Chapter 302
Chapter 302
In the early morning, Aria stood on her balcony, basking in the sunlight. She picked up her phone and dialed a number,
Her call was answered instantly. “Madelyn, it’s been a while.”
Aria said, “Sorry, Ruby. I should have contacted you sooner after you returned.”
A burst of laughter came from the other end as Ruby teased with a chuckle, “My dear, you’ve been so busy with pandemic control efforts that you couldn’t even celebrate the New Year properly. How could I possibly blame you? How about we catch up over a meal?”
Aria chuckled. “Deal!”
Ruby said, “The Shaw Group kept pestering me for meetings, and I finally gave in. I’m at the Golden Premier Suite at Navoron Restaurant–get over here, quick!”
Aria nodded. “Be right there.”
After hanging up, Aria left right away. While waiting for the elevator, she texted Owen: [Don’t bother cooking lunch–I’ll bring something back from Navoron restaurant.]
Owen: [Got it!]
Meanwhile, at Navoron Restaurant, after hanging up, the smile vanished from Ruby’s face. Her expression returned to its usual haughty demeanor.
With her usual poise, she strode confidently into the private suite.
Just then, Liam and Orlando arrived as well.
Upon seeing Ruby, Liam immediately stood up with respectful enthusiasm. “Hello, Ms. Olsen. I’m Liam Cole.”
Orlando also promptly rose to his feet and greeted respectfully, “Good day, Ms. Olsen. I’m Orlando Gallagher.”
Facing these two unexpected guests, Ruby remained composed. With a slight nod, she said coolly, “Nice to meet you.”
Kim stood up and said, “Ms. Olsen, these are the two gentlemen I mentioned earlier.
“The Cole Group is at the forefront of domestic medical chip technology, with remarkable R&D achievements. Meanwhile, the Shaw Group has deep expertise in biomaterials research and development.
“With your expertise joining us, Huthailia’s healthcare sector is bound to make a quantum leap forward.”
Ruby lifted her chin with subtle confidence, her gaze sweeping across the three faces. Her tone remained calm, yet carried a hidden meaning.
She then said, “You flatter me, Mr. Shaw. But collaboration is never a simple matter–it takes more than just technology. What truly matters is whether
our core philosophies align.”
Liam smiled, showing both humility and confidence. “Ms. Olsen, the Cole Group has long prepared for this collaboration. With our cutting–edge technology and ready market strategies, we sincerely hope to join forces with you to let more people benefit from medical chips.”
As he spoke, he reached into his briefcase to retrieve the meticulously prepared documents.
Ruby raised her hand to cut him off and said bluntly, “I’m straightforward–I demand complete compliance and can’t stand second–guessing. Working with unfamiliar parties will most likely just lead to conflicts.”
She paused, then added firmly, “Besides, I’ve already committed to working with someone–she’s even put together a team for me.”
Orlando maintained a cordial smile as he said, “Ms. Olsen, when it comes to medical chip teams, I daresay no one in the country can rival the Cole
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Group
Ruby curled her lips into a faintly mocking smile. “Really? I heard that ever since Ms. Saxon left the Cole Group, several key technical personnel r and then there was a series of equipment malfunctions that injured employees. Care to explain?”
Liam responded methodically, “Those incidents did occur, but they allowed the Cole Group to weed out problematic elements within our organization Now with the Shaw Group as our strategic partner, I can assure you such issues will never recur.”
Ruby gave a faint, knowing smile as she looked at him and asked, “You’re Liam Cole, correct?”
Liam nodded. “Yes, Ms. Olsen.”
Ruby continued, “Rumor has it your fiancee, Hannah Gibson, plagiarized a group of students’ research and even went so far as to frame and slander others. True?”
Liam stiffened momentarily, then said tersely, “Yes. She’ll face the consequences for her actions.”
The scandal exploded online, drawing intense scrutiny from the authorities. With several powerful families actively targeting Hannah, not a single lawyer dared to take her case.
Last night, Dexter visited the Saxon family. Ostensibly, it was just a courtesy call, but in truth, he was there to sound them out.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Gibson family decided it was no longer worth investing any more time or resources in Hannah.
Daniel was relieved that Liam and Hannah hadn’t officially registered their marriage yet, so he ordered Liam to break up with her.
To outsiders, their wedding seemed all but set in stone.
Even if Hannah were convicted, Liam would wait for her. This was the path he’d chosen–there was no turning back now.
Ruby remained calm. “That’s certain–no one escapes legal consequences. As for collaboration…” She paused. “I’m only here today as a courtesy to Mr. Shaw. I have no intention of working together.”
Orlando asked, “Ms. Olsen, may I ask which company you’ve agreed to collaborate with?”
‘Ms. Olsen always keeps her word. There’s no point in trying to persuade her any further. Instead, I should go straight to the team she wants to work with -there might still be a window of opportunity,‘ he thought.
Ruby’s expression softened a little. With a gentle smile, she said, “She’ll be here any minute now. Mr. Shaw, I hope you don’t mind if I have a guest join
us?”
Kim politely smiled. “Not at all, Ms. Olsen.”
Shortly after, there was a knock on the door.
Ruby rose to her feet, followed immediately by Kim and the other two. Their gazes simultaneously turned toward the suite entrance.
The door eased open.
The moment they saw it was Aria, all three froze in shock and exclaimed in unison, “Aria?”
Ruby raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Well, isn’t this a small world!”
It was far more than mere acquaintance–each of the three present was intricately connected to Aria.
And this was especially true for Liam.
Liam was the first to snap out of his daze, Incredulity laced his voice as he asked, “Ms. Olsen, don’t tell me the company you’ve agreed to collaborate with is the Stars Group?”
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Ruby looked at Aria with warm, affectionate eyes. “Yes,” she said softly, “I’ll work with whichever company Madelyn is with?
The implication was clear: if Aria were still with the Cole Group, Ruby would have chosen them without hesitation–there’d be no need for all this negotiation. For her, it was always about the person, not the company.
O
Liam took this collaboration very seriously. He thought bitterly, ‘If it had been any other competitor, I would still have a shot at this. But of all people, it has to be Aria.‘
Aria smiled gently and said, “Ruby, have you eaten yet?”
Ruby shook her head. “Not yet.”
Aria said, “Let’s switch suites–Cloe’s here too.”
At the mention of Cloe, Kim looked up. “Count me in,” he said.
Aria shot him a sidelong glance. “Not you,” she said.
Ruby nodded to Kim. “Mr. Shaw, until next time.”
As Aria turned to leave, Orlando casually remarked, “I heard you’re looking for a girl around 16 or 17, Ms. Saxon.”
