Chapter 440

Inside the Jones family manor, Erica lingered near Sharon, tuning in to her ongoing call with Vincent.

After the call ended, Sharon turned toward Erica,her expression flat. "Hannah, Vincent won't be returning home to sleep tonight."

Erica's hands coiled into fists, her pale knuckles giving her away. Vincent had once again chosen to stay away. Since she had moved into the manor under the guise of "Hannah", Vincent hadn't spent a night here anymore. Was work really keeping him that busy, or was it just an excuse? And Hannah-she had actually survived? Leonard was entirely ineffective. All her efforts to provoke him using Hannah's face had been in vain.

She figured that working at Jones Group was her only chance to get close to Vincent.

Suddenly, Sharon's voice broke her rumination. "Is

something bothering you? You appear really worn out. Didn't sleep well?"

Erica blinked back into focus, lowering her eyes, her tone unsteady. "Sharon, I'mn alright. I was just reflecting on my job prospects. I mentioned to Vincent that I'd like a role at Jones Group, but he hasn't agreed yet. Sharon, could you help me?"

Sharon sighed, "Maybe he's overwhelmed with work and forgot. I'll help you with that. Which department are you hoping to join?"

Joy flickered across Erica's face as she calculated quietly. The secretary department would place her near Vincent, but that would look too planned. After a careful pause, she responded, "Sharon, I've done some drawing and studied design. Would it be acceptable for me to try the design team at the Jones Group? I don't mind starting as an assistant."

Sharon gave her shoulder a firm pat. "Of course! I'N handle it! It's too late now, and I'll call the department head tomorrow morning. You can go straight to report!"

"Really?" Erica's expression bloomed as she clutched Sharon's hand, "Thank you, Sharon! You're the best!"

Sharon returned a warm smile. "Feeling better now?"

"Yes!" Erica nodded repeatedly.

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A few days later, a meeting over the NeuroCore Initiative procurement was held inside the Luminara Group.

Hannah was in attendance. She was seated at the far side of the long table. While not in a leading spot,her inclusion meant she was clearly seen as part of the team.

Her eyes drifted casually across the room; every person was from the earlier gathering in Room 3. She smirked silently: this wasn't a real corporate purchase briefing-it looked more like a covert scheme to divide benefits.

Once the meeting commenced, Calvin, who led the

project-spoke as if introducing actual "NeuroCore Initiative" needs-acquiring a batch of state-of-the-art tools for next-gen chip production.

However, ProTech Materials Depot's proposal was outrageously priced-totaling $120 million.

Due to financial constraints, Victoria had firmly demanded a 15% cut, reducing it to $102 million.

ProTech Materials Depot stood its ground, refusing to comply.

Thus, Calvin proposed an alternative plan-source it from Lightwheel Technology, whose specs were comparable. By buying from Lightwheel Technology,they could slice the cost by 30%. And the attendees of this meeting could then take the 15% difference as their share.

Calvin abruptly glanced toward Natalie and asked "Ms. Preston, do you understand the implication?"

Hannah, locking eyes with him, answered with ambition "It means we can qain $26 million in

margin."

"Clever!" Calvin replied, clearly pleased.

Michael chuckled, gesturing toward her. "Ms.Preston! You're in luck, encountering such a big deal right after joining us! This is an unprecedented one!"

Hannah glanced at him like she was surprised."What's my cut?"

A burst of laughter erupted from some, and others snickered or sneered, mocking her for being overreaching or greedy.

Michael laughed even louder."I enjoy your bluntness!Ms. Preston, relax-if this works out, at least this amount is yours." He held up two fingers.

"Two hundred thousand?" Hannah "guessed" aloud.

"Ha! Dream bigger! Tack on another zero. That's two million dollars!" Michael beamed.

Hannah instantly widened her eyes as if in total disbelief. "That's amazing! Thank you, Mr. Clark!"

Calvin, clearly enjoying her reaction, rapped his knuckles on the desk. "Alright, back to business. Ms.Preston, we've secured the pipelines. Lightwheel Technology is set. Your task is to draft two separate agreements."

Hannah's look turned focused. "Got it. One will be an official contract with ProTech Materials Depot for the company, and the second will cover the true deal with Lightwheel Technology."

"Smart!" Calvin and Michael both chimed, their looks full of admiration.

Michael added, "We'll sort the paths and payment flows after this.Any concerns?"

Hannah replied quickly, "None at all."

With that, the session wrapped, and the attendees left, all appearing pleased.

Hannah returned to her office and locked the door.She retrieved her encrypted phone and messaged Adrian. "Adrian. thev've started. Get ready to close

the net."