Chapter 123

After concluding the documentation at the police station, Derek headed straight to the Jones Group headquarters to retrieve Vincent.

Vincent had worked unusually late that night-by the time he exited the office, it was nearing 11 p.m. He walked to the waiting car. Because the lighting inside the car was low, he didn't instantly realize there was someone already occupying the back seat.

"Vincent!" Brinley's tone pierced the silence from the rear, making him flinch.

He scowled. "You're out of custody-why didn't you head home?"

"I just needed to say thank you face-to-face," she murmured with softness. "If not for you, l'd still be stuck behind bars."

She angled closer with a tender grin. Vincent shoved her aside without hesitation. "You believe I'm unaware of the situation?"

Brinley's eyes flooded in an instant. "I'm sorry, alright? | know I screwed everything up."

Vincent's features contorted with rage as he barked, "You nearly got Hannah killed!"

"That wasn't what I wanted," she said hastily. "All I aimed for was to assist your mother in reclaiming those estates. I never instructed those men to assault her-that part wasn't me!"

"Still lying?" he snarled.

"I'm telling the truth!" she insisted, a bit too sharply.

Vincent massaged the space between his eyes. "You're grounded for the next few days. Reflect on your own doings. No chaos. No stunts."

He turned to face the window, voice dropping. "Brinley, your father and brother would hate to see the person you've turned into."

Without continuing, Vincent climbed out of the car."Take her back," he ordered Derek and then walked off.

"Understood."

That evening, Vincent didn't return to the Jones estate. Instead, he stayed in a unit not far from the office.He glanced at his phone-still nothing from Hannah.

He'd figured Hannah would've pressed him to finalize their divorce at the courthouse-but she didn't contact him at all. Perhaps that meant she wasn't that eager to walk away from him.

He expected as much. She had once loved him deeply. How could she possibly bring herself to end things with him? He would just wait and see how long she could hold back from contacting him.

Hannah had been buried in work lately. Her team had recently completed collecting user feedback reports for the hormone-monitoring wristband, and now her team had to absorb reasonable suggestions for system upgrades.

Having majored in computer science, Hannah spearheaded the enhancement of the detection algorithm.

By the fifth day, they had delivered version 3.0 of the wristband.

Before dispatching the units for a new testing cycle, Felix assembled their team of twenty-something members and proposed a celebratory outing.

Applause broke out immediately.

Hannah had an announcement of her own.

"What's the news? Is it about romance?"

"Wow! Who's the lucky guy?"

Once the joking began, the rest joined in, clearly entertained. They had all caught Felix's tender face

whenever he looked Hannah's way.

Exchanging a knowing look with Felix, Hannah spoke up with a laugh."|t′Snot romantic. We're relocating soon-to a far better space."

Excitement swept across the room again.

Felix turned her way, caught off guard. Even he hadn't known about this, and it genuinely delighted him.

"And," Hannah added, "what I know matters most to you all-advancements and bonuses. After version 3.0goes live, everyone here moves up one tier, with a salary raise. Double, in fact. Plus, once we're in the new space, we're expanding the team. That means lighter workloads for everybody."

The room erupted with celebration.

"Thank you, Ms. Scott, Mr.Wade!"

"This deserves a toast. Who's down for drinks tonight?"

The idea was met with loud approval.

Felix beamed and gave a nod.

Hannah couldn't help but grin at the collective excitement. Back when she rejoined the company, there had been whispers that she was just another connected hire. But working closely with her erased all doubt-she'd proven herself as a capable leader. There was something electric about striving toward a shared mission.

"How about we go secure a table first?" Felix stepped in and gave her shoulder a tap.

Hannah gave a nod.

While they walked out, he asked,"So where's the new location?"

She pulled out a clip on her phone. "It's a building near Cerulean Bay. I'll text you the location-it's already all arranged. That district's packed with industry giants."

Jones Group, VitraMind, and several more, had central offices in that zone. Ambition sparkled in Hannah's eyes. "Sooner or later, people are going to know our name too."