Amid thunderous applause, Vincent Grant took the stage to give a demonstration.
He had lost a noticeable amount of weight in the past month, making his jawline sharper and more defined.
His simple gray T-shirt and jeans, the typical attire of a tech exec, didn’t look plain at all. Instead, the casual outfit only served to accentuate his innate, aristocratic air.
Every move he made exuded an effortless calm.
Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he cut straight to the point, demonstrating the disruptive applications of the LS System in fields such as logistics, finance, and healthcare.
It boosted efficiency in these three sectors by several orders of magnitude!
Gasps of amazement rippled through the audience.
Sophia Shaw listened, recording video after video, her heart pounding faster and faster against her ribs.
It hammered like a drum.
’This is so exciting!’
She could already imagine how thrilled her teacher would be to see all this.
Her teacher’s faith hadn’t been misplaced. Vincent Grant had unlocked the system’s true, immense value!
At the thought, her eyes began to burn, welling up with emotion.
「At the same time as the Grant Group’s product launch, on the other side of the city...」
The gates of the detention center opened, and Joanna Sherman walked out.
She had assaulted Vincent Grant, and while he hadn’t pressed charges, he also hadn’t agreed to a private settlement.
The police had held her for a month, releasing her only today.
Joanna Sherman’s face was ashen and her expression dejected, but a flicker of light remained in her eyes.
She stood on the roadside, pulling out her phone and looking around.
"What are you looking at!" A cold voice shattered the silence.
Mira Quinn hopped out of a car, eyeing her sideways. "Still waiting for Vincent Grant to come get you? He’s busy sucking up to Sophia Shaw right now!"
"Word is, he’s had the entire company slaving away for a whole month over some system from Sophia Shaw’s teacher. He’s been right there in the trenches with them—barely eating, drinking, or sleeping."
"And all that work paid off today. He’s holding a launch event as we speak!"
Although Mira Quinn didn’t work at the Grant Group, she knew some of its lower-level employees.
It was no secret that Vincent Grant had his team working overtime; the news had gotten out a while ago.
Mira deliberately used this to needle Joanna, and just as she’d hoped, a deeply wounded expression crossed Joanna’s face.
Mira looked with satisfaction at Joanna’s deathly pale face. "Oh, I remember now. Vincent used to be like this with you, too. You were so high and mighty back then. Ha! Funny how the tables have turned. I bet you never imagined you’d see a day as pathetic as this, did you?"
Mira’s tone was utterly vicious.
Furious, Joanna swung her hand to slap her.
But Mira was faster, catching her wrist and squeezing it tight. "Still trying to throw your weight around with me? You still think you’re the high and mighty Queen Joanna? Joanna Grant, get a grip! Your time in the spotlight is long over!"
With that, she flung Joanna’s hand away like a piece of trash.
Joanna stumbled back, shooting Mira a glare that was pure poison.
Mira paid her no mind. "Listen, I didn’t come all this way to pick you up. I’m here for my money! Joanna Sherman, the deadline you promised was months ago. I want that fifty million, today! Right now! Otherwise, I have no problem leaking your dirty little secret."
She met Joanna’s gaze and brandished her phone. "On a great day like this, with Vincent launching his new system... how explosive do you think it would be if the news suddenly broke that he was set up by his ex-girlfriend to sleep with another woman?"
The blood drained from Joanna’s face in an instant.
Gritting her teeth, her whole body tensed with fury, but all she could do was say weakly, "I don’t have the money. You know that!"
"You may not have cash, but you have Zenith. The Grant Group spun it off and gave it to you. Give me fifty-one percent of Zenith’s shares, and I’ll graciously consider your debt paid!"
"You!" Joanna was about to explode with rage.
"Fifty-one percent of the shares! You’ve got to be kidding me!"
"You’ll give them to me whether you want to or not!" Mira said, tilting her chin up high.
"I can’t!" Joanna retorted. "Vincent only separated the company; he didn’t give it to me. I only have a twenty-percent stake!"
"Then twenty percent it is," Mira conceded easily.
’As long as Vincent Grant is still a Zenith shareholder, there’s no risk of the company collapsing.’
’A twenty-percent stake is more than enough for me to live in luxury for the rest of my life without ever lifting a finger.’
SLAP—
A resounding slap finally connected viciously with Mira’s face.
"In your dreams!"
Mira clutched her cheek, the stinging pain shooting all the way to her ear. She gritted her teeth, her face twisting into a hideous snarl. "You dare hit me? Fine. I’ll destroy you right now!"
She fumbled to unlock her phone.
An utterly sinister light gleamed in Joanna’s eyes. "We’ll see who destroys whom."
She kicked Mira to the ground and lunged at her...
「The launch event concluded.」
Sophia Shaw squeezed her way out of the packed venue, eager to send all the videos to Old Master Sloan.
She immediately started a video call with him. "Teacher, did you see it? The launch was a huge success! The system you and your wife developed is finally on the market!"
On the other end, Old Master Sloan’s eyes were also rimmed with red, his voice catching as he spoke. "Please... thank Vincent Grant for me."
"I only meant to give it to him as a favor. I never imagined he would unlock its potential to this degree."
Sophia also sent him the promotional brochure. "Did you see this? He even included the story about you and your wife. It touched so many people."
"Don’t you worry, Teacher. I’ll be sure to thank him properly for you."
Old Master Sloan nodded, and the call ended.
He opened the brochure, his fingertips trembling as he traced the words on the page.
Memories of his beloved surfaced, precious moments from their time together.
"Oh, Stella... are you... are you doing okay down there?"
As he spoke, tears streamed down the old man’s face.
Ms. Warren walked over with a bowl in her hands. Seeing the old man crying like a child, she sighed softly and shook her head.
She knew Old Master Sloan’s heart belonged to someone else, so she never let her own thoughts stray, always caring for him as if he were her own brother.
But whenever she saw him so lonely, she couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart.
’He’s such a good man. After all his contributions to the space program, couldn’t the heavens spare him just a little bit of happiness?’
After hanging up with Old Master Sloan, Sophia turned and saw Jaden Rhodes standing on the roadside, staring fixedly in one direction as if watching someone.
She couldn’t help but follow his gaze.
All she saw were the countless backs of people walking away.
"Brother Jaden?" she called out. "You came too?"
’As far as she could remember, Jaden had never been interested in tech events like this.’
Jaden turned and smiled gently at her. "Faye. It’s been a few months. You’re looking more beautiful than ever."
He patted her on the head like an older brother.
Sophia gave a slightly awkward smile. "What were you looking at just now? You seemed totally lost in thought."
"Nothing." The light in Jaden’s eyes dimmed, and they seemed to fill with an emotion so heavy that Sophia felt her own heart clench.
Jaden changed the subject.
"It’s been a while since your divorce. Have you started to move on?"
"I’m busy with work every day. Who has the time?" Though her words sounded like a complaint, her eyes were shining.
Her life was filled with work and Bun, and she occasionally visited her grandmother’s family.
Sophia thought her life was pretty wonderful these days.
Jaden could see that. His lips curved into a smile, but his eyes looked out past her shoulder.
In the distance, Vincent Grant was walking out with a group of people.