In his youth, Old Master Sloan had an unforgettable romance with a computer expert who had returned to Cathan after studying abroad.
They were like-minded, deeply in love, and relied on one another, both wanting to contribute to Cathan.
Unfortunately, too many tragedies befell them. His wife was murdered, and with no other choice, he was forced to come to Mador.
It was a Chapter in Cathan’s history that people were reluctant to speak of, and for Old Master Sloan, it was a wound that would never heal.
In his early years in Mador, Old Master Sloan had no one to rely on. He struggled alone, his work was grueling, and he often found himself desperately missing his wife.
When the longing became unbearable, he would use the programming techniques his wife had taught him to create a system.
The more he coded, the more his skills grew, until he successfully built a system with revolutionary functions, just as his wife had envisioned before her death.
That system wasn’t just his wife’s brainchild; it was the embodiment and continuation of their love.
Its place in Old Master Sloan’s heart was unrivaled!
Old Master Sloan waved his hand dismissively. "In my hands, the system is just a system. Only in Vincent Grant’s hands can it realize its true value. When my wife first proposed the idea, she naturally hoped it would serve its intended purpose. If Vincent uses it well, she’ll be happy in the afterlife."
Sophia Shaw couldn’t say anything more, her reddened eyes welling up with tears.
Her mentor had never remarried, all because he could never forget his wife.
His wife had been swept away by a great flood; she was never seen again, alive or dead.
Sigh.
’How wonderful it would be if she were still alive.’
Afraid of stirring up more sad memories for her mentor, she quickly composed herself and changed the subject back to the follow-up application for the Hubble telescope project.
"Today, we only won preliminary support. The real challenge is yet to come. Stay humble and patient; you absolutely cannot get carried away," Old Master Sloan reminded his protégée earnestly.
"Understood."
After a simple meal, Sophia Shaw began her journey home.
On the plane, she unexpectedly found herself fiddling with the small whistle Shane Grant had given her.
Shane Grant had been very thoughtful, attaching a small cord to the whistle to make it easy to carry.
After some thought, Sophia Shaw sent him a text: "Thank you."
The flight arrived after midnight, the sky an inky black.
As Sophia Shaw followed the crowd out, she was surprised to see Old Mrs. Grant standing next to Levin Sawyer, who was there to pick her up.
She hurried over, both surprised and worried. "Grandma, what are you doing here?"
Old Mrs. Grant looked Sophia Shaw up and down. "I heard you were going to Mador from that dangerous place, and I was so worried. Thank goodness that boy, Shane Grant, is reliable and nothing terrible happened."
Listening to Old Mrs. Grant’s description, Sophia Shaw finally understood just how much danger she had been in.
"That place is foggy more than three hundred days a year and plagued by sandstorms! It has every possible condition unsuitable for flight! Seventy-five percent of the planes that fly that route have accidents. They call it Deadman’s Road!"
As Old Mrs. Grant spoke, tears started to fall.
Only then did Sophia Shaw fully understand why the old woman had insisted on coming to see her in person in the middle of the night.
Holding back her own tears, Sophia Shaw gently squeezed her hand. "Grandma, look, aren’t I fine? I’m in one piece, not a scratch on me!"
"Good, good. As long as you’re all right." Old Mrs. Grant turned her head to wipe away her tears.
Watching them from the side, Sue’s eyes were red as well.
"Ever since Old Mrs. Grant found out you were going to that place, she hasn’t slept a wink. She didn’t dare call you randomly, so she just forced herself to wait for news."
"Later, when she heard from Shane Grant that you had arrived safely, she was so worried about you, she insisted on making a special trip to see you."
"Grandma..."
’Everyone is so good to me.’
"Why are you bringing that up?" Old Mrs. Grant shot Sue a reproachful glance, then turned to pat Sophia Shaw’s hand affectionately, deliberately stressing, "I’m here to see my granddaughter. Isn’t that the most natural thing in the world?"
By calling her "granddaughter," she was intentionally setting aside any connection to a marriage with the younger Grant generation, purely to put her at ease.
This pure, unadulterated care deepened the respect Sophia Shaw felt in her heart.
