Thest message was from her, a day ago, telling him she was waiting outside


    the hospital. He hadn''t let her in. She had left in the rain without a word of anger orint, as if nothing had happened. And today, she wasughing with another man, as if she didn''t have a care in the world.


    The image of her with Finn shed in his mind, and he sneered. He would not let her lead him around by the nose anymore. He''d had a lot of time to think in the hospital. He had wronged her, yes, but she had hurt Poppy, too. Evangeline had struggled financially, but Poppy had also gone without pay because of Evangeline''s machinations abroad. Evangeline had lost their child, but Poppy had been a victim of that car crash as well. And she had nearly cost Poppy her reputation out of jealousy.


    They were even.


    Soren stared at the screen for a few more seconds, then called Gregory back.


    "Have the entire vi renovated. And clear out everything from the room Evangeline used to stay in. Get rid of it all."


    With that, he turned off his phone.


    Meanwhile, Evangeline was at herputer, watching the online discussion about UME grow. The fan groups were buzzing with activity. She had known Glenn had arge following, but she had never realized just how dedicated they were. Her private messages were flooded with suggestions for new fan events and activities. She drafted a proposal to present to Theo the next morning.


    But before she could, she woke up to find UME trending online. A new sci-fi movie about robots had


    be an overnight sensation, and fans had seized the opportunity to promote UME''s smart bots.. Someone reposted the video from her productunch, highlighting the moment the robot had caught her when she stumbled. The clip went viral. People praised the robot for its "boyfriend energy," calling it a "guardian" and a "household essential."


    The concept of a "smart robot" became a household name overnight. When people found out that UME now offered an affordable model, interest exploded. "Since when does UME make a budget version? Why didn''t anyone tell me?"


    "I could never afford the original, but at this price, I''m seriously tempted."


    Some questioned whether the


    quality would be the same. What if the robot wasn''t as responsive a helpful as the one in the videoment quickly replied: "At that price, I don''t care if it can''t take care


    of me. I''ll take care of it!"


    Before Evangeline even got to the office, Theo was on the phone, his voice giddy with excitement.


    "Evangeline, the orders have been pouring in att morning! We''ve already got a dozen corporate clients, and severalpanies want to be our distributors. At this rate well our monthly profit target in two days! Contact the manufacturer as soon as you get in. We need to ramp up production, fast."