Sophia couldn’t bear to watch. She grabbed a few tissues, got out of the car, and walked over to hand them to her.
Eleanor Crawford looked up. An embarrassed expression crossed her face when she saw Sophia Shaw, but she still took the tissues. "Thank you, Faye."
Sophia pulled her to her feet. "What’s going on with Claudia Murray?"
Claudia Murray was a scar on Eleanor Crawford’s heart, a constant reminder that her forbearance over the past few years had made her feel like a fool.
When Sophia asked, she couldn’t stop herself from telling her everything.
"So, Miles Grant allowed Ian to hurt you because he has deep feelings for Claudia Murray?"
Sophia was shocked.
’And just now, Miles Grant was so self-righteous, acting as if his emotional affair didn’t count as cheating!’
Eleanor looked utterly mortified and nodded in silence.
"Miles Grant knew I wouldn’t make a scene, which is why he dared to hold on to my documents."
Eleanor hated herself for being so weak.
But Sophia and Vincent Grant’s divorce had already been a blow to their grandmother. If she were to make a scene now, the old woman would truly have no peace.
Sophia could see her dilemma, so she gave her arm a gentle squeeze and said no more.
Eleanor didn’t want to drag Sophia into her messy affairs. She glanced at her watch and said, "It’s getting late. You should head back, and I need to get going, too."
With that, she waved and got back in her car.
Sophia watched the car drive away, a heavy feeling in her chest.
A moment later, she took out her phone. "Grandma..."
Not long after Sophia returned home, Eleanor Crawford called. "Faye, I have great news! Grandma stepped in on my behalf and got my documents back from Miles Grant. I can go to Baros now!"
"Give it your all!"
The conditions in Baros were harsh, and Sophia was actually quite worried for her.
"I will," Eleanor said softly. "I know you’re the one who talked to Grandma for me. Sophia, thank you."
Sophia gave a wry smile. "Don’t thank me yet. I don’t even know if this will turn out to be a good or bad thing for you."
"Of course it’s a good thing," Eleanor said firmly. "Faye, whatever I face in Baros, it’s my choice. I’ll accept any outcome."
"This has nothing to do with you, so don’t feel burdened."
By the way, I’m sending you a few funny pictures.
Eleanor sent several photos in a row.
In the photos, Vincent Grant was sitting across from a series of different young women.
Even through the camera lens, the deep frustration etched into his furrowed brow was obvious.
"Grandma forbade Vincent Grant from bothering you and arranged a bunch of blind dates for him. She said that if he doesn’t find someone suitable, he has to keep going on them indefinitely!"
"Poor Vincent Grant. He’s been so proud and unyielding for so many years, only to finally be taken down by our dear old grandmother."
Eleanor’s voice was tinged with schadenfreude.
Old Mrs. Grant rarely interfered in her grandchildren’s affairs, but when she did, she always made sure they felt the pain.
Eleanor could just imagine how miserable Vincent Grant’s life was about to become.
"By the way, Miles Grant was punished too."
"Grandma said he wasn’t fit for a management role, so she had him demoted to a regular soldier. He’s being sent into the deep mountains to train from the ground up, and he’s not allowed back until he gets it right!"
Eleanor’s voice was filled with deep gratitude. "Faye, neither of us ended up with a good man, but we’re incredibly lucky to have Grandma."
After the call ended, it took Sophia a long time to process all the news from Eleanor.
’Grandma has done so much for me. I should take Bun to visit her more often.’
After some thought, Sophia sent a photo she had taken of Bun to Old Mrs. Grant.
Just as she sent it, a video call came in from Old Master Sloan.
Sophia quickly answered. "Master Sloan."
They hadn’t spoken for some time since they last saw each other.
"How has your health been? Have they caught the person responsible for the explosion?"
Old Master Sloan waved his hand dismissively. "Let’s talk business. There are political disagreements among the higher-ups on my end, so the deep space project is on hold for now. Faye, I hope you and Lead Aerospace can carry it on!"
Sophia knew that deep space exploration had been her mentor’s dream since he was a young man. This would likely be the last project of his life.
But this project would be anything but easy. Funding was a massive problem.
NASA had the immense financial backing of a nation; Lead Aerospace was just a private enterprise.
Sophia took a deep breath, her voice firm as she replied, "Master Sloan, don’t worry. I won’t give up!"
’No matter how difficult, I have to see this project through!’
On the other end of the line, Old Master Sloan’s throat tightened, and his eyes suddenly grew red.
It was a long moment before he finally said, "Faye, this will be a heavy burden for you."
"It’s no burden at all, Master Sloan."
It was her mentor’s dream, but it was her dream, too.
The universe was vast; even the smallest achievement could represent a great leap forward for humanity.
"Rest assured, I will overcome every obstacle to get this project off the ground."
As she spoke, Sophia’s heart hammered in her chest, filled with a long-dormant excitement.
