. We'd like to arrange a private meeting."
Jake paused. "Regarding?"
"Your software has become globally relevant. Your phone is in the hands of foreign governments. Your platform reaches a tenth of the world. It's… time we talked."
Jake remained quiet.
"There's also been interest from the Vice President. We'd prefer an in-person meeting."
"I'll think about it," Jake said, then hung up.
He stared at the phone for a long moment.
Then silenced it.
---
Friday – Haley's House, Cheviot Hills
Jake sat on the couch with Haley, both pretending they were watching TV.
She turned to him, eyes sharp. "So… how rich are you now?"
Jake gave a weak smile. "Twenty-eight billion. Give or take."
Haley's jaw dropped. "You could literally buy Disneyland."
Jake smirked. "I'd rather buy more time."
She frowned. "Time?"
Jake looked at her. "I just feel like I'm sprinting through my own life. Everyone's watching. Wanting something. And I don't know when I get to just stop and be me."
Haley moved closer, gently resting her head on his shoulder.
"You get to be you with me."
Jake smiled, small and grateful. "Promise you won't let me turn into one of those cold tech billionaires?"
"Only if you promise not to replace me with a robot girlfriend."
He laughed. "Deal."
---
Saturday – Brentwood
Jake watched the sunset from his bedroom window, thesis notes spread out across his desk, a quiet notification pinging in the background:
Incoming Offer:
Confidential Acquisition Inquiry
From: Major Tech Company (Internal)
He didn't open it yet.
For the first time in weeks, he just watched the light change outside and let it all sit on his shoulders—heavy, bright, impossible.
And still… his.