Everyone had heard that Mr. Henderson''s girlfriend was a PhD from an elite


    international university—a tech prodigy, so the rumors went.


    But then, if she was such a prodigy, why hadn''t anyone ever heard of anything


    she''d actually aplished?


    Sure, Neural Nexus Tech had made some impressive breakthroughs recently, but


    most people figured that was just Thorne''s lingering influence from his time there.


    It couldn''t have had much to do with Vesta herself, could it?


    Meanwhile, Charlene had never boasted about being a genius. Yet, today, she''d


    stunned everyone with her brilliance.


    Looking at it now, maybe Mr. Henderson''s girlfriend''s "genius" reputation wasn''t


    all it was cracked up to be.


    No one said it out loud, but the sideways nces, the way people kept eyeing


    Vesta and Charlene, made their skepticism unmistakable. Vesta would''ve had to


    be blind not to notice.


    Herplexion had already been pale, but now she looked even worse.


    Seeing everyonepare her to Charlene, watching their silent doubt flicker


    across their faces, Vesta clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.


    She might not have invented any groundbreaking tech, but her academic


    credentials were real—no one had the right to question that.


    Still, with no one voicing their doubts, she had no opportunity to defend herself.


    Whatever indignation she felt had nowhere to go.


    And when it came to actual academic achievements...


    She thought of Charlene''s recent, internationally praised research paper and the


    way Charlene had dazzled everyone at the press conference today.


    Vesta had to admit, when it came to academic aplishments, she could no


    longerpete with Charlene.


    She stood frozen in ce, her face ashen.


    Thorne, having finished greeting a few acquaintances, turned to her. "Let''s go," he


    said quietly.


    Vesta forced a weak smile. "Alright..."


    She took a moment to collect herself, then greeted Mr. Ashcroft and a few other


    familiar business contacts with aposed expression before walking out of the


    venue beside Thorne. They politely nodded to people as they left the press


    conference.


    Outwardly, Vesta maintained her calm, but inside, she was still a storm of


    emotions.


    Thorne, on the other hand, seemed to have left the press conference behind


    without a second thought.


    He spoke in his usual, even tone. "Mr. ck''s team has been fully vetted, right?


    No issues?"


    He was referring to the person they were about to meet—a potential partner for


    Neural Nexus Tech.


    Hearing his calm, gentle voice and


    seeing that familiar warmth in his


    eyes, Vesta''s anxiety slowly ebbed


    away. She managed a genuine


    smile Yes, I''ve looked into it


    thoroughly. Mr. ck''s team fits our


    needs perfectly."


    "Excellent."


    As they spoke, the elevator doors slid open.


    ...


    Axiom Flux Technologies had built a solid reputation at home, and today''s press


    conference was being streamed live.


    They might not have been famous enough to cause an online sensation with a


    single event, but they did have a loyal following who tuned in.


    At first, the livestream chat was


    fairly quiet. But as soon as news


    broke of Axiom Flux Technologies''


    partnership with PrimeStar,


    excitement exploded across the


    inte.


    Within minutes, the virtual audience swelled.


    After listening to Charlene''s presentation for a while, the livestream''s poprity


    skyrocketed, quicklynding the event on the trending topics.


    Leah Spencer bored and browsing


    online, noticed the trending topic


    and clicked out of curiosity. The


    moment she saw Charlene on


    screen she froze. Before she could


    process what was happening, a


    flood ofments praising


    Charlene''s brilliance filled the chat.


    People weren''t just singing Charlene''s praises—they were also specting that


    this press conference would put every other self-driving carpany out of


    business.


    And, of course, there was plenty of discussion about how much of a bonus


    Charlene, as the technical lead, would receive.


    Reading thesements, even Leah—dense as she sometimes was—


    understood what this all meant.


    Panic set in.


    She hurriedly closed the browser and dialed a number.


    When Maureen Spencer answered and heard Leah''s frantic words, she paused,


    clenching her hand around the phone.


    Henley Hawkins noticed the change in Maureen''s expression and asked, "What


    happened?"


    If what Leah said was true, Henley would find out eventually.


    There was no point in hiding it, so Maureen told him everything.


    When Henley finished listening, he could hardly believe his ears.