“You've got to be kidding me. Why is Brandon here?”Lyra's voice was low, but the irritation in it was obvious enough for Jake to hear. She remained beside him near the investors' table, watching Brandon walk into the room with a folder in his hand. He wasn't looking around nervously or searching for anyone. He simply walked toward the reception area as if he had every right to be there.Jake's expression hardened. He had been trying to forget the problems waiting for him outside the meeting, especially the frozen bank account that had appeared on his laptop only minutes earlier. Seeing Brandon now made his already tense mood worse.“I knew something like this would happen,” Jake murmured. “He probably came here to create another scene because you finally signed the divorce papers.”Lyra's lips pressed together.“Will he never be satisfied until he completely ruins my reputation?”Jake immediately took advantage of her frustration. “Don't worry Lyra. I'll deal with him before he gets

Lyra didn't respond because, deep down, she believed the same thing. It was easier for her to believe that Brandon was worthless than to consider the possibility that he might actually be capable of something like this.Brandon moved to the financial projections.“This section covers the expected return over five years. I've included the operating costs, estimated revenue, contingency reserves and the projected break-even point.”An investor interrupted him.“What assumptions did you use to calculate the five-year margin?”Brandon explained each one without referring to his notes and another investor followed with a question about funding.Then another questioned the location, followed by another challenged the timeline.Brandon answered every question without losing his composure.Jake's irritation grew, with a malicious smirk, he leaned forward.“Your proje

“You never fail to impress me. I’m truly proud of you!” Harold's voice carried a hint of pride as he walked beside Brandon toward the exit of the conference room. Most of the investors were still gathered around the tables, discussing Brandon's proposal among themselves, while the staff had begun clearing away the documents.Brandon smiled at him. “I should be thanking you, Professor. You gave me the opportunity to stand in front of them in the first place.”“You earned the rest yourself,” Harold replied while patting on Brandon's shoulder. “I only made sure you had a chance to prove what you could do, you made my name shine as well for being your mentor.” Brandon glanced back toward the conference room. The presentation had gone far better than he had expected, especially considering how the evening had started. He had walked into the room expecting to defend his project, not deal with insults from his former wife and Jake, and certainly not help an elderly investor who had collap

“How long is he going to take?” Lyra checked the time on her phone again and frowned. “Isn't he supposed to meet Mr. Norway today? Why hasn't he arrived yet?”Jake glanced toward the entrance. “He's not like you, Lyra. You always make sure you're on time, but he's just a househusband who never understood the value of time or the importance of keeping an appointment with someone as respected as Mr. Norway. He should have been here by now.”They had been waiting outside the building longer than either of them had expected. Lyra had already checked her phone several times, while Jake kept watching every vehicle that stopped near the entrance.“Do you think he knows we're waiting for him?” Lyra muttered with a frustrated tone. “Is that why he's deliberately taking so long?”Jake gave a small sigh. “There's no way he could know we're waiting for him.”“You are right, he doesn't have such an influence.” Another car passed through the entrance, but it wasn't Brandon's.Jake checked the time

“Brandon, stop right there! You can't just walk away like this!” Lyra's voice echoed through the entrance hall, but Brandon didn't turn around. Collin had already stepped between them, gesturing for Brandon to follow him.“Miss Lyra, Mr. Norway is expecting Mr. Callaghan. Please remain outside. If you don't want me to call the police, I would advise you to leave this place by yourself." “I'm just trying to prevent him from making another mistake. You can't simply take him away like this.” Lyra snapped at Collin.Jake stepped forward as well. “Mr. Collin, there has clearly been a misunderstanding. Brandon isn't worthy of meeting Mr. Norway, if you let him meet Mr. Norway alone, he'll do nothing but offend Mr. Norway.” Collin remained composed though he is irritated by answering two fools who don't know when to stop. “Mr. Norway personally invited Mr. Callaghan. I don't believe there is anything for either of you to clarify… Please stop getting in our way.” Lyra's frustration grew a