Ste opened her inbox and, just as she expected, found Neville''s meticulously annotated report waiting for her.


    He''d thoroughly analyzed the threepanies she''d singled out, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses in detail. Even the other firms she''d dismissed


    received careful scrutiny; Neville had listed their pros and cons as well.<fn7a4c> The source of th?s content is ?ovelFind</fn7a4c>


    Thenguage was clear and approachable, free of jargon-a thoughtful gesture, considering she was just starting out in this field.


    It was obvious how much care he''d put into it.


    Not much time had passed since she''d first reached out for his help. Neville must have dropped everything the moment he got her call, just to do this for her.


    A gentle warmth bloomed in Ste''s chest. "Mr. Connolly, thank you so much for this."


    Neville''s deep, smooth voice suddenly softened, almost teasing.


    "Star, we''ve known each other for quite a while now-wouldn''t you say we''re pretty good friends? You call Foreman Richards by his first name, and you never hesitate to call Joshua just ''Joshua.'' But me? You''ve always stuck with ''Mr. Connolly.'' Are you really so formal with me, Star? Are we still strangers?"


    Ste hesitated. "I guess I just got used to it. It''s a habit."


    She paused, then said softly, "So... should I call you Neville?"


    Neville chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. "Yes. From now on, just call me Neville."


    Ste smiled too. "Alright. Thank you again, Neville."


    Both had work to get back to, so they soon ended the call.


    Unbeknownst to her, Joshua had stopped poring over his paperwork at some point. Now, he sat perfectly still, watching Ste with that dark, fathomless gaze of his eyes so deep they reminded her of an ancient well, their intensity carrying a strange, unspoken pressure.


    Ste''s smile hadn''t yet faded when she met his eyes. It froze on her lips, and a sudden tension prickled in the air.


    "Joshua? Is something wrong?"


    Joshua lowered his thickshes, hiding whatever emotion had flickered in his eyes.


    "It''s nothing." His tone was noticeably cooler than before, tinged with something like displeasure.


    Ste wanted to ask more, but Joshua had already returned to his files, head bowed in apparent disinterest.


    About ten minutester, Joshua finished reviewing his documents.


    Ste, meanwhile, had been absorbed in Neville''s analysis, oblivious to everything else—including the fact that Joshua had quietly moved to stand behind her.


    "Whichpany did Neville rmend to you?" Joshua asked suddenly. Startled, Ste nced up to find him looking down at herptop screen.


    Quickly regaining herposure, she pointed. "This one."


    Joshua nced at the screen and nodded, his voice calm but cool. "His rmendation isn''t wrong, but it''s too conservative. Nopany, no matter how promising, can truly


    transform within a year without


    outside intervention.”  s


    "Conservative?" Ste echoed, turning toward him.


    He exined, "What I mean is, Neville''s Suggestion is the best choice if you and Aurora arepeting on equal footing. But do you really believe things will be fair


    between you two?"


    to s


    Ste faltered, unsure how to respond.


    ?????


    Joshua went on, "You''re not like your brothers. Their challenges are about testing their skill and grit. But you-your situation is different.. Because you and Aurora started at the same time, everyone will naturally pit you against each other, whether you want it or not. Even if you don''t care topete, everyone in the Williams Group willpare you two. People are self-interested. Everyone knows Aurora has the upper hand. But if you can surpass her-if you can climb higher by stepping over Aurora-you''ll earn the shareholders'' support faster than you can imagine."


    to s


    Ste stared at her screen, the report blurring before her eyes. In an instant, all


    those careful analyses seemed to lose their meaning.