Chapter 784
“What are we supposed to do now?”
Leah didn’t understand tech or corporate investments, but she fully understood the terror of an empty bank account.
She looked desperately at Vesta. “Vesta, what about my brother-in-law—”
Before she could finish the sentence, Vesta’s phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, the intense tension visibly drained from Vesta’s shoulders, and she quickly answered it.
Whatever the person on the other end said, it worked magic. Vesta’s tightly wound expression completely relaxed, returning to her usual calm, effortless demeanor.
She smiled brightly. “Okay, I understand. I’ll head over right now.”
Judging by the radiant look on her face and the soft tone of her voice, everyone in the room instantly guessed who was on the line.
Henley Hawkins leaned forward. “Was that Thorne?”
Vesta’s smile widened. “Mhm,” she hummed, grabbing her designer handbag. “I mentioned our company’s situation to Thorne a few days ago. He reached out to his network and found some potential partners and investors for us. He just set up a time for a face-to-face meeting. Dad, come with me.”
Hearing that, the oppressive gloom that had been suffocating Henley and the rest of the family vanished entirely, replaced by eager, relieved smiles.
Henley chuckled. “Excellent. Let’s go.”
Not long after Vesta and her father left the building, her phone rang again.
It was Raleigh.
Vesta glanced at the screen, not particularly thrilled to see his name, but she answered anyway. “Raleigh, what’s up?”
Over the line, Raleigh asked casually, “Vesta, are you and Mr. Henderson attending Dr. Lucas’s Institute 5th Anniversary Gala in a few days?”
Vesta confirmed. “We are. Why?”
“No special reason. I’m going too, so I figured I’d ask.”
“Oh, I see…”
Raleigh paused for a second before asking, “What are you up to right now? Have you eaten?”
“I’m actually on my way to grab a bite with Thorne.”
At the mention of Thorne’s name, Raleigh froze.
When the line stayed dead silent, Vesta frowned. “Raleigh? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” Raleigh finally said. Then he quickly added, “I’ll let you get back to it. I shouldn’t keep you. Let’s talk another time.”
“Okay.”
Vesta didn’t think much of it and promptly hung up.
…
Meanwhile.
Despite the smooth progress with Axiom, Charlene’s schedule had only grown more punishing.
After three days of non-stop work, she finally found a brief window to catch her breath.
She had barely sat down when
Stewart approached her. “Dr. Lucas mentioned you during an interview today. He also had someone pass a message to me he specifically requested your presence at his institute’s anniversary gala
The invitation from Dr. Lucas had arrived at their desks weeks ago. In the global Al industry, Dr. Lucas was an absolute titan, a foundational figure revered worldwide.
Even though PrimeStar had never formally collaborated with him, and Charlene had barely ever crossed
paths with the man, an invitation et
from someone of his legendary stature couldn’t be ignored. No one in their right mind would dare disrespect him.
Normally, given PrimeStar’s crushing workload, they would only send one
representative to such events rather than attending as a pair.
But since Dr. Lucas had personally requested her, Charlene knew she had to carve
out the time, no matter how impossible her schedule looked.
She had immense respect for Dr. Lucas. If she could make it, she genuinely didn’t want to miss the
institute’s milestone celebration net
Given Dr. Lucas’s transcendent status and underable brilliance the gala would be absolutely crawling with academic heavyweights and industry elites.
It was an unparalleled networking opportunity.
She had originally planned to skip the event to oversee a critical testing phase with Axiom, but with a direct summons from Dr. Lucas himself, she had no choice but to make an appearance.