Chapter 5

"Isolde!" Alan's face turned ashen. He no longer cared about anything else as he strode after her.

The moment she stepped out of the private room, Isolde called Walter. "Walter, there's been a slight change of plans. Lunch is canceled. I'll go straight to view the wedding venue. Send me the contact number of the person in charge."

"Ms. Vancrest, this way, please."

Isolde looked up and saw Walter standing in the elevator with a smile. He had already been waiting there. She returned his smile and stepped inside.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Alan came out of the private room and caught sight of Isolde and Walter standing together.

He frowned. "Why is Walter here?"

A nearby server answered respectfully, "Mr. Princeton, Mr. Williams is here to view the wedding venue. The Prince is holding a wedding at the end of the month. Didn't you know?"

Bruce had grown up abroad and returned to the country six years ago. In those six years, he had used ruthless, bloody methods to cleanse Southbridge's business world. The violent storm he stirred up lasted a full month. Since then, everyone in the circle feared him like a Prince of Hell and respectfully called him "The Prince."

Alan couldn't hide his surprise. "He's getting married?"

Over the years, his grandfather had sent countless daughters of prestigious families his way, but he had remained unmoved. Now he had suddenly decided on a marriage? What kind of formidable woman could capture his interest?

Still in disbelief, Alan pressed the button for the next elevator. He had to hurry and get Isolde out of there before she accidentally intruded on Bruce's territory and provoked him. His cousin was a true madman—one who would never show mercy, not even to women.

…

When the elevator reached the top floor, the doors slid open silently.

Walter stepped aside and gestured ahead. "Ms. Vancrest, this way, please. Sky Mirror, Southbridge's pinnacle wedding venue, is just ahead."

Isolde followed Walter into the dreamlike hall filled with light and glass reflections. Moments later, the elevator next to theirs opened.

Alan stepped out, his sharp gaze sweeping the corridor. It was empty. When he didn't see Isolde, a tightness gripped his chest.

His expression darkened as he turned toward the entrance of Sky Mirror.

"She went inside?" he muttered.

It was exactly what he had feared. Bruce's temper was vicious, his methods ruthless. Anyone who crossed him met a miserable end.

Anxious, Alan strode toward the venue.

"Please stop, Mr. Princeton." The etiquette hostess stationed at the entrance extended her hand to block him politely. "There are distinguished guests inside. Entry is not permitted without an appointment."

"Move aside!" Alan's tone was sharp as he pushed the door open.

"Alan!" Sandra rushed forward and grabbed his arm, her face pale with worry. "Calm down! Bruce already has animosity toward you. If you barge in now, especially when he's selecting his wedding venue, you'll only anger him further."

Alan's brows knit together. "Isolde is inside."

"Look at the elevator. It's already gone down to the first floor. She must have taken it downstairs and left long ago." Sandra pointed to the elevator that Isolde had used earlier.

Alan looked up at the display showing the number 1. His tense nerves finally relaxed, and he let out a long breath of relief.

Sandra noticed the deep relief and tenderness in his eyes, and jealousy flared violently in her chest. Even after everything, even after the scene Isolde had caused, he still cared for her this much.

Sandra said bitterly, "Alan, I shouldn't say this, but I can't bear to see you being played like this anymore. Think about it. The AI emotional interaction project she's poured three years of her heart into is about to succeed.

"Once it launches, she'll have both fame and fortune, and she'll become a rising star in the industry. Do you really think she'd give all that up and resign at such a critical moment?"

Her tone sharpened with certainty. "She's just throwing a tantrum, deliberately sabotaging the signing to scare you into coaxing her—to make you beg her!

"At the same time, she wants to force you to abort our child. But if you don't give in, when the press conference starts, she'll be the one who panics."

Alan's unease gradually subsided, and his rationality returned.

Sandra's words made sense. The project was Isolde's only chance to prove her worth to the Princeton family. She wouldn't leave the Princeton Group, and she certainly wouldn't leave him.

The tense lines of his shoulders eased. His expression regained its usual composure and the stern control that had always defined him. If she wanted to play games, then he would wait for the day of the press conference and see how she handled it.

…

In a dimly lit room, Sandra dialed a number with an icy expression. "Where are you? Come back to Southbridge immediately."

A man's teasing voice answered, "What's up, baby? Miss me already? Makes sense. You're in the late stage of pregnancy. Perfect timing for some fun. I even bought an outfit—"

"Shut up!" Sandra interrupted sharply. "You'd better keep those thoughts to yourself if you don't want Alan to find out that the child is yours and have you dismembered and thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

The man's tone shifted, annoyed. "If we can't have fun, why do you want me back in Southbridge?"

"The AI-emotional interaction software press conference is taking place in a few days. I want you to kidnap Isolde so she can't show up."

If Isolde failed to appear at the press conference, Alan would be furious, and their relationship would collapse beyond repair. Then Sandra could take the stage herself, claim the project as her own, and seize all of Isolde's achievements. Three years of dedication, all her glory, and all her benefits would be Sandra's.

Once she gained that success, Sandra would finally have the power to approach Nightfall Corp., which stood at the peak of the global AI industry.

The bionic robots they developed were revolutionary, an epoch-making creation. If she could negotiate a partnership with them and join their project, the Princeton Group would rise to the forefront of the AI field, and she would become the company's greatest contributor.

…

After finishing the venue inspection, Isolde took a car back to Crestmont Estate. Just as she stepped out, her phone rang with an international call.

The man on the line spoke with a foreign accent, his tone brimming with excitement. "Ms. Vancrest, I just received news that you're leaving the Princeton Group?!

"Apologies for my enthusiasm, but this news is incredible! I've been waiting for this moment for three whole years!

"The offer Nightfall Corp. gave you three years ago is still valid, and the compensation has doubled. The position of Director of Global AI R&D has always been kept open for you.

"Join us, Ms. Vancrest. The world is your stage—not a small company like the Princeton Group, where you're limited to developing emotional interaction software. Come to us and fulfill the concept you proposed three years ago. Develop real AI bionic robots! You'll lead the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence."

Three years ago, Isolde had proposed the concept and data model for bionic robots. Only Nightfall Corp. had the technological depth and foundation to support her research and bring her vision to life.

Back then, she had given up that dream for Alan. But now?

The light that had long dimmed in her eyes reignited—clear, resolute, and brilliant.

"I agree," she said. "I'll relocate abroad and assume the position at the beginning of next month."

…

'Getting married and then immediately leaving the country…' Isolde thought it over carefully. 'Bruce deserves to know.'

She went to find Walter. "Walter, when will Bruce return? I have something I need to discuss with him."

Walter had noticed the ring on her finger earlier, and during the trip, he had heard she'd run into Alan at the hotel.

Bruce had once mentioned that she liked pink, yet the wedding theme she selected was blue, a detached, perfunctory choice. Earlier, she'd sounded cheerful on the phone, laughing easily, but now her face was solemn.

Everything pointed to one conclusion: she hadn't come to talk about the wedding. She'd come to end this brief marriage.

Walter's eyes flicked toward a shadowed corner of the room, and his expression turned grave.