Chapter 295: Slapping Wilton in the Face

Michael ran his fingers through his hair in agitation, the gesture betraying his inner turmoil. He exhaled deeply, anxiety churning beneath his calm exterior as he struggled to accept her decision.

The silence stretched between them. Finally, he reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "If you've made up your mind, then I'm coming with you."

He knew better than anyone—once Sophia decided on something, no one could change it.

So no matter how dangerous, he'd stand by her side.

Sophia smiled and rose on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. "Thank you."

A hint of warmth finally softened Michael's expression. His gaze was helpless yet indulgent as it met hers. "Sophia, I need to collect some compensation."

"Name it."

"Two candies from the jar today instead of one."

Sophia blinked, then burst into laughter. "Forget two—you can have twenty if you want."

"You said it. No take-backs." Michael tightened his arms around her, pulling her deeper into his embrace.

The next day, the Emerald City Tech Innovation Summit commenced.

Among the invited local enterprises were Pacific Group, Cloud Group, and Vertex Innovations Group. The most prominent foreign company in attendance was Wilton Semiconductor.

Representing Wilton was a blue-eyed, blond-haired man from Vesperia named Brian—the lead agent for Wilton's Marigoldia division.

He was also the one behind the recent sabotage attempts against Vertex Innovations Group.

"Not going to say hello?" Henry stood beside Michael and Sophia, his gaze drifting toward Brian, who was surrounded by a cluster of admirers. His tone dripped with amusement.

"No rush. He'll come to us," Michael replied smoothly, taking a sip of champagne.

Given how aggressively Brian had been targeting Vertex Innovations Group lately, there was no way he'd skip a face-to-face confrontation.

"I heard Vertex Innovations Group developed the 5S chip?" Henry turned to Sophia with undisguised curiosity. "Are we going to see fireworks today?"

Sophia's smile turned enigmatic. "You'll have your answer soon enough."

Five minutes before the summit officially began, a news alert detonated across the internet: [Vertex Innovations Group Unveils 5S Next-Gen Chip at Latest Quarterly Launch—Breaking Wilton Semiconductor's Years-Long Tech Monopoly]

The moment the headline dropped, the entire venue erupted into chaos.

Brian had been chatting amiably with several political and business figures, champagne flute in hand, when his assistant rushed over and whispered urgently in his ear. His expression froze instantly. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his blue eyes flashed with cold malice.

He whipped around, his gaze slicing through the crowd like a blade—straight toward Sophia.

Sophia's lips curved upward. With complete composure, she raised her champagne glass and tilted it toward him in a silent toast.

"Magnificent," Henry murmured, unable to suppress a slow clap. "That's a slap across Wilton's face if I've ever seen one."

Michael chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving Sophia. Pride gleamed in his gaze. "She never fights a battle unprepared."

Henry grimaced, rolling his eyes in exaggerated disgust.

Damn lovesick fool.

Brian quickly smoothed his expression and strode toward Sophia with his team in tow.

"Ms. Johnson, congratulations." His Marigoldian was flawless, his smile polished to perfection—and utterly hollow. "Though I must say, the semiconductor industry isn't won with press releases. Performance, yield rates, market feedback—those are the real tests."

Sophia's smile didn't waver. "Mr. Brian seems awfully concerned about Vertex Innovations Group. Rest assured, our test data has passed international certification. Wilton is welcome to verify it anytime."

Her tone was gentle, but every word carried a sting.

Brian's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he shifted tactics. "I heard that several members of Vertex Innovations Group's R&D team are former Wilton employees?"

The implication was clear: poaching—or worse, theft of intellectual property.

The room fell silent. All eyes turned toward them.

Michael started to speak, but Sophia gently pressed her hand against his.

"Talent mobility is perfectly normal," she said lightly, arching an eyebrow. "If Wilton can't retain employees, perhaps they should reflect on their own shortcomings. Like… promising stock options that never materialize. Or lab budgets constantly slashed by headquarters?"

Brian's face stiffened.

Sophia's smile remained polite, but her eyes held unmistakable menace.

If he wants to play dirty, I've got receipts.

A voice from the stage drew everyone's attention.

The summit was officially beginning. Attendees took their assigned seats as each company prepared to present their latest innovations.

When Vertex Innovations Group's turn came, Sophia took the stage herself.

The large screen displayed the 5S chip's performance metrics: [Processing speed 40% faster than comparable Wilton products. Power consumption reduced by 25%. Yield rate: 99.3%]

On the final slide, she displayed a comparison chart. "This is the data from Wilton's 'flagship chip' released last month. And this—" she gestured to the second column, "—is the 5S chip's performance under identical testing conditions."

The room erupted.

Brian's face turned thunderous.

Henry leaned toward Michael, barely containing his glee. "God, she's incredible. Publicly humiliating Wilton like that."

It wasn't just schadenfreude. While Pacific Group and Vertex Innovations Group were technically competitors, they were both Marigoldian companies—and in the face of foreign dominance, local solidarity mattered more.

Foreign tech had advanced faster for years. Wilton had dominated the Marigoldian market for far too long. Before Vertex Innovations Group rose to prominence, Pacific Group had been the lone warrior fighting Wilton's monopoly—dreaming of the day they could break it.

Now, the new generation had surpassed the old. Vertex Innovations Group had made that dream a reality.

In the grand scheme, petty rivalries meant nothing. What mattered wasn't who won—it was that a local enterprise had finally shattered the stranglehold of foreign monopoly.

Marigoldia finally had its own cutting-edge chip technology.

Michael's lips curved upward. Hearing Henry's praise for Sophia filled him with quiet pride. "Sophia has always been exceptional. Whatever she sets her mind to, she achieves—eventually."

After the summit ended, Brian left in a hurry.

As Sophia exited the venue, Tony called.

"Ms. Johnson, we just received word—Wilton has filed an antitrust complaint with the Commerce Department, accusing Vertex Innovations Group of 'malicious competition'!"

Sophia's laugh was cold. "Sore losers always resort to dirty tricks."

Michael calmly draped an arm around her shoulders, his tone amused. "Ignore them. They're just flailing. Vertex Innovations Group just accomplished something huge. Even Henry couldn't help applauding you."

There was subtext in his words. Sophia thought for a moment, then smiled.

Marigoldia's semiconductor technology had reached new heights, overturning years of foreign monopoly.

If even a competitor was celebrating her success, what about the government?

"You fought brilliantly today," Michael said, gazing at her with tender affection. "How about we celebrate tonight? Dinner with Wayne and the others?"

"Sure—" Sophia's phone rang again before she could finish. She glanced at the screen.

Harrison.

She answered. "What is it?"

Harrison's voice was urgent. "Miss, it's Mr. John Smith. He's coughing up blood."