Chapter 1

"Mr. Whitlock, your proposal is nothing short of perfection!" The woman sitting across from me closed the project proposal, her eyes shimmering with undisguised admiration. "Both the depth of the market analysis and the precision of the risk management far exceed our previous expectations. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've seen a proposal this impressive."

To produce this proposal, my team and I had pulled all-nighters for two weeks straight. Behind me, every member of the team looked giddy with relief.

Lyra Ellington was the Vice President of Dominion Group, a leading enterprise in Lakeshire. She was notorious in the business world for being fastidious and demanding. Earning her praise was no easy feat.

This partnership would shape Celestial Group's strategic direction for the next three years. However, my wife, Naomi Prescott, who was sitting beside me, shot me a fierce glare and snatched the proposal right out of my hands.

"Ms. Ellington, you flatter us," she said with a smile, though her gaze drifted past me and landed on Matthias behind me. "To be honest, the primary person in charge of this proposal is Matthias. Since he was a bit too nervous today, he had Kieran present it on his behalf."

In an instant, a heavy silence fell over the entire conference room.

The excitement on my team members' faces froze. Even the admiration on Lyra's face shifted into visible astonishment. Following Naomi's gaze, she looked at Matthias with confusion.

Matthias Crowell was Naomi's first love, who had been brought into the company only a week earlier as an intern assistant to the CEO. He rose to his feet with a bashful, modest smile and nodded at Lyra.

"Good day, Ms. Ellington," he began. "To be honest, for this proposal, I only did what I was supposed to do under the guidance of Ms. Prescott and Mr. Whitlock. I wouldn't dare take credit for it. Most of the credit belongs to Mr. Whitlock."

He said all the right things and carried himself with humility, yet the moment our eyes met, an imperceptible triumphant look and provocation flashed through his gaze.

I held his gaze with a poker face. He did what he was supposed to do? Since he joined the company, he hadn't done a single lick of work; he'd spent his days playing games at his desk. How shameless could he be?

Now, he was taking credit for two weeks of my hard work.

Naomi was pleased with Matthias' response. In an almost doting tone, she said, "You're far too modest, Matthias. Had you not stayed up several nights to gather that crucial piece of data, Mr. Whitlock would have nothing to work with. You should learn to accept credit where it's due. There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

Lyra knitted her brow as her gaze shifted back and forth between me, Naomi, and Matthias. She didn't acknowledge Naomi's remark. Instead, she turned her attention back to me, a probing smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Mr. Crowell, you're truly young and promising. May I ask who was behind the mathematical model for the three-year market growth forecast? Several of my company's data analysts studied it for quite some time, and they all admitted it was beyond them."

Matthias' expression instantly stiffened. He had no idea what Lyra was even talking about.

I had written that model myself, combining three different algorithms. It was so complex that even the industry's leading experts might struggle to fully understand it.

Matthias looked at Naomi for help. The smile on her face froze as well. Clearly, she hadn't expected Lyra to ask something so specific.

"This… is the result of our team's collective effort," she answered vaguely.

"Is that so?" Lyra smiled. A knowing glint flashed in her eyes, as if she had already seen through everything.

Then, she dropped the topic and raised her coffee mug at me. "I look forward to working with you, Mr. Whitlock."

Lyra deliberately emphasized that the cooperation was with me, making her stance crystal clear.