Foreman''s expression remained calm and pleasant as he smiled. "I just heard


    from Star that she doesn''t need me to raise more money. Since I happened to be nearby, I thought I''d drop in and check on things."


    Haynes didn''t press further. Instead, he turned to Ste to ask for her opinion.


    After listening to what Ste intended to do, Haynes fell silent for a few seconds, then gave a gentle nod.


    "If you want to sell your founding shares, there''s nothing inherently wrong with that,” he said. “But I''d still advise you to have a backup n."


    Foreman nced at Haynes in surprise. He hadn''t expected Haynes to back Ste''s decision. He''d assumed Haynes would try to talk her out of it, just as he had. After all, helping Ste now would earn her gratitude-and create more opportunities to be involved in her life.


    Ste''s voice cut through Foreman''s thoughts.


    "A backup n?" she asked.


    Haynes nodded. "We should still work on raising the money ourselves. If something unexpected happens on the final day, and you''re forced to sell those shares in a hurry, it''ll be nearly impossible toe up with the funds at thest minute. If you sell your founding shares to the Williams family, that''s one thing. But if you sell to anyone else, do you really think the Williamses will just sit back and watch a golden opportunity slip away? Especially since you''re in urgent need of cash-they could easily stall you for a few days. That''s why you need another n."


    Ste immediately caught his meaning. After five years of marriage, there was still a certain unspoken understanding between them.


    She nodded lightly. "You''re right. I overlooked that."


    Haynes'' gaze softened. "You''re new to the business world, and you''re already thinking several steps ahead. That''s impressive."


    "If there''s nothing else, I won''t keep you from your work," he added, getting up. Ste stood as well. "Let me walk you out."<fna15b> Chapters first released on F?ndNovel</fna15b>


    Haynes didn''t refuse. As he left, his eyes briefly lingered on Joshua, but he said nothing.


    Foreman chimed in, "I''ll head back with Haynie."


    Ste walked the two of them to the door, expressing her gratitude once more.


    There was still so much she needed to learn. Now that she was in this position, she finally understood why Haynes had always been so busy. It wasn''t just the regr workload-there were constant power ys and intrigue to navigate.


    Once they left the Williams Group building, Foreman couldn''t hold back any longer.


    "Haynie, you know as well as I do that those founding shares are worth far more than the twenty percent stake in the Pearce Group. Why didn''t you try to stop Star fromY selling them? Sure, there''s still over a billion dors left to raise, but with the two of us and our influence in Novaris, we coulde up with it.”  s


    Haynes'' tone was even. "We were together for five years. I know her well. She''s not the type to ept favors easily. If someone does her a kindness, she''ll repay it twofold. Rather than letting herbe weighed down by debts she can never repay, I''d rather let her forge herown path. We can help her once, twice, even three or four times-but we can''t do it forever. Life is unpredictable. None of us can be there all the time."  s


    He paused, giving Foreman a sidelong nce. "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish, and he eats for a lifetime. The stronger she bes, the more at ease I''ll feel. I won''t have to worry about her getting hurt again."


    He looked away, then continued, "It''s not as if Star can''t see the difference in value between her founding shares and the Pearce Group''s. stock But she needs capital-she needs a way to take that first step. In the future, there will be a second step, and a third. Maybe she''ll make the right choice and turn a profit. Or maybe she''ll make a mistake and lose everything she''s invested."  s