The people in the Investment Department stared at Georgia as if she''dpletely lost her mind.


    Low whispers started bubbling up around the room.


    "Ms. Ailie''s way out of our league. Who are we to go running after her?" someone muttered under their breath.


    Another colleague, not bothering to hide the spite in her voice, chimed in with a mocking smile. "Georgia, you''re Ms. Marchand''s favorite. If any of us tries to track down Ms. Ailie, we''ll get our heads bitten off. But you? With your connections, why don''t you give her a call? I''m sure she''lle running for you."


    Georgia rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. She''d already tried calling Ailie-her phone was switched off, as usual.


    If she could reach Ailie, would she really be here, wasting time with these Investment Department drones?


    She was out of ideas.


    Meanwhile, Ailie was already in apany car headed to a nearby coffee shop. When they arrived, she politely dismissed the driver, insisting she''d catch a cab back and that he didn''t need to wait.


    The café on the second floor was charming and refined.


    As Ailie climbed the stairs, she spotted Yasmine waiting for her at a window table.


    "Sorry I''mte," Ailie said, catching her breath. "Got held up in a meeting."


    She handed over the contract, leaning in with curiosity. "So, where did Victoria find these friends? They must be something special-dropping this kind of money on us right out of the gate."


    Yasmine''s eyes sparkled mischievously. "You''ll have to ask Ms. Turner yourself. I''m just the hired help. I do what the boss tells me."


    Just like that, Yasmine neatly sidestepped the question, as smooth as ever.


    Ailieughed and raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. As long as they''re signing checks, I''m not going toin. Next time, I''ll have to treat you and your boss to dinner. Ms. Turner is keeping food on my table-I owe her big time."


    Yasmine just smiled, taking the contract from her. "I''ll get this over to the CEO of EmilyTech Solutions for signing. But fair warning: our boss''s friend is a bit of a mystery, not exactly the sociable type. Don''t take it personally."


    "Anyway, if you need anything, just reach out to me directly. As for Mr. Garcia, I''ll give him a callter. Once the contract''s signed, you can hang onto it. Pass it along to Mr. Garcia whenever you like."


    Ailie grinned. "Sounds good."


    Quantum Core Technologies


    Back at the office, Georgia was running in circles, getting nowhere with her search for Ailie. Meanwhile, Violet had been waiting nearly thirty minutes for Georgia to


    show up, only to eventually lose patience and call her directly.


    With no more excuses left, Georgia dragged herself into Violet''s office, feeling like


    a dog with its tail between its legs.


    "I told you to find Ms. Ailie. What on earth happened? Did you at least get the contract to her?" Violet demanded.


    Ailie was supposed to have the contract ready for signing before four. It was already four o''clock.


    Violet had even nned to go with Ailie herself-she wanted to meet the CEO of EmilyTech Solutions in person. Word was, the CEO was a woman too.


    Violet could not stand the idea of another woman outshining her.


    She''d never heard of EmilyTech Solutions before, but anyone who could casually invest several hundred million dors was worth meeting. If they hit it off, maybe they''d even be friends.


    Ailie was just a department manager; what business did she have negotiating contracts with a CEO? Violet, as Vice President of Quantum Core, should be the one handling this-if only to show EmilyTech Solutions the respect they deserved.


    After all, Quantum Core had started out as a no-namepany itself. Violet knew that some of today''s biggest names began with humble roots. She liked to think of herself as the talent scout who could spot a diamond in the rough.


    Rumor had it, the CEO of EmilyTech Solutions was a Stanford grad with a master''s in fluid dynamics—and a diehard Form 1 enthusiast, with plenty of trophies to show for it.


    In Violet''s mind, there were only two women worth remembering on the F1 circuit -herself and Vivian. She couldn''t recall any others.


    But she quickly dismissed the idea that EmilyTech''s CEO could be Vivian-it was impossible for one person to juggle so many things at once. Besides, this mysterious CEO was also the founder of Allian, a high-end jewelry brand. That got Violet''s blood pumping.


    She didn''t even own a single piece of Allian jewelry. In her elite social circles, that was practically a mark of shame.


    These days, everyone who was anyone was moring to get their hands on one of Allian''s designs.


    Violet saw this as her golden opportunity: get close to the EmilyTech CEO, and maybe she''d finally snag that coveted Allian piece.


    Instead, she was greeted by Georgia, who looked like she was headed to her own funeral.


    Violet fixed her with a steely re. "Where''s the contract?"


    "Contract''s not ready. Ms. Ailie already left. I can''t reach her; her phone''s been off this whole time," Georgia stammered.


    Violet was about to explode when her phone rang. It was Curtis.


    "Ms. Ailie from the Investment Department called to say she handed the documents to your assistant for review, then waited for the contract to be drafted, but your assistant never showed up. Now the CEO at EmilyTech Solutions is furious—she thinks we''re ying games with her. I''ve already sent Ailie over to smooth things over, but you need to get your staff in line and sort this out. This is a multi-million dor deal, not pocket change. We can''t afford to waste a single minute, let alone half an hour."


    Curtis hung up before Violet could offer so much as a word in her own defense.