Chapter 221 The Strongest Brain
Chapter 221 The Strongest Brain
In the past, whenever something like this happened, he was the first person she'd turn to.
But not anymore.
She couldn't keep running to him every time.
He'd already given her so much. If she asked again, he'd just think she was some woman who only knew how to ask for money.
She took a deep breath, closed the report, and said to her assistant, "I'll figure something out. You can go now."
The assistant hesitated, wanting to say something, but finally just nodded and left.
The office door closed.
Maggie opened her mobile banking app and checked her account balance.
One hundred and fifty million dollars.
She stared at those numbers for a few seconds, then steeled herself and transferred half to the company account.
Her phone buzzed.
She swiped down and saw it was a push notification from a news app.
"Sentience BioTech Press Conference: Evelyn Explains CGT Technology Breakthrough." Below was a photo of Evelyn wearing a black blazer, standing on stage with a determined gaze and a confident smile at the corners of her mouth.
Maggie opened the notification expressionlessly and scrolled through the comments.
[Ms. Thomas is amazing, she's a real scientist.]
[And she got her PhD at twenty, started college in her teens—now that's real genius.]
[If Sentience BioTech pulls this project off, cancer patients worldwide will be saved.]
[Why is there such a huge difference between other people's twenties and mine?]
A long string of comments, all nothing but praise.
Maggie scrolled through them one by one, faster and faster, her expression growing darker.
Finally, she exited the comments section and threw her phone heavily onto the desk.
The jealousy in her heart grew like weeds, impossible to suppress.
Why?
Why did Evelyn get everyone's recognition while she could only watch from the sidelines?
Her phone buzzed again.
It was a message from Luke.
[Calvin invited us to dinner. Are you free?]
Maggie took a deep breath, pushed down the frustration in her chest, and replied: [Yes.]
That evening, Maggie and Luke arrived at the restaurant at the same time.
Calvin had booked a private room on the second floor by the window, with a view of the plane trees lining the street, their leaves already turning yellow.
When they pushed the door open, Calvin was talking to a man beside him.
Hearing the sound, he looked up, stood, and waved them over.
"Luke, over here." Calvin greeted them with a smile, his gaze pausing briefly on Maggie's face before moving away.
Maggie walked in holding Luke's arm and sat down across from Calvin.
Luke sat beside her, draping his coat over the chair back, and asked Calvin if he'd ordered yet.
Calvin said he had, picked a few things you like, then turned to introduce the man beside him. "This is Henry Phillips, my college classmate. He just got back from abroad."
"Henry, this is Luke, the one I told you about. And this is Maggie."
Henry stood up, shook hands with Luke, and nodded to Maggie. "I've heard so much about you both."
Before the food arrived, coffee came first.
The server poured a cup for everyone and left.
Calvin picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, set it down, and turned his gaze to Luke, as if weighing his words.
"Luke, that Divorce Certificate between you and Evelyn—have you applied for it yet?"
He tried to sound casual, but the probing look in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Luke's brow furrowed slightly as he looked up at Calvin, his gaze carrying a hint of warning.
Calvin felt a bit guilty under his stare and was about to backtrack when Maggie spoke up.
"All the divorce procedures and documents have been completed."
She picked up her coffee cup, looked at Calvin with a slight smile at the corners of her mouth. "Why? What's with all these questions?"
Calvin paused, then laughed and raised his coffee cup as if toasting her.
"I'm just looking out for you. You and Luke have been together so long, you should have some official status."
Maggie laughed coldly to herself but showed nothing on her face, only saying lightly, "Well, thanks so much for that."
Then she lowered her eyes, hiding the coldness beneath.
Henry didn't join this conversation, quietly drinking his coffee.
The food arrived, and everyone picked up their utensils. The meal had truly begun.
Calvin speared a piece of beef, chewed it twice, then suddenly put down his fork, his tone becoming serious.
"Luke, did you watch Evelyn's press conference? The Sentience BioTech one?"
Henry also put down his utensils and added with some emotion, "I watched it. The CGT project is extremely difficult."
He continued, "I have relatives who researched this thing for years without success. I never expected OmniFront Labs to break through the barriers in such a short time. OmniFront Labs' stock is going to jump again."
Luke picked up a piece of fish and chewed slowly without speaking.
Calvin exclaimed, "Exactly! And you know what? I looked into it—the CGT project didn't just find a workaround. They actually broke through the technical barriers. Evelyn's employees are really something."
Henry nodded, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes lighting up.
"I'd heard of Evelyn's reputation when I was abroad. This time back, I made a point of attending her press conference, and after hearing it, I was even more impressed."
"I really didn't expect Eldoria to gain such talent. It looks like our country's medical standards and technological capabilities can rise to another level."
Maggie's grip on her fork tightened slightly.
She looked up at Henry, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Isn't that a bit much?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet private room, it was especially clear.
Everyone's eyes fell on her, and the air in the room became subtly tense.
Henry didn't seem angry, just smiled and asked back, "Does Ms. Smith have a different view?"
Maggie picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, as if trying to steady herself.
She said, "No matter how big Evelyn's company gets, it's just one point in the capital market. How could it possibly affect the country? I think the media has built her up too much for publicity."
Her tone was flat, as if she were simply stating her opinion.
Henry glanced at her, then at Luke, and smiled.
That smile was somewhat meaningful, but he still said politely, "Ms. Smith's point isn't entirely without merit."
He didn't argue further or continue the topic.
Luke frowned, put down his utensils, wiped his mouth, and spoke:
"OmniFront Labs has already applied for over a hundred patents, with more than fifty just for brain-computer interface components. Now with CGT and the SkyEye System added, their future market value will only keep rising."
He picked up his coffee cup, his expression cool.
"Currently, OmniFront Labs has a very professional research team that ranks in the top three nationwide. If they continue developing like this, they'll only develop more and more patented technologies."
He paused, then said something that made Maggie's chest tighten: "Not to mention, they have the strongest brain."
Maggie didn't respond.
She knew who Luke meant by "the strongest brain."
Her heart suddenly felt like someone was cutting it with a dull knife, the pain tearing through her.
She lowered her eyes and picked up her coffee cup.
The coffee had gone cold, its bitterness spreading across her tongue.
She forced a smile, keeping her voice as steady as possible: "I didn't realize Evelyn was so capable. Looks like I'll need to learn more from her in the future."