?Chapter 1669:


    He stood abruptly and bowed deeply, his voice cracking. “I’m so sorry! My dad is a selfish bastard. On behalf of my whole family, I apologize.”


    Brenna wasn’t moved. His apology felt like it came with strings attached.


    Conor held the bow for nearly a minute. When Brenna didn’t acknowledge him, he straightened up awkwardly.


    “I don’t expect you to forgive me,” he continued, “but this is where I stand. I don’t care what the rest of my family thinks—I know I was wrong. My dad? He’s never shown a shred of remorse. Even when they locked him up, he didn’t get it. But he’s paying for it now in prison. He really deserved that.”


    Brenna studied him. “So, you only came to apologize? That’s it?”


    She wasn’t convinced. She believed he had other intentions foring here. Whether his apology was sincere or not, she wasn’t buying the act.


    Conor couldn’t bring himself to admit he’de to borrow money. That sort of confession would only make things even more strained between their families.


    Without a hint of hesitation, he replied, “That’s right—I’m only here to apologize. That’s all.”


    Worried he might slip up and say too much if he stayed any longer, he decided to leave right away. “Sorry to bother you. We’ll try to keep out of your way in the future. And please, let my aunt know I’m sorry for everything.”


    Deep down, he kept wishing Brenna would take the initiative and ask, “Is there something troubling you?”


    Yet after waiting for a good thirty seconds, Brenna didn’t offer a single word of concern. She didn’t even bother to ask how Madge was doing—proof enough that the Harper family wanted nothing to do with the Bentleys. How could he expect anything more? Wouldn’t it be best to leave before things got even more awkward?


    “I should get going. I don’t want to hold you up.”


    True to his word, Conor walked away. Brenna didn’t so much as move from her seat. Lorna silently followed him out, walking him to the elevator with only a polite nod.


    LΑτ??τ chαρτ?rs ιn g??l??ov?l??.??????


    Up on the 99th floor, Brenna dropped by Ethan’s office, hoping he’d know a good botanist.


    Inside the room, Ethan was in the midst of a meeting with three young engineers, discussing the details of their next-generation drones. He waspletely absorbed in work, shuffling through a folder filled with schematics and notes about the upgrades nned for the second-generation drone.


    He looked at his team. “So, what’s new with this version? What are the main upgrades?”


    A young man in a gray shirt replied right away, “The batterysts a lot longer, it’s faster, the body’s a bit bigger, and the aerial camera is much clearer. But the price? It’s twice as much as the first-generation model.”


    Ethan considered it for a moment before saying, “That’s quite a steep markup. If we raise the price too much, a lot of budget-conscious buyers might walk away. Come up with another n, but keep the body the same size, and use the new battery and camera specs from the second generation. Work out the costs so we can offer it at a price that sits somewhere in the middle. And don’t drop the first-gen model. It’s still selling well among customers who just want something simple.”


    The three young men exchanged quick looks. Then, the one in the id shirt said, “You always see the bigger picture, Mr. Mitchell. We’re still getting plenty of orders for the first version, and our support team is working overtime to keep up. We’ll get started on those changes right away.”


    .


    .


    .