?Chapter 536:


    Ste frowned. That hadn’t even crossed her mind before. No equipment meant the whole experiment had to stall.


    She and Sandra asked around, hoping maybe another team had what they needed. But after checking with every single department, the answer was the same—nobody had it.


    It turned out the reason was simple—the equipment had never been ordered in the first ce. It hadn’t been needed for any previous research, so the institute just never bought it.


    Ste felt a headacheing on. This particr machine wasn’t just rare—it had to be custom-made. And even if they ced the order now, it would take two weeks to arrive. Toote. Way toote.


    Everyone knew how crucial this project was—for both the research institute and Briggs Group. Any dy could tank everything.


    “Sylvia, what now?” Sandra’s voice wavered with anxiety. “If we wait for a pre-order, there’s no way we’ll make the deadline.”


    Just as the team started spiraling, a voice cut through the tension. Nina strolled in from the corridor, her heels clicking confidently on the tile.


    She pped her hands lightly, drawing everyone’s attention. “No need to panic,” she said smoothly. “I’ve got a way to fix this.”


    The room buzzed with murmurs. All eyes turned to her.


    “Nina, really? You’ve got a solution? That equipment’s not something you just pick up at a store.”


    “Yeah, it’s rare as hell. We’re talking custom-made, special order, and on a tight clock.”


    Nina stayed calm, as if everything were under control. Once the chatter died down, she said, “I’ll have my family arrange for the institute to get one.” Everyone went wide-eyed.


    “Are you serious? Can your family really secure that equipment in such a short time?”


    “Oh my God, Nina, you’re incredible! You just saved the whole project!” Praise flew from all directions. The team swarmed around Nina like she was the hero of the hour.


    Updates loaded at g@lnoνe??s


    Up on the second floor, Sandra crossed her arms, unimpressed. She huffed under her breath, “It’s just a piece of equipment. Are people really that easy to impress?”


    Her voice was only loud enough for Ste to hear.


    Ste didn’t say a word, and she wasn’t looking at Nina with admiration, either.


    Her gut said something was off.


    She knew how rare that equipment was. In fact, there was only one authorized distributor in the entire country. And Nina? She’d just returned from overseas. How could she be so sure her family could get it without a pre-order? Unless they had serious inside connections, this didn’t add up. Something felt off.


    Really off.


    Without another word, Ste turned and headed back to her workstation.


    Sandra blinked, then rushed after her. “Sylvia, wait up!”


    Her voice wasn’t exactly quiet. Nina, still basking in everyone’s praise downstairs, nced up just in time to see the two of them walking away.


    Watching them leave, she curled her lips into a knowing smirk.


    .


    .


    .