Chapter 240 Grand Finale

Chapter 240 Grand Finale

A few days later, at the Oceancrest City International Conference Center.

OmniFront Labs was holding a press conference about their AI project. The hall was packed, with reporters' cameras forming a dense forest and flashbulbs crackling constantly.

Evelyn stood behind the podium, with the overall architecture diagram of OmniFront Labs' AI project displayed on the large screen behind her.

She wore a white blazer today with simple makeup, looking capable and composed.

Sitting in the audience were almost all the industry leaders, along with OmniFront Labs' partners.

Geraldo was also there, sitting near the edge of the third row in a dark casual jacket, his eyes fixed on the stage.

"Next, I'll introduce the application prospects of AI robots in healthcare and elderly care."

Evelyn pressed the remote, and the screen switched to the next slide.

Just then, a gunshot pierced the air.

The sound was dull and sharp, like someone had suddenly burst a huge balloon in an enclosed space.

The air in the hall instantly froze.

In a moment, screams erupted one after another, and the crowd descended into chaos.

Evelyn stood behind the podium, her body instinctively tensing, but her feet didn't move.

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping past the panicked crowd toward the direction of the gunshot.

Several men in black rushed in from the side door, holding gleaming knives, charging straight toward her.

Qiana lunged from the side, blocking Evelyn, her voice breaking: "Ms. Thomas, run!"

One of the attackers grabbed Qiana's arm and threw her aside.

Qiana fell to the ground, her knee hitting the marble floor, and she gasped in pain.

The blade gleamed coldly under the lights, slashing straight toward Evelyn.

Evelyn stepped back, her hand gripping the edge of the podium—

Suddenly, a figure charged from the side like lightning, fast as a cheetah.

Geraldo kicked the knife out of the attacker's hand. The knife flipped several times in the air and clattered to the ground.

He spun around smoothly, his arm locking around the attacker's neck, pinning him to the ground.

Another attacker lunged forward. Geraldo dodged sideways, grabbed his wrist, and twisted hard.

The attacker screamed, dropping his gun. Geraldo kicked it away, pressed his knee into the man's back, and twisted his arms behind him.

Brandon charged from the other side, punching an attacker in the face. The man's nose spurted blood, and he staggered back two steps before Brandon grabbed his collar and slammed him hard against the wall.

Calvin also pushed through the crowd, grabbed a nearby stainless steel trash can, and smashed it over an attacker's head.

The three moved extremely fast, subduing all the attackers in just a few dozen seconds.

Urgent footsteps came from the entrance.

Luke rushed in with the police, and a dozen fully armed officers quickly secured the scene, handcuffing the attackers and leading them out.

The hall was already in complete disarray.

Luke walked quickly to Evelyn, looking her up and down, his voice tight: "Are you okay?"

Evelyn looked at him, her gaze sharp as a knife.

She didn't answer his question but directly asked: "How did you know in advance that someone was coming to attack me? The police arrived so promptly—I don't believe in such coincidences."

Luke's brow furrowed, and he said nothing.

Evelyn stared at him, her voice turning cold: "You know who did this, don't you? You won't say because you're afraid I'll hold her accountable."

Luke said: "I'll handle it."

Evelyn let out a cold laugh, full of sarcasm.

She didn't look at him again and turned to Geraldo: "Help me up."

She had twisted her ankle earlier.

Geraldo walked over and extended his arm. Evelyn held onto it and walked out of the hall.

Brandon followed behind. As he passed Luke, he paused, glanced at him, said nothing, and left.

Calvin stood in place, watching Evelyn's figure disappear through the doorway, then looked at Luke's expressionless face. He walked over, grabbed his collar, and pulled him to a deserted corner in the corridor.

"It was Maggie, wasn't it?" Calvin got straight to the point.

Luke remained silent, which was as good as an admission.

Calvin released his collar, stepped back, his tone full of disappointment:

"Luke, you're being foolish. Even if it was Maggie, you can't keep protecting her after something like this. Besides, you've been protecting her for so many years—are you going to keep doing it? You're enabling evil."

He took a deep breath, his voice lowering, but every word carried weight:

"I can tell you today, no matter what choice you make, I'll always support Evelyn."