Old Mrs. Grant looked at Levin Sawyer beside them and urged, "All right, I’ve seen her, and my heart is at ease. Hurry and take Faye home to rest. Working around the clock like this is exhausting. Even someone made of iron couldn’t take it."
Levin Sawyer quickly agreed.
’Grandma Grant is actually a very kind person,’ he thought.
Sophia Shaw felt bad. "Grandma..."
Grandma Grant waved her hand. "Faye, I’ve neglected you too much in the past. A family like ours is destined to be unable to give you much care. I hate to part with you, but I have to accept this fact. I only hope that you’ll have a stable future and find a good home."
"Grandma..."
Sophia Shaw shook her head, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face.
"You’ve already done more than enough. You’re the best grandmother in the world."
"My dear child."
The old woman and the young woman embraced, tears glistening in both their eyes.
Levin Sawyer gazed deeply at the embracing pair, knowing that Old Mrs. Grant’s words were meant for him.
Filled with a newfound respect for the elderly woman before him, Levin Sawyer nodded firmly.
’He wouldn’t let Sophia Shaw suffer any grievances.’
After personally seeing Old Mrs. Grant into her car and watching it drive away, Sophia Shaw finally got into Levin Sawyer’s car.
In a dim corner of the airport parking garage, a face twisted with jealousy emerged from the shadows.
Joanna Sherman’s nails dug deep into her palms. Her eyes were fixed on the car merging into traffic as she bit down on her lip, oblivious to the taste of blood that filled her mouth!
—
After a short day of rest, Sophia Shaw returned to the office.
Levin Sawyer was waiting for her in her office.
"The mother and son who caused trouble on the plane last time have been interrogated. They admitted they did it on purpose."
"They said they took the job online. The client’s motive was unclear; they were only told to get the plane grounded."
Although the incident was over, Sophia Shaw still felt a lingering fear just thinking about it.
"Have you found the mastermind behind it?"
Levin Sawyer replied, "We traced it to a foreign youth group called The Renegades Club. They said someone suggested grounding a plane for fun."
"We found a few kids who are part of the club. They’re basically all rich kids, and we haven’t figured out who exactly came up with the idea."
Levin Sawyer and Sophia Shaw exchanged a look.
They both knew perfectly well that the person behind this was intentionally diverting attention overseas.
"I’ll keep investigating this. You focus on your current project," Levin Sawyer said.
Sophia Shaw hummed softly in agreement.
After Levin Sawyer left, her uncle, Yancy Shaw, called.
Yancy Shaw didn’t know about the dangerous ordeal Sophia Shaw had gone through. He had only heard she took a trip abroad and was calling to ask how it went.
After a moment, he got to the point. "The land issue for the planetarium, the one we couldn’t solve? A company has proactively offered a solution."
"Which company?" Sophia Shaw asked instinctively.
"The Grant Group."
Silence fell on both ends of the line.
They both knew that behind the Grant Group was the will of Vincent Grant himself.
"If you don’t think it’s appropriate, I’ll turn it down," Yancy Shaw said, respecting her wishes.
Sophia Shaw pondered for a moment before replying, "Uncle, send the proposal over. Let me take a look first."
After Yancy Shaw sent the proposal, Sophia Shaw studied it carefully.
She had to admit, Vincent Grant’s proposal was absolutely perfect.
It involved integrating their charitable project with one of the Grant Group’s, which would perfectly solve the land issue while also enhancing the public image and social value of the Grant Group’s own project.
There was no reason to refuse such a win-win project.
Sophia Shaw parted her lips. "Uncle, we can negotiate."
At the end of the workday, Yancy Shaw called. "The contract is signed."
"Good."
Realizing it had been a long time since she’d seen her grandmother and aunt, Sophia Shaw decided to take Bun for a visit to the Shaw Family home.
Joanna Sherman’s car was parked at the entrance to Sophia Shaw’s residential complex.
She saw Sophia Shaw drive out, her face visible through the lowered window as she smiled and spoke to Ms. Archer in the back seat.
Joanna Sherman’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles were white.
Every one of Sophia Shaw’s expressions was a perfect illustration of what it meant to be riding high on success!