?Chapter 87:


    Ste stood calmly off to the side, her face unreadable.


    She had to admit—Haley was slightly sharper than before, though not by much.


    Ste gave a lightugh. “I’m not your wife, so how could I have stolen yourpany secrets? As for the fake ID im, why don’t you show me your evidence?”


    She had moved on from Marc long ago. As far as she was concerned, as long as they didn’t cross her path, she could act like they never existed. Still, when her eyes met Marc’s—full of determination—she couldn’t help but feel how absurd it all was.


    Marc, of all people, knew her better than most, yet he was standing here, using her of stealing hispany’s technology?


    She had once hoped they could part peacefully. Clearly, Marc had no such intention.


    “Oh, we’ve got proof,” Haley snapped, her chin raised with confidence. “That proposal you’re holding is all the evidence we need. Do you dare show your files and let the data teampare them?”


    Ste looked Haley straight in the eye. “Why wouldn’t I dare? But since you and Mr. Walsh are so eager to throw around usations, how about this—if I prove I didn’t take anything, you both owe me a public apology. And after that, stay the hell out of my life. Fair enough?”


    “Deal,” Haley snapped back without hesitation. “You should be nervous—using Marc’s core tech to score this deal with SummitRise? You’re nothing but a fraud.”


    Ste didn’t get angry. Instead, sheughed under her breath. “Fine then. A deal’s a deal. Just don’t forget—whoever loses pays the price.”


    She then turned toward Steven with a calm, professional tone. “Mr. Harrison, here’s the tech I’ve prepared for yourpany’s project. You’re wee to have your analystspare it with Walsh Group’s system. I’ll let the data do the talking.”


    Steven, the man in charge at SummitRise, had a skilled team behind him. Running IP checks and analyzing ovepping tech structures was standard procedure for them.


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    He gave a brief nod and motioned to his assistant to begin the analysis. Twenty minutes passed before the assistant quietly delivered the results to Steven’s screen.


    Steven read through the report, leaned back in his chair, and nced at the group. “There is an issue with Ms. Gilbert’s proposal,” he stated.


    Haley immediately let out a smugugh, turning to Ste with glee. “What did I say? It’s obvious you stole the Walsh Group’s tech. There’s no way you created something this advanced on your own in just six months.”


    Marc remained seated on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, silently watching Ste with an intense gaze.


    “Ste,” he said gently. “I’ll let this slide if youe home with me. We can act like none of this ever happened. I won’t let the police get involved.”


    His tone was tender, almost noble, as though he was doing her a favor for a crime she hadn’t evenmitted.


    But before Ste could reply, Steven cleared his throat a few times, his expression shifting as his eyes darkened slightly. “Actually, I’m not done talking yet,” he said calmly.


    Haley and Marc turned to face him again, confused.


    Steven leaned forward slightly and spoke with deliberate calm. “What I said was that there’s an issue with Ms. Gilbert’s submission, but I never imed it had any ovep with Walsh Group’s data. The issue is that her design is too advanced. Entirely original. Not a single element from Walsh Group appears in her system. I’m honestly… impressed. I was hoping to ask how she managed something so cutting-edge.”


    The revtion hit Marc and Haley like a thunderp.


    They stared at Steven in disbelief.


    It didn’t add up.


    Hadn’t Ste developed this more advanced system by enhancing her own patent, which was once licensed to the Walsh Group as their core technology?


    How could her new system be entirely different?


    “No! That’s impossible!” Haley shouted, her voice shrill. “There has to be a mistake. She couldn’t have developed something new on her own—she had to copy us!”


    She refused to ept that Ste might actually be that capable.


    “What did you do, Ste? Did you bribe Steven? You must’ve used some dirty trick to get him on your side!” Haley’s voice dripped with usation, trying to twist the situation now that her n had fallen apart.


    Ste let out a light chuckle. “I’m done wasting energy exining myself. There’s always someone better out there, maybe that’s what you can’t ept. What now, Ms. Smith? Too proud to say you were wrong? If you can’t bring yourself to apologize, I’ll just take legal action for defamation.”


    Haley clenched her jaw and red daggers at Ste, her fury simmering just beneath the surface.


    Meanwhile, Steven’s tone turned icy as he spoke again. “Ms. Smith, what exactly are you suggesting? That SummitRise is rigging results? That we’re conspiring against the Walsh Group? Ms. Gilbert won this deal fairly. You and Mr. Walsh, on the other hand, stormed in without invitation and created chaos. I’d say it’s your behavior that’s out of line.”


    His wordsnded hard. For a moment, both Haley and Marc were too stunned to respond.


    Just then, the assistant, who had been silently waiting at the door, tapped gently and stepped in to ease the tension. “Mr. Harrison, Mr. Sampson has arrived.”


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