Chapter 195

Chapter 195

The office fell silent.

After a long pause, Theodore finally spoke. "The Prescott Group can provide the platform and capital. We'll establish a new subsidiary—you'll lead the tech and product side, the Prescott Group handles market and supply chain. I want fifty-one percent controlling stake."

Jett laughed.

"I knew doing business with you would be the easiest thing in the world." Jett stood and extended his hand. "Pleasure doing business."

Theodore clasped it. "Pleasure doing business."

A week later, the Prescott Group's strategic partnership with tech expert Jett was officially announced—together they'd formed a new subsidiary called "FutureNest," positioning themselves at the intersection of clean energy and smart design.

The news didn't generate the enthusiastic reception they'd anticipated.

Instead, skepticism flooded in.

"The Prescott Group just pulled itself out of crisis—why dive so aggressively into an entirely new cash-burning sector?"

"Jett may have some Silicon Valley clout, but zero market foundation. Is this a power partnership, or is Mr. Prescott bankrolling his friend's dream?"

"Going from traditional industry to cutting-edge tech—that's one hell of a leap. Watch you don't trip."

Financial media and analysts held a cautious, wait-and-see attitude.

The market's response was even more direct. After a brief period of stability, the Prescott Group's stock price began a slow but steady decline.

In the top-floor conference room, the atmosphere was tense.

"Boss, here's the latest sentiment report and stock trend." Ryan handed over a file. "The market has zero confidence in FutureNest. They think our risk assessment is way too optimistic. Several of our fund shareholders have already called asking for specifics on our strategy."

The executives exchanged uneasy glances.

They'd won so decisively against the Locke Group—everyone's morale had skyrocketed. No one expected the first step of this new journey to stumble so badly.

Theodore flipped through the report, expression unchanged.

"The project moves forward as planned." He closed the file with finality. "Tell marketing—next month's product launch happens as scheduled."

That night, the study blazed with light.

Yasmin walked in carrying a glass of warm milk and found Theodore seated at his computer, the screen filled with dense data and candlestick charts.

Theodore rarely brought work stress home, but she could feel it tonight—he was quieter than usual.

Yasmin set the milk gently beside him without a word, standing quietly behind him, her gaze settling on the sea of green trend lines.

"Stock dropped again?" she asked softly.

"Yeah." Theodore's eyes didn't leave the screen.

"I looked into FutureNest." Yasmin spoke suddenly. "Jett's technical vision is cutting-edge, but... it's too niche."

Theodore finally turned to look at her.

"What you're trying to sell isn't a product—it's a lifestyle, a vision of the future. But what you're showing the world right now is just a bunch of technical specs and business logic that regular people can't understand."

Yasmin's finger lightly tapped a product concept image on the screen—a cold metal box covered in blue light effects and harsh lines.

"Technology needs to be 'translated.'" Her voice was clear and certain. "Someone needs to convert it from engineer-speak into something consumers can feel, something they can want. People don't buy specs. They buy a more comfortable, smarter, greener home."

"What you're missing isn't the tech or the market—it's a story that moves people."

Theodore looked at her. Something in his dark eyes was slowly lighting up.

He'd never thought about it from this angle.

In Theodore's world, business was logic, data, profit.

But he'd forgotten—every business ends with people.

And Yasmin understood people better than anyone.

"What do you want to do?" His voice softened without him realizing it.

Yasmin smiled. Under the lamplight, that smile was bright and confident.

"Give me FutureNest's visual design and product strategy." She met his gaze head-on, each word deliberate. "I'll wrap that cold technical core in something warm. I'll show the market it's not a risky investment—it's a future everyone deserves to have."

Theodore studied her for several seconds. Then he closed the candlestick chart on his screen.

"Okay."

Simple answer. Heavy as a thousand pounds.

He picked up his phone and dialed Jett.

"Jett. Tomorrow morning, ten o'clock, come to the office. I'm introducing you to someone—FutureNest's real Chief Product Experience Officer."

---

FutureNest's product launch was scheduled at First Landing's most futuristic venue—the Galaxy Convention Center.

Outside, financial reporters and tech bloggers braved the October chill, their commentary sharp as knives.

"After that legendary battle with the Locke Group, the Prescott Group's every move is under scrutiny. But this time, Mr. Prescott seems to have made a risky bet."

"From the materials we've seen, FutureNest's technical barriers aren't as impressive as advertised. The concept of clean energy plus smart home isn't new—it's already been tried without much market splash. The Prescott Group's continued stock slump shows exactly what the capital market thinks."

Inside, the lighting was dim. A massive circular screen flickered with cold blue code streams—the atmosphere felt less like a product launch and more like a tech tribunal.

Backstage, Ryan's palms were slick with sweat as he ran through the program one more time.

Jett, on the other hand, was relaxed—suit jacket thrown on, calmly calibrating his demo equipment.

"Do we really need to be this tense?" He glanced up at the packed auditorium. "Anyone watching would think we're here for sentencing."

Theodore stood in the shadows, silent, his gaze fixed on the entrance.

Yasmin had arrived.

She wore a simple cream cashmere dress today, hair loosely pinned up, tablet in hand as she quietly confirmed details with staff.

She walked over to Theodore, gave him a reassuring smile, then turned to Jett.

"All the visuals switched to the latest version?"

"Don't worry, Ms. White." Jett winked at her. "I didn't touch a single one of your pixels."

The launch began.

Jett went first. He really was a genius—and a complete tech geek.

He explained FutureNest's core technology clearly and thoroughly, from photovoltaic conversion efficiency to energy storage algorithms to home energy bus protocols.

The audience response was lukewarm.

Industry professionals understood but found it insufficiently groundbreaking.

Regular attendees didn't understand and found it boring. A few fund managers were already checking their phones.

Jett finished. The screen displayed a complex system architecture diagram—metal lines, blue light effects, filled with an engineer's cold aesthetic.

"That's all from me." Jett shrugged, preparing to exit.

Then, suddenly, all the lights went out.

When they came back up, the massive circular screen no longer showed cold code and charts.

It showed a glass house by a lake. Morning sunlight poured through floor-to-ceiling windows. A little girl was gently woken by smart curtains slowly opening to let in the light.

She ran downstairs barefoot. In the kitchen, the coffee maker had already brewed fresh coffee. The toaster released a tempting aroma.

Cut to a man in his study on a video call. On the wall, an ink painting's texture slowly shifted in real time, displaying the home's energy consumption—green for self-generated power, blue for grid electricity, yellow for stored energy. Beautiful as art.

Evening. The family sat in the living room. The background wall transformed into a brilliant starscape, starlight flowing slowly with the rhythm of music.

No voiceover. No technical specs.

But everyone understood.

When the video ended, the room was silent for three seconds.

Then applause erupted like thunder.

Yasmin walked onto the stage.

She didn't stand behind a podium. She walked to center stage as if she were in her own living room—natural, relaxed.

"Technology shouldn't be cold specs and complicated charts. It should be the first ray of sunlight that wakes you in the morning. The warm light waiting when you come home late at night. Every moment that makes life more comfortable, more secure."

"FutureNest isn't trying to sell you expensive, complicated equipment. We're offering a possibility. A way for technology to return to life. A way for your home to truly understand you."

Behind her, the big screen began displaying FutureNest's product visuals.