Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Simon's eyes were dark, the cigarette between his fingers nearly burned out. The slightly scorching ash fell onto his fingertips, but he didn't even notice.
He watched Teresa get into Michael's car and drive away.
After a moment, Simon closed his eyes, tossed away the cigarette butt, then suddenly slammed his fist hard against the steering wheel without warning.
The harsh honking pierced through the quiet night. Simon let out a heavy breath, almost grinding his teeth.
The person standing next to Teresa should have been him, but now he could only watch from the sidelines as she paired up with another man.
How ridiculous.
Simon closed his eyes. After a while, he took out his phone.
On the screen was a message Anna had sent that afternoon, saying she wasn't feeling well with her heart and wanted to go to the hospital, asking if he could come with her.
He'd irritably turned her down, but thinking about it now, Anna seemed to have been trying to contact him lately using all kinds of excuses.
Simon's eyes turned cold as he recalled the news his assistant had reported that morning.
Anna had actually worked at Synergy Innovations Group before.
He pressed his hand against his forehead, hiding the murky emotions in his eyes.
Whether Anna knew about Luke or not, she had to pay for everything she'd done to Daisy.
Before dealing with Luke, the bigger threat, he needed to figure out exactly what role Anna was playing in all this.
He stubbed out the cigarette, started the car, and drove away.
The next day, at the final presentation for the Horizon Group project, the atmosphere was serious.
The conference room, which could hold over a hundred people, was packed. Besides Horizon Group's evaluation panel, there were representatives from industry associations, relevant government departments, and various bidding companies.
Simon and Matthew each led their teams, sitting on opposite sides.
Teresa wore a well-fitted dark gray business suit, her makeup polished, covering up days of exhaustion.
She sat between Matthew and Michael, her gaze calmly fixed ahead. Only her slightly clasped hands resting on her lap, with palms faintly sweating, gave anything away.
After all this time preparing, now that it was finally time to present, she was still a bit nervous.
Michael turned his head, noticing her mood, and said quietly, "Relax, our proposal is already great."
Teresa nodded slightly.
The presentations went in the order drawn by lot.
The Smith Group team went first, with Simon personally leading. They showed their strengthened proposal—clear logic, solid data—earning frequent nods from the evaluation panel.
Simon was composed on stage, his sharp presence fully on display.
His gaze occasionally swept toward the Watson Group team, pausing briefly on Teresa's face, his expression complicated and hard to read.
Then it was the Watson Group's turn.
Teresa, as the main presenter, went on stage with Michael.
The huge projection screen lit up, showing the new proposal's renderings, instantly capturing everyone's attention. Teresa's voice was clear and steady as she began her explanation.
Her presentation flowed smoothly, and she handled the Q&A session with ease.
Just when it seemed like things would end perfectly, a blonde woman from the evaluation panel who had been silent the whole time—a senior expert from Horizon Group headquarters—suddenly raised her hand.
Her tone unhurried, she posed a question.
It was highly technical and touched on a bold but controversial point in the design.
More importantly, the angle of this challenge was almost identical to some of the internal discussion records that had been stolen by hackers.
Except this blonde woman's question was more specific and sharp.
A slight stir went through the conference room.
Many eyes turned to Teresa—some curious, but most scrutinizing.
Teresa's heart tightened, but her expression didn't change.
She quickly exchanged a glance with Michael, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.
The question came from the leaked materials. They really had used it!
"Thank you for raising this very important question."
Quickly steadying herself, Teresa began calmly, while signaling the operator to pull up another set of detailed drawings and data.
"We've studied the case you mentioned in depth. In fact, this was one of our design's starting points. Please look here—"
She spoke eloquently.
The blonde woman listened, and gradually her serious face showed signs of contemplation and approval.
However, as Teresa was explaining, her gaze inadvertently swept past the blonde woman to the male consultant beside her, who had been taking notes with his head down the whole time, barely noticeable.
Just as her answer deliberately diverged from the leaked discussion content, the man barely perceptibly lifted his head, his gaze meeting Teresa's for an instant.
They were extremely calm, even somewhat hollow eyes.
But in that brief second of eye contact, Teresa inexplicably felt a chill.
Beyond that, she also had a strange sense of familiarity.
She was certain she'd never seen this face before, but those eyes felt very familiar.
Michael also noticed the man, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
The Q&A session ended, and the Watson Group's presentation concluded to applause.
Overall, it was nearly perfect, especially Teresa's on-the-spot handling of that sharp question—truly impressive.
As they left the stage, Teresa said quietly to Michael, "Michael, that consultant—"
"I saw him."
Michael's voice was low. "I've already had someone look into it. Don't go anywhere alone after the presentation. Wait for me."
"Okay."
All presentations finished. Results would be announced in a week.
The crowd began to disperse.
Teresa and Michael followed Matthew toward the exit, passing by Simon's team.
Simon's gaze fell on Teresa's face, as if he wanted to say something, but Teresa had already calmly looked away, leaving while talking quietly with Michael.
Simon stood there, watching her retreating figure.
Today on stage, seeing her confident and composed under the spotlight, shining brilliantly, his emotions were complicated.
He felt a bit dazed. This woman who used to be so obedient to him was now so capable in the outside world, her abilities even matching his own.
"Mr. Smith?"
Seeing Simon suddenly stop in place, his assistant quietly reminded him.
Simon snapped back, reining in all his emotions, and said coldly, "Let's go. Also, have the people watching Anna report—what's she been up to these past few days?"
"Miss Campbell went to the hospital this morning, returned to her apartment in the afternoon, and didn't go out again."
The assistant hesitated.
"But apparently, Miss Campbell had a long private conversation with her attending physician. We couldn't hear the content. And in the hospital corridor, she seemed to run into Michael."
"Michael?"
Simon's eyes sharpened.
"What was he doing at the hospital?"
"He said he was visiting a hospitalized family friend. Just happened to be on the same floor."
Simon didn't believe in coincidences.
Could Michael be investigating Anna? His hospital visit was very likely aimed at Anna.