Lyra's smile remained unwavering until her assistant left. Once the door clicked shut, she leaned closer to me and asked, "Isaac, do you really like these young, energetic girls?"I responded with indifference, "Does the presence of any woman around me always make you this defensive?"Lyra blinked, clearly caught off guard by my reaction. Her expression softened into something almost innocent as she looked up at me. "Isaac, that's not what I meant. I just think they're great. They are so young and full of energy. It reminds me of us back in the day."Yes, we were young once too, seeing the world with bright, untainted eyes.But in my world now, such things didn't stir improper thoughts. It was more like admiring a flower. Just looking at it was enough.I didn't want to drag this pointless conversation out any longer, so I turned to leave for my room. But Lyra trailed after me, her footsteps quick and insistent.Just as I stopped and was about to turn ar

It seemed she had noticed my displeasure when she mentioned Lucy earlier, so she tactfully shifted the conversation to investments instead of continuing with that topic.When we reached the most critical part of the discussion, Mrs. Parry smiled warmly and asked, "Isaac, how much funding does your side need for the investment?"Before coming here, I had already gone over the numbers with Mateo. Considering the current state of the studio and the exhibition we were planning, we'd need about 60 million.For ordinary people, that's no small sum, but for entrepreneurs of their stature, it was little more than a drop in the bucket.After I gave her the figure, Mrs. Parry's tone suddenly changed. "Isaac, honestly, for just a few tens of millions, you really don't need to go out seeking investments. For Lyra, that amount is nothing."I knew perfectly well where things stood between Lyra and me. There was no way we could entangle money between us again.But I a

The next day, I took the contract and the check Lyra had given me and went to see Mr. Morris.Both Mateo and Mr. Morris were there, and as soon as they heard the money came from Lyra, their reactions were immediate and intense."Isaac, why didn't you talk to us about this first?" Mateo said, his voice sharp with emotion. "We'll figure out a way to handle the investment. You shouldn't have agreed to Lyra's terms!"Mr. Morris nodded in agreement, his tone just as firm. "Exactly, Isaac. I've been in the country long enough to build some solid connections. How could you let Lyra take advantage of the studio's difficulties like this?"It was clear they both knew Lyra's reputation all too well. They assumed, as most would, that she wouldn't invest in the studio without some hidden agenda. In their eyes, she must have made things difficult for me behind the scenes. But this time, it was different."Mateo, Mr. Morris," I said, trying to calm them. "I know you're bot