Chapter 299

Chapter 299

Margaret's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable tone of command.

The man froze. "Ms. Kennedy, this..."

"He's not here. I'm taking over."

Margaret pushed herself up from the bed, the movement difficult, but her gaze unwavering. "The Ark is gone, but I've already sent out all of Ebon Stark's research data. Now, countless vultures will swoop in, wanting to tear apart the Neville Group's achievements in new energy. What Richard died protecting—I won't let anyone steal it."

She looked out the window.

This city was Richard's business empire, built with his own hands. He once stood at the pinnacle, looking down on the world below. Now he was gone. And she would take his place, guarding what he'd left behind.

The man watched her—from initial bewilderment to shock, and finally to a complex kind of admiration. He nodded firmly. "Yes, I'll handle it right away."

After he left, the hospital room fell quiet again.

Margaret threw off the covers and walked barefoot to the massive floor-to-ceiling window. The glass reflected her pale, gaunt face. She raised her hand, gently pressing it against her heart.

Something felt hollow there. As if Richard had carved it out with his own flesh and blood, taking it with him into that steel tomb.

Her heart ached. The pain was so sharp that every breath felt like inhaling glass shards.

But she couldn't fall apart.

She remembered Richard's final moments before he crashed into Ebon—those bloodshot eyes filled with madness and determination, but also something else she hadn't had time to understand... a kind of trust.

When he pushed her toward safety, it wasn't just to keep her alive. He'd pushed his entire world onto her—his responsibilities, his dreams, everything he'd never had the chance to say.

Margaret pulled out her phone and dialed a number that had been gathering dust.

The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up.

"It's me."

After a moment of silence, a lazy, irreverent male voice came through: "Well, well. Margaret, finally remembered your poor friend stranded in St. Alder Bay?"

Fiona.

"I need you to do something for me." Margaret ignored his teasing, her voice eerily calm.

Fiona seemed to sense something was wrong and dropped the casual tone. "What happened?"

"Help me assemble the world's best deep-sea salvage team. The best equipment, the best people. No expense spared, whatever it takes."

"Salvage? What are you trying to recover?"

Margaret stared at the bustling world outside, speaking each word clearly: "A person. I want to find him. If he's alive, I need to see him. If he's dead... I need to see the body."

...

One year later.

Under the night sky, the city was blanketed by an invisible energy grid. From the towering financial district to corner convenience stores, every light burned brighter and more steadily than ever before.

"Congratulations, Ms. Kennedy."

Fiona's lazy voice drifted through the phone. "The final piece of the Starlink system—New Australia's energy grid integration is complete. As of today, you're officially the woman who rewrote the world's energy landscape. How's it feel? Want to come to St. Alder Bay for a celebration? I'll rent out the whole place."

Margaret stood in the CEO's office on the top floor of the Neville Group building. Beyond the massive windows, the city sparkled with flowing lights.

"No need." Her voice remained calm. "We can't let up on data monitoring and maintenance. Have the Africa division keep a close watch."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty." Fiona drawled. "Workaholic. It's been a year, and you haven't taken a single day off. If Richard knew you'd built his little empire into what it is now, I wonder if he'd cry or laugh."

At the mention of that name, Margaret's breathing hitched almost imperceptibly.

She didn't answer the question, simply saying coolly, "I have another meeting. Talk later."

"Hey, Mar—"

She ended the call decisively and set the phone on her desk.

In the vast office, she was completely alone.

A year ago, the Neville Group had teetered on the edge of collapse after Richard's "death" and the massive investment in the Ark project. The board was in chaos, external capital circled like sharks, and everyone expected the business empire to crumble.

But she, Margaret, had changed everything.

Using Richard's highest-level access codes, she'd seized control with an iron fist. She sold off all non-core real estate and entertainment assets, pouring every dollar and resource into what everyone else called the insane fantasy of the "Starlink" project.

She worked around the clock, pushing herself with almost masochistic intensity, transforming herself into Richard's shadow. The same cold decisiveness, the same obsessive madness.

Countless late nights, she'd pored over the research data transmitted from the Ark—massive, overwhelming files that she slowly, painstakingly turned into reality.

She'd succeeded.

The Starlink system, Richard's ambition once hidden beneath the ocean depths, now spanned the globe, providing clean, efficient energy to all of human civilization. The Neville Group's stock price had increased tenfold, making it the undisputed giant of the new energy sector.

She, Margaret, had become what the media called "the woman who changed an era," the "Energy Queen."

But only she knew that when night fell, and she stood at the pinnacle of the empire he'd built, gazing down at the world he'd transformed, the bone-deep emptiness inside her had never been filled.

The next day was the dedication ceremony for the "New Energy Era Memorial."

As the project's chief executive, Margaret naturally had to attend. She wore a sharply tailored black suit, her hair pulled back, her makeup understated but perfect. She stood before countless camera flashes and lenses, her expression serene, her gaze steady.

The mayor gave an enthusiastic speech on stage, thanking the Neville Group and Margaret for their outstanding contributions to the city.

Margaret listened quietly, but her eyes drifted past the crowd to the pristine white memorial.

To her, it wasn't a memorial at all. It was a tombstone. One she'd erected for Richard.

The whole world remembered his obsessive, mad reputation, remembered how his Ark had nearly triggered global catastrophe. She wanted this world to also remember his dreams.

When her turn came to speak, she walked to the microphone without notes, scanning the crowd below. Her voice carried clearly through the amplifiers across the entire plaza.

"Energy transitions represent the progress of civilization. What we've accomplished is simply bringing the future forward to meet you today. Thank you."

No lengthy speeches, no passionate rhetoric. Short, calm, exactly like her current style.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous applause.

She stepped down from the stage, ignoring the swarming reporters, and, under her bodyguards' escort, walked straight toward the memorial.