?Chapter 354:


    Among the group, no one looked more thrilled than Dillen and Alonso. Hutton had been trained by River. Dillen had learned from Hutton. And Alonso had studied under Dillen. That made all of them part of River’s academic lineage—and they couldn’t have been prouder.


    As Dillen and Alonso stood talking with Elliana, a sense of pride lit up their faces. Their smiles outshone everyone else’s.


    A few steps away, Lance watched Dillen and Alonso in silence, feeling more than a little envious. He too wanted to be River’s protégé! But that dream felt out of reach. Whether Elliana would even consider it was aplete mystery. Still, she was married to Cole, which technically made her his cousin-inw. That meant they were family—even if only by marriage.


    None of this internal conflict showed on Lance’s face, and no one around him seemed to notice. The room remained filled with cheerful conversation until Emmanuel returned and everything quieted down.


    Without wasting a second, Emmanuel walked straight up to Elliana and handed over the check. “Elliana, thank you so much. Here’s your payment. Please keep it safe.”


    “Thank you, Emmanuel.” Elliana took the check, tucked it into her small leather bag, and smiled. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”


    And just like that, she turned and exited the AI R&D Department.


    Emmanuel stepped out and followed behind her.


    “Is there something else, Emmanuel?” Elliana asked, ncing back at the sound of his footsteps.


    Without saying much, Emmanuel handed over another check, this one for one billion. “This is the order Cole asked me to ce with River.”


    Elliana’s eyes widened. “What kind of order did he ce?”


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    A softugh escaped Emmanuel. “Cole said River should keep excelling in her field, but she ought to make time for her husband too.”


    At that, Elliana burst intoughter. She never would have guessed Cole could be so childish. Wait—no. There was nothing childish about him. Starting with a billion-dor “order”? That wasn’t just sweet. It was extravagant, endearing, and absolutely husband-of-the-year material!


    Elliana epted the check with a bright grin. “Please tell this top—


    Elliana turned with a smile, her tone light and cheerful as she said, “Please tell this top-tier client that I’ve epted the order and will deliver exceptional results. Goodbye, Emmanuel!”


    With her steps light and cheerful, she walked off, carrying 1.8 billion worth of checks in her bag.


    Emmanuel stood there watching her go, shaking his head as a quiet smile spread across his face.


    Back when Ruben had first pushed Cole into marrying Elliana, the elders had all voiced their concerns and felt bad for Cole. Who would’ve imagined that Elliana would turn out to be such a gem, and that their marriage would grow into something so affectionate and genuine?


    Lost in thought, Emmanuel turned around—only to find Lance standing nearby, his eyes fixed on Elliana’s fading silhouette, full of longing.


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