Chapter 194

Chapter 194

The intercom on his desk rang. A call from Belgium.

Harrison took a deep breath and answered. Before he could speak, the exhausted, furious roar of the board chairman came through.

"Sign it! Harrison! Sign that damned agreement!"

"But, sir, this—"

"No buts! You want the entire group to go down with you? We have no choice left! That maniac has united with those old European stubborn fools and is building a new route that completely bypasses us! If we don't stop him now, our market share will be devoured completely!"

The phone was hung up roughly.

Harrison slumped back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

They'd calculated everything. The market. The capital. The greed in human nature.

They'd only missed one thing.

They'd missed that Yasmin commanded loyalty like a religion.

They'd also missed that when backed into a corner, Theodore would unleash such terrifying counterattack power.

He picked up the phone and dialed Theodore's private number.

"Mr. Prescott." Harrison's voice was dry and hoarse. "We've reviewed the agreement. We can sign. But we hope we can retain—"

"No buts." The voice on the other end was calm but carried unquestionable authority. "Not a single word of the terms will change. You can choose to sign, or we continue."

The word 'continue' floated lightly but pressed down on Harrison like a mountain, suffocating him.

He knew that continuing would cost the Locke Group far more than this agreement.

"...Alright. We'll sign."

Theodore hung up and casually placed his phone on the desk. No expression on his face.

Ryan stood nearby, watching Theodore with mixed emotions.

He'd participated in this entire business war. The heart-stopping intensity couldn't be shared with outsiders.

He'd expected Theodore to be excited, thrilled, at least to show a hint of a smile.

But he didn't.

As if he'd merely swatted an annoying fly.

"Boss, about the African Morningstar project..."

"Send someone to take it over." Theodore picked up his coffee and took a sip. "The Locke Group will clean everything up and then hand it over with both hands."

This was one of the additional terms in the agreement.

The data Axel had stolen, the frozen funds, the terminated contracts—the Locke Group had to be responsible for recovering and restoring everything.

Not only had they failed to destroy Morningstar, but they had to pay out of pocket to build it into a perfect model project and return it to the Prescott Group.

No ending could be more ironic.

Autumn deepened.

The two little ones, wearing brand-new backpacks, were sent to First Landing's top international kindergarten.

On the first day of school, Yasmin and Theodore personally took them.

The principal personally received them, beaming at the two adorable children.

"Mr. Prescott, Mrs. Prescott, please rest assured. We have the most professional teachers."

After handing the children to the teachers, Yasmin was still uneasy, standing on tiptoe at the classroom window to peek inside.

Theodore stood behind her, looking at her profile, suddenly finding it amusing.

The 'founder' who'd recently commanded the global business battlefield and helped him build the anti-Locke alliance was now like the most ordinary mother, anxious about her children's first day of school.

"They'll adapt." He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"I know." Yasmin said softly. "It's just... I feel a bit empty inside."

As if her most precious treasures had been shared away.

Theodore said nothing. Just tightened his arms.

As it turned out, Yasmin's worries were completely unnecessary.

At the parent conference a week later, the principal's expression was quite the spectacle.

"Noah's talent is truly astonishing." The principal took a sip of water, trying to organize her words. "His social skills are the strongest I've ever seen in a child. Within three days of starting school, he'd met every student and teacher in every class, and successfully organized a 'Toy Exchange Fair' with detailed exchange rules—like one Barbie doll can be traded for three toy cars, but not limited editions."

Yasmin: "..."

Theodore: "..."

"As for Sebastian..." The principal paused, her expression becoming somewhat indescribable. "He's very quiet. Extremely quiet. He doesn't like playing with other children. He likes... taking things apart."

"Taking things apart?" Yasmin's heart tightened.

"Yes." The principal nodded, pointing to a pile of scattered parts in the corner. "That was our newly purchased smart teaching robot. Yesterday afternoon, when the teacher wasn't paying attention, he took only ten minutes to... disassemble it. Most importantly, he tried to reassemble it and believed the original circuit design was unreasonable, so he drew an optimization diagram."

The principal handed over a crooked but logically clear circuit diagram.

Yasmin and Theodore exchanged glances, both seeing bewilderment in each other's eyes.

A future business prodigy and a future tech genius?

On the drive home, the car was quiet.

Yasmin rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Theodore was quite calm, even a faint smile playing at his lips.

"You can still smile?" Yasmin glared at him.

"Why not?" Theodore took her hand. "They're doing well, aren't they?"

One like Yasmin—warm and bright, carrying light wherever she went.

One like Theodore—focused and quiet, content in his own world.

Yasmin looked at him. The anxiety in her heart suddenly dissipated.

Yes, they were doing well. Unique. Her and his children.

After weathering the storm, life finally sailed into a calm and warm harbor.

The Prescott Group's overseas markets fully recovered, and thanks to the new supply chain system, profits actually increased.

Yasmin's studio, after this battle, became even more solidly positioned internationally. Several top luxury brands even proactively extended olive branches, seeking deep cooperation.

That afternoon, Theodore was in his office listening to Ryan's report on new market channel integration when the office door was knocked twice, then pushed straight open.

Ryan's words cut off abruptly, his brow furrowing instinctively.

No one dared barge into the top-floor office like this.

The person who entered was a man whose entire demeanor radiated relaxation, completely at odds with the Prescott Group's stern, rigid atmosphere.

"Well, well," the man leaned against the doorframe, looking at Theodore with lazy amusement. "Mr. Prescott is so busy, getting an audience is harder than reaching heaven."

Ryan was about to speak when he saw Theodore set down his pen and look up.

Theodore's face showed no expression, but the cold, distancing aura softened slightly when he saw who it was.

"Jett Lawson." His voice was flat.

"At least you remember me." Jett strode in and sat down unceremoniously on the guest sofa, long legs crossed. "Just got back from Silicon Valley, spent three days fighting jet lag, and you're my first stop. Pretty loyal, right?"

Ryan stood to the side, waves rising in his heart.

Jett. He'd heard the name.

One of Theodore's few friends from his youth. Computer genius. Made a name for himself in Silicon Valley after college. Rumor had it they'd gone separate ways. He hadn't expected...

Theodore gave Ryan a subtle signal.

Ryan understood, bowed, and exited the office, carefully closing the door.

"What do you want?" Theodore asked.

"Can't I just visit an old friend?" Jett raised an eyebrow, then waved his hand. "Fine, I know your time is valuable. I'm back to start a business."

He pulled a tablet from his bag, swiped it open, and pushed it toward Theodore.

"New energy combined with smart home systems. What I want to do isn't sell isolated solar panels or smart switches, but a complete home energy solution. From power generation to storage to intelligent distribution—a closed loop."

When Jett talked about his project, his eyes lit up. "I have the technology, the patents, but I lack a platform that can bring this to market. I lack a partner who understands and is willing to support my cash burn."

He looked at Theodore, gaze direct and sincere.

"In all of America, you're the only one I trust."

Theodore looked at the complex technical architecture diagrams and business models on the tablet, fingers tapping lightly on the desk. He didn't speak immediately.