Chapter 217: Name Your Price
The breakthrough in new materials earned the entire R&D department unprecedented rewards.
They were the company's heroes. Richard not only authorized a full week of paid vacation for the team but also approved exceptionally generous bonuses for everyone. The company even greenlit a budget for a team trip. Within half a day, the entire company knew that the flying car laboratory had conquered a revolutionary technological barrier that put them ahead of the market.
Richard had already reached a consensus with the board of directors: immediately initiate the patent registration process and simultaneously launch market buzz to secure the company's first-mover advantage and industry authority in this new arena.
Despite the celebration, everyone understood that Isabella was the true architect of this breakthrough.
"Besides the bonus and vacation, what else would you like?" Richard smiled at Isabella. "As long as it's within the company's capacity, we're willing to grant it."
A star employee's emergence was priceless to any company. Richard had witnessed Isabella's efforts firsthand these past days, and he believed she and her team deserved every bit of recognition.
Isabella shook her head gently. "I only did my job."
"Today you must accept an additional reward," Richard's tone became both serious and warm. "In a sense, your refusal would affect how the rest of the team feels. Even if you want nothing else, going home to rest properly is a task you must complete."
Left with no choice, Isabella accepted the extra week of vacation Richard granted her, making it two weeks total.
The approval went into effect that very day.
Isabella felt somewhat unsettled. "If we want to seize the opportunity, we should file for the patent as soon as possible, then announce—"
Richard signaled his assistant to "escort" Isabella out of the office while teasing her with a smile. "Your primary mission now is to go home and rest. The company's affairs are ours to handle—no need for your concern."
The damage from prolonged sleep deprivation was severe, especially with Isabella's near-burnout working style. Richard even worried she might suddenly collapse in the laboratory.
On the first day of her vacation, Isabella received a call from Declan.
They agreed to meet at a quiet restaurant in the city center.
Compared to their last meeting, Declan looked much thinner and haggard, with stubble on his chin—clearly also suffering from insomnia.
"Isabella, I hope calling you out like this wasn't too presumptuous?"
Declan now led a university-industry collaborative laboratory, having to satisfy both the academic requirements of the university and the commercial demands of enterprises for new energy technology—the pressure was immense.
Isabella raised her glass and took a sip of iced tea, her gaze sharp. "Declan, you didn't ask me here just to catch up, did you?"
Her communication style had become very direct—she disliked beating around the bush. She wanted to spend as much of her precious two-week vacation as possible with her daughter Olivia.
Declan straightened in his seat, smiling bitterly. "I should have known—nothing escapes your notice."
This wasn't Isabella being prescient.
News of the company's technological breakthrough had likely already spread throughout the industry. She boldly guessed that even her identity as the core researcher was no longer a secret. No wonder she'd received so many calls from unknown numbers this afternoon—they were all people like Declan, desperate to meet with her.
"We're both so busy, it's rare we get to meet. Now that we're away from the lab, let's not discuss such mood-killing topics." Isabella clearly expressed her unwillingness to talk about work.
A trace of bitterness appeared on Declan's face.
"The professor was right all along—you're an undisputed genius. In the field of materials science, you're in a class by yourself."
Back when Isabella participated, their experiments progressed at lightning speed, even becoming the most promising domestic laboratory to break through the technological bottleneck. But after she left, the project stagnated for six entire years.
During those six years, Declan tried everything, attempting to bypass the technical path Isabella had proposed and testing countless alternative approaches—all with minimal results. They were like students trying to solve a problem with only one correct answer, and that answer seemed to be known to Isabella alone.
"Isabella, my primary purpose in inviting you to dinner today is to congratulate you on such an astounding achievement. Our country has had a gap in this field for too long. So many laboratories working together couldn't match the speed of you working alone."
As he spoke these words, Declan's smile grew increasingly bitter, each word seeming to be squeezed painfully from his throat, carrying a shame that made his cheeks burn.
"Thank you, Declan." Isabella didn't demur, lightly clinking her glass against his.
"There's another matter," Declan took a deep breath, sitting ramrod straight, his expression turning unusually grave. "I must discuss it with you."
"Declan," Isabella also grew serious. "The friendship we shared in college will never disappear. Whatever the problem, as long as you ask, I'll help if I can. Even if I can't, I'll help you find information."
In college, Declan had helped her many times. Though their contact gradually faded after she chose marriage and domesticity, that bond remained. She still remembered how, before graduation, he'd been the most passionate in urging her not to abandon her career. He'd pulled her out drinking and ended up drunk himself, his alcohol-fueled truth-telling boiling down to one core message: you're so young, full of ambition and talent—why would you trap yourself for the sake of family?
She hadn't listened then, and spent six full years proving him right.
"That's exactly why I'm here," Declan's voice trembled slightly. "I heard your company is preparing to announce this technology publicly. I thought... this might be my last chance."
After prolonged hesitation, he finally voiced that unspeakable request.
"The professor's illness is severe. The doctors say he might not make it through this winter. Lying in his hospital bed, his only wish is to see us break through the technological bottleneck and successfully develop high-efficiency new materials."
"I know your research consumed enormous resources. I can compensate you for those costs—name your price."
Now, the opportunity to fulfill his mentor's dying wish lay before him, precious beyond measure. But the means of obtaining it required begging for Isabella's soft-heartedness and pity.
After saying this, Declan felt like a shameless robber attempting to plunder a friend's dreams and achievements.