McNeil stormed out into the night.


    Victoria heard the car door m with a force that spoke of pent-up anger.


    Xenia stood there, lost and uncertain, still clutching the suit jacket.


    "Ma''am"


    Victoria nced at her. "Take the jacket and get it cleaned."


    She had exchanged contact information with Marcus yesterday; she needed to return his jacket eventually.


    Victoria hadn''t slept a wink all night. The next morning, as soon as she got up, Gwh came looking for her.


    "Mommy, did you find that game yet?"


    Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Gwh watched as Victoria made her breakfast herself.


    "Almost."


    Quantum Core Technologies also developed gaming software, so Victoria figured she could use somepany resources to get the appunched. It would just take a little time.


    Gwh, brimming with excitement, could barely sit still.


    The next time Victoria saw Violet was during the weekly staff meeting.


    To her surprise, Violet''s seat had been ced right next to Curtis, while Victoria— despite being his assistant-wasn''t even given a chair.


    Curtis entered the conference roomst. When he noticed Victoria standing off to the side, it was toote to ask anyone to fetch her a seat.


    Violet looked every bit the part in her tailored business suit, her makeup wless, exuding confidence and poise.


    Victoria, on the other hand, had been up all night and only caught a couple hours of sleep at dawn. With barely any makeup and her hair hastily tied back, she looked drained.


    She was worlds apart from Violet, who seemed to glow under the fluorescent lights.


    "Want me to find you a chair?" Curtis asked, scanning the room.


    Ailie hadn''t expected anyone would deliberately try to embarrass Victoria either, and her expression soured.


    "That''s all right, Mr. Garcia. I''ll stand," Victoria replied calmly.


    Curtis didn''t press the issue. Victoria was a married woman, after all; even if he had any personal feelings, showing too much concern would only fuel office gossip.


    He simply nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."


    The meeting began. Victoria stood at the back, notebook in hand, diligently recording every point.


    As the department heads delivered their reports, Violet remained silent. Nearly two hours in, just as the meeting was about to wrap up, she suddenly raised her hand.


    "Mr. Garcia, I think the liquid hydrogen drone project we discussedst time deserves another look. This seems like the perfect time to revisit it."


    Victoria shot Violet a nce. She and Ailie had already rejected that proposal.


    Cutting-edge products like this often end up getting bought out and shelved, never making it to market or generating any real profit for thepany. The prospects looked good on paper, but in reality, it was the military that would be most interested.


    Still, this was something Ailie and Victoria had only discussed privately-Curtis


    hadn''t been fully briefed.


    With the meeting already over,


    Violet''s suggestion couldn''t possibly


    be resolved on the spot. The executives and board members all had their own opinions, but there were no supporting documents or data on hand for a real discussion.


    Victoria immediately realized Violet had two motives: to show off her own initiative, and-more likely to keep Victoria standing for another hour or two.


    Company policy required female staff to wear heels at work. After two hours on


    her feet taking minutes, Victoria''s legs were already numb.


    Ailie''s eyes shed coldly. "Ms. Marchand, do you have any idea how many promising investment proposals our department reviews every day? Have you actually taken the time to read through them?"


    If anyone could sniff out Violet''s ulterior motives, it was Ailie-she''d seen plenty of office politics before.


    Violet, however, wasn''t ruffled by the rebuke.


    "Ms. Ailie, I may be new here, but everyone''s eager to get in on this project. And if there''s a risk the military will snap it up, why not partner with someone who already has those connections?


    Liquid hydrogen drones could solve the problem of limited flight time. They''d revolutionize logistics, precision agriculture, and, of course, have defense applications.


    Most importantly, they''d drive the adoption of clean energy and help pave the way for a green, low-carbon future..."