He clenched his jaw in frustration. “One day, I’ll make her pay for everyst bit of this!”
With that, he crushed the empty water bottle in his hand, the stic copsing with a sharp crack–an obvious attempt to vent his anger.
Bianca watched his reaction, a silent, amused smile tugging at her lips.
Once Jude had calmed down, he remembered there was something important he needed to discuss with her.
“Bianca, I dug up some inside information on thatpany, InnoCore!”
Bianca’s interest was instantly piqued. “What did you find out?”
“Thepany behind this new smart software is based in Rivercrest City. It’s actually a pretty small operation, only about half a million in starting capital. Looks like they haven’t attracted much investment yet, so no one in Rivercrest has really noticed them.”
“If they’re in Rivercrest, that’s perfect,” Bianca replied, clearly pleased by the news.
Jude nodded in agreement. “There’s a product showcaseing up, right? Let’s figure out a way to secure a deal with them directly!”
“Absolutely.” Bianca was confident, her tone unwavering.
After all, with Aurelion Capital and the Harcourt Group backing her–and Seth’s strong support–she had every advantage she needed.
An opportunity like this? Everyone wanted a piece of it.
No way they’d let it slip through their fingers,
“Just promise me one thing–let me be part of this. If I don’t produce some real results soon, my dad’s going to kick me out of the house!”
Bianca couldn’t help butugh. “Deal.”
Hearing her agree, Jude finally rxed. For the first time in a long while,
<i>1/2 </i>
20-
t
he felt like he was about to redeem himself–thanks to Bianca bringing him into the investment. This time, he was sure he’de out on top.
***
Noreen, on the other hand, waspletely unaffected by Jude’s drama. Ever since she’d made a clean break with Seth, she realized that nothing and no one from his world could shake her anymore.
Not even Seth himself could ruffle her calm.
Just as she finished meeting with Carman, Jed approached them.
He informed the two of them that after the product exchange session, there would be a special showcase for select products.
Noreen felt a flicker of excitement and immediately asked, “Mr. Hollis, is InnoCore one of the featured products?”
Jed was a bit surprised by her sharp intuition, but he couldn’t help but admire her insight.
“The list of featured products was selected internally and is still confidential, so I can’tment on that,” he replied.
Smart people knew when to leave things unsaid.
Noreen understood perfectly and didn’t press.
Jed, sticking to protocol, simply exined the rules and significance of the uing showcase.
But even without his exnation, Noreen knew exactly what this meant–a once–in–a–lifetime opportunity.
This was a government–sponsored conference, gathering top industry minds and corporate resources from across the country. To have their product disyed on such a prominent stage was every innovator’s dream.
They had to seize this chance.
Once Jed walked away, Noreen turned to Carman. “Get ready to present
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Chapter <b>150 </b>
our product on stage.”
Carman looked at her, curiosity written on his face. “How do you know we’ve been shortlisted?”
“I could tell from your advisor’s attitude,” she answered.
Carman was amazed. “I have no idea how you read that.”
“That’s because you’re talented in other areas. You don’t need to bother with reading between the lines,” Noreen said, her words a subtlepliment.
Carman blushed, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Then he remembered the other important reason foring
here–something personal. He hesitated for a moment, then called her name. “Noreen?”
She murmured an absent–minded reply, eyes still on the summit’s event schedule, missing the nervousness in his voice and the way he fidgeted.
Despite his nerves, Carman pressed on, stumbling over his words. “So… after all this is over, would you–would you have dinner with me? I, uh,
made a reservation.”