"Good." Old Master Sloan gazed intently at his protégé.
’Who says women are inferior to men? This student of mine is worth a thousand of them.’
’No one could do a better job on this project than she could!’
After they finished their conversation and hung up, Sophia’s heart was still racing.
She turned to look out the window.
The deep blue sky domed over the earth, and the stars twinkled in the firmament like countless outstretched hands, beckoning to her.
「The next day」
Sophia arrived at the company.
From a distance, she saw Young Master Croft standing by the entrance, head bowed, kicking at a stone.
When he saw Sophia, Young Master Croft awkwardly handed her a check. "Master, this is my apprenticeship fee."
Sophia took it and glanced down.
Heh, ten zeros.
Twenty billion!
"Don’t worry, it’s my dad’s personal money. It has no ties to anyone else!" Young Master Croft said hastily.
Sophia looked at Young Master Croft, feeling a pang of sympathy for Caleb Croft.
"This must be half of your father’s fortune."
Young Master Croft pursed his lips. "Well, he said that giving it to you for research is no loss. Better that than letting me squander it all, or him just donating it to charity after he’s gone."
’What a good kid.’
Lead Aerospace needed a lot of money to launch the deep space project.
Sophia didn’t stand on ceremony. "Thank your father for me, and tell him we’ll count this as his investment capital in the project."
After bringing Young Master Croft into the company, Sophia had Jacobs take him under his wing while she met with Levin Sawyer and a few other senior executives for the entire morning to discuss the deep space project.
"The company will give its full support to the deep space project. We’ll prioritize it with all available cash flow," Levin Sawyer said.
Levin Sawyer had always given his utmost support to Sophia’s ambitions.
"No matter how much money the company has, it’s not enough to burn through. Besides, the deep space project is a frontier endeavor with very little existing technology to reference. That means we’ll have to invest even more money and time. I still believe we need to bring in outside investment," Sophia analyzed calmly.
Samuel Goldman agreed. "Chief Engineer Shaw is right. There are too many unknowns with the deep space project. Relying on Lead Aerospace alone is nowhere near enough."
"I can take care of scouting for talent," Samuel continued. "But when it comes to funding, it would be more effective for the two of you to take the lead."
"Alright," Sophia nodded.
She looked at Samuel Goldman and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can we find a way to create an opportunity for Elias Underwood?"
Elias Underwood worked for Zenith, so it wouldn’t be easy for him to get involved in a Lead Aerospace project.
But Sophia would never forget the way his eyes lit up when he saw a promising project.
A talent like that shouldn’t be confined to just one company.
Samuel Goldman knew full well how passionate Elias Underwood was about the aerospace industry. His passion was as pure as Sophia’s.
Samuel Goldman was both moved and impressed that Sophia would think of him at a time like this, but he still said, "It’ll be difficult."
"He signed a ten-year contract with Zenith. If he leaves, the breach of contract penalty is astronomical."
"But I can try to negotiate."
He wanted to give his good friend this chance, too.
Sophia nodded, and they discussed a few more details.
After the meeting broke, Levin Sawyer skipped lunch and immediately went to work on securing investors.
Samuel Goldman went to find Elias Underwood.
When Sophia walked out, she saw Lillian Forrest standing at her office door.
"Sister Sophie," Lillian Forrest called out when she saw her, her eyes shining with a peculiar light. "I never imagined you were so beautiful!"
Sophia was taken aback. "You can see?"
Lillian Forrest nodded. "I had surgery with my brother a while ago. Some of my vision has returned. It’s not enough to see people perfectly clearly, but at least it’s not complete darkness anymore."
Lillian’s eyes curved as she smiled, her red lips parting to reveal a row of perfect teeth.
She radiated youthful energy.
It was only then that Sophia realized she hadn’t seen Jenson Forrest in public for quite some time.
"Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I would have come to visit you."
Lillian’s voice was soft and sweet. "I wanted it to be a surprise."
Sophia led her into the office.
Jacobs ordered lunch for them.
Lillian and Sophia chatted as they ate.
"Faye, I just heard your company is going to do some kind of deep space project. What is it?"
Sophia gave her a brief overview of the project.
Lillian’s eyes sparkled as she listened. "That’s so cool? Sister Sophie, I’m so jealous! You get to do something so avant-garde!"
Young women always want to stand out, and Sophia’s deep space project had completely captivated Lillian.
She couldn’t help but sigh to herself.
’Too bad I don’t have Faye’s skills. I’d love to do something that cool.’
As they were eating, Samuel Goldman walked in.
"Chief Engineer Shaw."
Knowing Samuel Goldman had something to say, Sophia gestured for Lillian to keep eating and walked over to him. "How did it go?"
Samuel Goldman wore a strange expression. "I met with President Grant in person. He agreed to terminate Elias Underwood’s contract."
"However—"