Chapter 257
Chapter 257
“Alright, I’m on my way now,” Audrey said. She ended the call and immediately
t to briel Broke on the next steps
Lucia nished to keep up, and when Audrey got in the car, she jumped in from the other side. “Thappen to be free today. It’s been a while since up, so 1 figured we could spend some time together.”
Audrey glanced sideways at her. “I’ve got work to do”
“Go ahead, I’ll just tag along and watch,” Lucia said, motioning for the driver to start the car, “I missed your school years and your wedding. From now on, we’re family. Who knows, maybe I can actually help you with something”
Audrey didn’t respond. She simply told the diver to head out.
Lucia followed her all the way to the project team. But just before Audrey entered the conference room, she stopped her. “This is work. Wait outside
“I’m not some stranger, Lucia said, clearly irritated.
“It’s protocol,” Audrey replied, “If you go in and anything gets leaked or damaged, the responsibility falls on you. Can you handle that?”
Lucia fell silent and quickly stepped back. She thought, I need to pull off what Talia asked, but I can’t let myself get dragged in too deep annis way too protective, if he ever finds out, I’m screwed
Once she was sure there were no security cameras around the waiting area, she quietly shared her location with Talia, letting her know this was Audrey’s base of operations.
Talia replied almost immediately, but it was just a single period. Lucia stared at it, unsure what it meant, a gnawing unease setting in her gut.
It didn’t take long before Lucia grew restless. The air conditioning in the waiting area must’ve been broken–it was hot and stilling. She looked around for someone to fix it but couldn’t find a single staff member.
The conference room door was locked from the inside. All she could do was peek through the small window and see several people gathered around a man as he worked on a laptop. There was a shield emblem stuck to the back of the device.
As dusk settled outside, the conference room door finally opened, and everyone came out wearing smiles.
One of them said, “If this project takes off, we’ll finally have a real foothold in the smart tech sector.
“StellarCore loves ripping people off. But this time, we’ll.” another started, but cut himself short the moment they noticed Lucia.
The rest followed suit, quickly wrapping things up with Audrey and saying their goodbyes.
Randy handed the laptop to Audrey and said, “It’s all in your hands now.”
She took it with both hands, nodding seriously. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone down.”
Lucia stared hard at the laptop in Audrey’s arms, convinced this was the one.
After Audrey saw everyone out, Lucia hesitated for a moment before asking. “They all seem to respect you. Did Yann put this whole team together for you?”
“Why couldn’t it be because I earned their respect?” Audrey retorted as she started walking out.
Lucia kept pace beside her, glancing repeatedly at the laptop in her hands. “How would you do that? I mean, you barely scraped by in college. You’re decent at gaming, sure, but when it comes to real work, you don’t actually know what you’re doing ”
Suddenly, Audrey stopped short. Lucia wasn’t expecting it and nearly walked into her.
09:01 Fri, 13 June
Chapter 257
Maybe realizing her words had come out too harsh, Lucia softened her tone to say, “I don’t mean to pot you down. I’m just world you’re overestimating yourself Everyone’s got their own area of expertise, after all.
“Logan knows an expert in this field, Why not let him take a look? It’s great to be confident, but if you get blindsided at the exhibition, it could really knock your
confidence.”
Lucia paused before adding, “And it could hurt the Winifred family’s reputation too.”
“No need.” Audrey replied.
“I’m saying this for your own good,” Lucia insisted. “Why are you always so guarded with
“You’re really not?” Audrey asked quietly.
Lucia stammered, “O of course not.”
Audrey then just kept walking, Lucia thought she had given in and felt a wave of relie
i like you think I’m out to get you.”
As the two stepped into the elevator and it began to descend, Audrey suddenly asked, “Did you have anything to do with my dad’s death?
Lucia’s hand jerked, and her phone nearly slipped from her grasp “Of course not!”
“You’d better not have,” Audrey said flatly
the driver waiting with the car already parked at the door.
When they exited the elevator, they saw the
Audrey slid into the car first, but when she noticed Lucia getting in as well, she stopped her. “I’m having lunch with Yann. Are you coming too?”
Lucia hesitated. “Well, then just drop me off at the cafe from earlier.”
Audrey replied flatly. “It’s out of my way.”
Lucia was still rattled from Audrey suddenly bringing up George’s death. Before she could gather her thoughts, the car pulled away, leaving her behind.
With the shielded laptop sitting on her lap, Audrey watched Lucia’s reaction in the rearview mirror, the curve of her mouth turning colder and sharper.
The driver asked, “Mrs. Winifred, where to?”
“Home,” Audrey said coolly
The driver didn’t press further. Yann had told him to follow her load on everything
The tech expo was scheduled for the weekend. Yann had originally planned to go with Audrey, but a problem came up with the Avena project and he needed to handle it personally,
“You should go.” Audrey told him. “I can handle it on my own
Yann kissed her forehead and murmured, “If anything goes wrong.
callme”
“Got it.” Audrey pulled him in a little tighter and helped straighten his tie
Yann tilted her chin up, ignoring the busy house staff bustling nearby. He kissed her again, slower this time. “Tve already notified Winifred Manor. From now on, all expenses for both estates go through you.”
Audrey gave him an exaggerated look of mock surprise, “Wow is that the lady of the house privilege?
“‘s your privilege.”
Chapter 257
“I still has rajob, you know. Can’t we
‘t we just handle things like we always have?”
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As they talked, they sat down at the dining table, which was packed with all sorts of classic big breakfast form
Yann moved Audrey’s favorite dishes in front of her and said calmly. “Edenis in charge over there, and Ted is handling things here. So, all you need to de is supervise and approve. As for the rest, they’ve got it under control”
Audrey poked a sausage with her fork and held it out to Tann. He then took a bite, chewing slowly.
Once they finished eating, they headed outside together, Yann drove off first, and as Audrey got ready to get in her car, a sedan pulled up at t
Lucia rushed out and walked straight toward her. “Audrey You’re going to the expo, right? This is a big deal. I should be there with you” Without giving Audrey a chance to say no, she climbed right into the back seat.
Audrey didn’t say anything. Instead, she just got in and told the driver to go.
The tech expo was packed with companies all eager to stake a claim in the smart tech boom. Audrey took her seat where her company’s nameplate was displayed, opened her laptop, and began reviewing the presentation..
Talia approached with her team in tow, towering over her. “Audrey, don’t think stealing my contacts means y you were still a nobody”
you’ve won. Back when I was
Audrey leaned back in her chair and looked up at
pat her. Even sitting down, she didn’t come off the slightest bit weaker.
She said, “It’s not about who started first. If that were true, apes would still be running the planet, you know.”
Talia’s gaze sharpened as the locked eyes with Audrey, saying, “I admire your ambition, if you’re willing to merge with my company, I might be generous enough to let you survive,
“And if not, you’ll be crushed by the industry. You won’t just ruin yourself, you’ll drag Flex Tech’s legacy down with you.”
Suddenly, Lucia stepped in front of Audrey. “Save the empty threats. This is a competition of skill, not who can talk louder.”
Hearing that, Audrey looked at Lucia, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.
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