Luke looked at him, surprise in his eyes.

Calvin decided to be direct: "I like Evelyn. I have for a long time. So even if she doesn't pursue this matter, I won't let Maggie off."

He finished speaking, turned, and left, his footsteps echoing farther and farther down the empty corridor.

Luke stood in place, watching Calvin's figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

The wall lamps cast a dim yellow light on his face, half bright, half dark.

He stood there for a long time, then suddenly a slight smile curved his lips.

One wrong step leads to more wrong steps.

That night, Maggie came out the back door carrying a small suitcase.

Inside were her remaining cash and a few changes of clothes, along with several expensive gemstone necklaces Luke had given her.

She wore a dark trench coat, her hair tucked under her hat's brim, and walked quickly.

The Nguyen family's car was parked at the alley entrance. She opened the door and was about to get in when several police cars came roaring from the street corner.

Red and blue police lights flashed in the night, so blinding you couldn't keep your eyes open.

The doors opened, and a dozen fully armed police officers rushed out, surrounding her.

"Maggie, you're suspected of instigating serious violent crimes. We're placing you under arrest according to law. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can be used as evidence in court."

The suitcase slipped from Maggie's hand and fell to the ground, its contents scattering everywhere.

She didn't struggle or cry out, just stood there as the police handcuffed her.

Crying came from the alley entrance. Hannah was being supported by two female officers, Benjamin walked with his head down, also in handcuffs, and Eleanor was sobbing uncontrollably.

They were all arrested for harboring a criminal, tax evasion, kidnapping and illegal detention, and other economic crimes.

Police cars drove away one after another, the sirens gradually fading, and the alley returned to quiet.

The streetlights still shone, illuminating the scattered gemstone necklaces on the ground, glinting faintly in the night.

A few days later, Evelyn sat in her office.

Qiana read her that day's news headlines—

"Nguyen Tech Group Chairman Benjamin and several executives arrested for multiple economic crimes."

"BlueSky Biotech's actual controller, Maggie, was criminally detained for suspected serious violent crimes."

After listening, Evelyn's face showed no expression.

"Got it." She lowered her head and continued reading documents.

Three years later.

Standing on the top floor of OmniFront Labs' new building, Evelyn sat in her office chair, holding a glass of red wine, looking down at the city below.

Over the past three years, OmniFront Labs' market value had increased more than tenfold, and Evelyn had become Eldoria's youngest and richest person.

The TV interview was scheduled for ten in the morning.

Evelyn wore a navy blue blazer and sat in the studio, facing the camera and answering the host's questions.

The host asked how she had made OmniFront Labs an industry leader in just a few years.

Evelyn smiled: "Focus on technology, respect the market, trust the team."

The host then asked what the biggest difficulty she encountered during her entrepreneurial journey was.

Evelyn looked at the camera, her eyes determined: "There are no real difficulties. Difficulties are meant to be solved."

Applause filled the studio.

After the interview, Evelyn returned to OmniFront Labs.

She pushed open her office door, and the scent of flowers rushed toward her.

The office was filled with flowers and greeting cards, colorful and nearly filling the entire room.

Qiana followed behind, saying with a smile: "These all arrived this morning."

"Mr. Robinson and Mr. Anderson sent theirs early, along with small gifts."

"But my favorite is still what Mr. McGinnis sent—every year his roses are the most beautiful and biggest."

Evelyn looked at them one by one.

Besides those from Geraldo and the others, several business partners had also sent flowers, all congratulating her on becoming the richest woman.

Evelyn's gaze swept over the bouquets like passing a row of trees on the street, feeling nothing.

She placed her bag on the desk and said: "Distribute the flowers to the staff. The office can't hold them all."

Qiana nodded: "Okay."

Evelyn sat down behind her desk, opened the documents in front of her, and continued reading.

Sunlight from outside streamed in, falling on her profile, highlighting her defined features.

She lowered her head, her pen moving across the paper with soft, delicate scratching sounds.

She still had much to do.

Because she still had a long road ahead.

Those flowers, those gifts—they were just decorations along the way.

(The End)