The sycamore leaves rustled in the breeze. Ian narrowed his eyes, taking a moment before replying.

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, brow furrowing slightly. "Something urgent came up at the office. Let's talk another day."

Xavier nodded. "Alright."

He watched lan hurry to his car and pull away, then stood there for a while, lost in thought, before heading to his own vehicle.

There was a meeting scheduled for today. Byron Chase arrived with his team of engineers. In the conference room, Joel and Eleanor were already deep in discussion over the latest research data, while Gwenda prepared the materials and set up the projector.

Soon, the room was filled. Byron was about to have his engineers start their reports when, suddenly, the door swung open.

All eyes turned to the doorway. Ian strode in, looking sharp in a tailored suit, with Gavin following close behind.

"Sorry I'm late," lan's deep voice resonated through the room. His gaze swept across the group, pausing briefly on Eleanor.

Byron jumped up immediately. "Mr. Goodwin, please—have a seat."

The engineers beside Byron quickly made room for him, and the entire row shuffled to accommodate.

lan nodded, taking the seat at the head of the table, signaling for the meeting to proceed.

Eleanor unconsciously tightened her grip on her pen. There was no real reason for lan to be at a technical meeting like this.

The engineer who had been about to speak cleared his throat and launched into his report. "Based on our latest tests, the neural interface delay is now down to 0.3 seconds."

lan listened intently, eyes fixed on the engineer. "Can we optimize that parameter any further?"

The engineer fidgeted nervously. “In theory, yes, but we'd need more advanced chips."

lan turned to Byron. "How's the partnership going with that semiconductor company, Drexford?"

Byron responded instantly. "Negotiations are underway. The contract should be signed next month. Their tech can meet our requirements."

Faye couldn't hide the admiration in her eyes as she watched lan. He really was a legend in the business world—there seemed to be nothing he couldn't do.

lan tapped his fingers on the table with calm authority. "Move up the timeline by two weeks. I need their technical team ready to integrate with us by next Monday."

Byron hesitated. "Mr. Goodwin, that might be difficult—"

lan looked up. "Is there a problem?"

Byron nodded. "Their VP says they need time to process the paperwork. They

might move faster if you called their CEO, Mr. Alan, personally."

lan considered this, then nodded. "Alright. I'll call him myself."

He turned to Eleanor. "Dr. Sutton, will this timeline work for your team?"

Eleanor met his gaze. "If we get the samples sooner, we can shorten the testing cycle."

lan nodded again, then said to Gavin, "Set up a video call with Alan for me this afternoon."

"Of course, Mr. Goodwin. I'll arrange it right away," Gavin replied.

Both Faye and Gwenda were visibly in awe. Witnessing lan's decisiveness in person was something to behold; his commanding presence was magnetic. He was like a precision instrument-every command executed flawlessly.

The meeting rolled on. Whenever they hit a technical roadblock, lan's presence seemed to sharpen everyone's focus, and several issues were resolved on the spot.

Just then, Eleanor's phone buzzed with a message-Xavier asking her to join him for lunch.

She remembered she still owed him for the travel expenses, so she replied quickly, “Sure, let's have lunch together. But it's my treat this time."

Eleanor hated owing favors. She wanted to settle up as soon as possible.

"Great! I'll pick you up at the front of Meridian Dynamics at 11:30."

"No need, I'll drive myself!"

"It's no trouble, I'm in the area anyway," Xavier insisted.

"Alright," she relented. At least she could treat him to lunch and clear the debt.

By 11:20, Xavier was already waiting in the lab's lobby, sitting by the floor-to- ceiling windows, flipping through a magazine. Sunlight streamed in behind him, casting his tall figure in a warm, gentle light.

Meanwhile, the meeting was wrapping up. Byron seized the moment. "Since Mr. Goodwin is here, let's all grab lunch together, keep the conversation going."

lan was about to agree, but Eleanor spoke up, "Sorry, VP Chase, I already have plans."

Byron looked disappointed. He'd only organized the lunch to give lan and Eleanor a chance to smooth things over.

"Eleanor, can't you reschedule?" he asked, trying to persuade her.

She shook her head, gathering her materials. "It's a very important friend."

Byron glanced at lan. "Mr. Goodwin, what about you-?"

"You all go ahead. I have to get back to headquarters for another meeting." lan stood and left.

Byron looked around the table. Joel stood up. "I'll skip it, too-still have a lot to wrap up."

Faye's face fell. She'd been secretly glad Eleanor wasn't joining, but now Joel was backing out too, and her excitement fizzled.

Gavin, still gathering his things, smiled. "VP Chase, maybe we should just call it a day. Everyone's pretty busy."

Byron gave an awkward chuckle. "Alright, next time. We'll do it another day."