Laurel''s cool voice held a hint of urgency.


    "Why did Joshua suddenly disappear? Has his condition worsened? If Dr. Chase can''t handle it, I can go treat Joshua myself."


    "There''s no need to worry, Ms. Quinn," Jake said. "Mr. Gardner is fine. He... he just went to Solmaris and didn''t have time to inform us."


    There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.


    Soon, Laurel''s voice returned. "Is something wrong with Ste?"


    Jake found it difficult to say. "It''s nothing serious. It''s just... Ms. Cameron got sick,


    and Mr. Gardner was worried, so he went to see her."


    Silence stretched on again. Jake didn''t know what to say either.


    After a moment, Laurel spoke again.


    "As long as he''s okay... He probably won''t stay in Solmaris for long. Have Dr. Chase on standby. I''ve already sent the subsequent treatment n to Dr. Chase. Have Joshua''s medical team look it over as soon as possible so they can keep an eye on how it works."


    "Ms. Quinn, thank you so much," Jake said sincerely.


    "I owe him this," Laurel sighed. "Since he''s fine, I''ll hang up now."


    After ending the call, she turned to her assistant. "Has a partner been confirmed for that multi-billion-dor project?"


    "Not yet," the assistant replied. "But we''ve shortlisted a few of the strongerpanies. Among them, The Watson Group is the strongest contender. Unless something unexpected happens, the deal is basically theirs."


    "Did the Williams family submit a bid?" Laurel Quinn asked.


    The assistant thought for a moment and nodded slightly.


    "It seems Jonathan Williams, the eldest son of the Williams family, participated in the bidding. But this project isn''t their core strength, and their pricing wasn''tpetitive, so we aren''t considering them at the moment."


    "Go get in touch with Ste''s people," Laurel Quinn instructed. "Give this project to her."


    was taken aback. "Ms.


    The assistant wa


    Quinn, this project is very important. Are you sure you want to hand it to a neer? If something goes wrong it will have a huge impact on us. You only just took over the family business; & move like this could easily put your spot at risk."


    "If she''s someone he wants to help, then she''s someone I will help. I trust his judgment," Laurel said calmly. "If Ste''s really got what it takes, this project alone will be enough to lock in her ce at The Williams Group. If she messes it up..."


    Laurel''s expression was indifferent. "Then we''ll know that''s as far as she can go, and she''s not worth my help anymore. As for the losses... The Quinn Group can afford billions my position can be shaken something so small, it means my position was unstable to begin with. It would only be a matter of time before I was reced anyway."


    The assistant looked at the woman before her, seemingly wanting to say more but holding back.


    In the end, she only managed one sentence.


    "Ms. Quinn, you seem to have changed a lot."


    Laurel Quinn nced at her assistant, as if guessing what she wanted to say.


    "Do you think I''m mixing my personal feelings with business?"


    The assistant had been with Laurel since she had nothing, and though they were superior and subordinate, they were as close as sisters.


    "Ms. Quinn has never brought personal emotions into her work," the assistant said. "Logically speaking, neither the Williams family nor Ste meets our criteria for this project."


    Laurel looked up at the dark night


    sky and said softly, "It''s because I still owe him so much... He wouldn''t ept mypensation. And пок he doesnt need it. Instead ofpensating him, it''s bette to help Ste... She''s the one who needs the help the most."