Chapter 119
Chapter 119
The elevator rose through the narrow shaft.
Francis knew he was in the wrong.
In business, reputation was everything.
He'd already shaken hands on a deal with Octavia's team. Now he was switching partners. The embarrassment sat plainly on his face.
"Look, I didn't want this either. But what was I supposed to do? A company my size can't say no to people like them. Be honest—if you were in my shoes, could you have turned them down?"
In his mind, it was simple survival—back the stronger horse.
Guilt, sure. But logic told him he'd made the right call.
Finnian laughed—sharp and bitter. "A man without his word is nothing. So you think what you did is perfectly fine? That you owe us nothing?"
"We spent months on this partnership. We revised the proposal over and over, fine-tuned every detail. And now, at the eleventh hour, you ghost us? If everyone did business like this, trust would be dead."
At the word 'trust,' Francis rubbed his nose uncomfortably.
Octavia stepped in. "Let's just talk. If you still want to go with them after hearing us out, we'll walk away. No hard feelings."
The elevator doors opened.
Francis sighed and led them to a conference room.
"Sorry—you didn't have an appointment, and I've got a video call in a few minutes. Give me an hour. I'll come find you after."
Octavia simply gestured for him to go ahead.
---
The conference room fell quiet.
Finnian frowned. "Is someone like him even worth partnering with?"
"Ever heard the saying? Everyone's chasing profit—that's just how the world works. We're here for a win-win deal. His character isn't the point."
Besides, Francis wasn't a bad person. He'd simply been dazzled by a bigger prize.
And honestly—as Francis himself said—how many people could resist that kind of temptation?
Whether by accident or design, they sat there for a long time without anyone bringing so much as a glass of water.
Octavia's throat went dry. She headed for the break room—and stopped just outside the door when she heard voices inside.
"Oh my God, did you see them? They looked like they were made for each other! Ms. Lavien is so elegant—that gentle smile, so poised. And Mr. Grimaldi? We'd never see someone like him in real life. Only in magazines."
"They're so perfect together. That's what real love looks like. When they get married, do you think they'll have one of those huge celebrity weddings? With gift giveaways online? We should grab as many as we can."
"Probably! Remember a few years ago when that billionaire's son got married? They gave away prizes worth thousands of dollars on social media..."
The chatter piled on—endless praise for Yvaine, breathless swooning over Ignatius. Every woman in the room seemed starstruck.
Octavia stood in the doorway, listening. Her hand drifted to her chest.
She was calm. Remarkably, completely calm.
Before, hearing people pair Ignatius and Yvaine together would have gutted her—jealousy, heartache, a hollow sense of loss. Now it felt like overhearing strangers discuss strangers.
She took a breath, walked in like nothing had happened, poured two cups of coffee, and left.
---
Back in the conference room.
Finnian was just hanging up a call. His eyes narrowed, his expression dark.
"You made the right call. We need to fight for this partnership—otherwise everyone will think we're pushovers."
The fury in his voice caught Octavia off guard. "What happened?"
Finnian—always steady, always composed—slammed his palm on the table. His anger blazed.
"Someone's poaching our team. They're trying to steal our entire R&D division. The offer they're throwing around? Obscene. They clearly don't give a damn about us."
Every AI company built its team from scratch—pouring in time, money, and resources to assemble the right people.
An R&D team was a company's soul.
Losing it meant losing your core competitive edge.
Octavia read the rage on his face and connected the dots. "It's Yvaine, isn't it? Or the Lavien family?"
"Bingo. They approached our people under the Lavien family name, but let's be real—the Lavien family alone wouldn't dare pick a fight with us. This has to be Yvaine. Or..."
Ignatius.
Finnian didn't say the name. He didn't need to.
Octavia smiled—cool and unbothered. "Let them try. We'll handle whatever comes. These people are talented—money alone won't buy their loyalty. We offer them equity. That's how we keep them."
After years at Ignatius's company, she knew his AI team was already mature. He didn't need to poach anyone. The one building from scratch—the one who needed warm bodies—was Yvaine's brand-new venture.
---
Elsewhere.
After parting ways with Ignatius, Yvaine arrived at her new office alone.
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline in panoramic splendor.
She settled into her chair, watching the traffic crawl far below, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "The Dixon Group deal is practically signed. He came with me today—they wouldn't dare refuse. How's the team recruitment going?"
Her assistant kept her head down. "We've offered substantial compensation packages with generous terms, but they're demanding equity."
Yvaine scoffed. "Who do they think they are? They're employees. Hired hands. Equity? Not a chance. Find a way to lure them over first—make promises, tell them they'll get whatever they want once the project delivers."
Her secretary shifted uncomfortably, opened her mouth, hesitated, then finally spoke.
"The thing is... these people are proud. They've made it clear—unless every condition is written into a binding contract upfront, they won't move."
The AI sector was a gold mine, and top-tier talent was scarce.
Everyone in the industry was watching. Countless companies were circling, trying to poach the same people—openly and behind closed doors.
More importantly, many of these engineers were Finnian and Octavia's college classmates.
They'd been with the company for years. They'd built something from nothing. Loyalty ran deep. They were waiting for the company to level up so their stock options would skyrocket.
Asking them to abandon ship now—to walk away from years of work, restart from zero, and leave behind projects they'd poured their souls into—no one would make that decision lightly.
Empty promises wouldn't cut it. Only real, tangible incentives stood a chance.