Chapter 146: They're the Perfect Power Couple
Kicked out of Sophia's office, the two men locked eyes for a split second before both sneered in disgust.
Liam spun on his heel and stalked off. Bruce headed straight for the lounge to find Evelyn.
Inside, Evelyn was chatting with Tony, the assistant, learning more about Vertex Innovations Group's internal policies and employee benefits.
For instance, the company cafeteria offered a wide variety of cuisine. Sophia had personally recruited chefs from upscale restaurants—four-star and five-star establishments. All employees ate for free with their work badges.
Beyond the cafeteria, each department was entitled to weekly afternoon tea breaks, monthly team-building activities, and an annual company trip—all expenses fully covered. The company enforced a strict eight-hour workday with weekends off. Overtime was completely voluntary, and those who chose to work extra hours received triple pay.
The company firmly opposed requiring female employees to attend business dinners or drinking events to close deals. HR was forbidden from discriminating based on personality during recruitment. Marriage leave and maternity leave were approved unconditionally, with guaranteed job security upon return.
Vertex Innovations Group had set the gold standard for protecting women's rights in the workplace. The benefits package was exceptional, which translated into remarkably high employee productivity.
Many employees openly said they weren't working for the company or for the boss—they were working for themselves.
They feared the company going under more than the boss did. After all, where else would they find benefits like these?
The work culture was exceptional. People genuinely loved their jobs. With fewer complaints and less frustration, interpersonal conflicts were rare. Each department felt less like a corporate division and more like a close-knit family.
"At first, I was terrified by Ms. Johnson's management style," Tony admitted. "I thought, 'She's way too lenient—this company's going to crash and burn.' But somehow, under this system, productivity didn't drop. If anything, people worked harder. That's how Vertex Innovations Group achieved what it has in just five years."
Tony had originally worked at Smith Group. He'd known Sophia for years, acting as her inside source within the company.
But once Vertex Innovations Group began expanding into new sectors, Sophia had recruited him as her personal assistant.
Coming to Vertex had been a revelation.
There was none of that oppressive, demanding, cutthroat corporate atmosphere. Instead, everyone was both brilliant and approachable, their unique personalities and charisma allowed to shine.
He'd never seen a company like it.
Evelyn listened, deeply moved. She'd known Sophia was successful in business—knew she had multiple ventures and substantial assets. But seeing it firsthand, hearing it from someone on the inside, was genuinely awe-inspiring. Only now did she truly understand just how remarkable a leader and entrepreneur Sophia was.
To shoulder responsibility for such a massive enterprise, Sophia must possess reserves of strength impossible to fathom. What had she lived through, at only twenty-three, to have become so mature and composed?
At this point, Tony couldn't help but add: "And Mr. Green—he's something else entirely."
"Michael?" Evelyn asked curiously. She knew Sophia and Michael had been together for years, but Sophia rarely talked about him.
"Yes." Tony nodded earnestly, admiration gleaming in his eyes. "A lot of people say Ms. Johnson built Vertex Innovations Group from nothing and turned it into one of Emerald City's top companies, while Mr. Green just inherited his family's empire with a silver spoon in his mouth. That's not true at all.
"Cloud Group used to have serious internal conflicts on the board. There were constant power struggles, and the company had been stagnant for years. After Michael rebranded it as Cloud Group and took over as chairman, he rolled out a series of reforms that crushed the infighting. He even kicked out several board members who had ulterior motives. And when Vertex Innovations Group first launched Poppy Games and hit a major financial crisis, it was Mr. Green who stepped in and saved the day."
Back then, Sophia had no experience in the gaming industry. The very first project under Poppy Games nearly collapsed. If it had failed, she would've faced $50 million in penalties.
It wouldn't just have been the end of Poppy Games—it would've dragged down Vertex Innovations Group entirely.
Michael had liquidated several of his personal properties to provide Sophia with emergency capital. He'd also leveraged his connections to help her poach the lead creative director from one of the country's most renowned game studios.
They'd restructured the entire project, reallocated resources, and brought Poppy Games back from the brink—allowing Vertex Innovations Group to survive the crisis.
Tony remembered how even Sophia, who always seemed unshakable, had looked genuinely rattled back then. Meanwhile, Michael—who could come off as impulsive—had been her anchor. Her rock.
He hadn't just thrown money at the problem. He'd guided her through it, teaching her how to handle similar crises in the future. He'd shared real experience, mentored her growth.
In that moment, Tony had genuinely thought Michael was heaven-sent. This was the kind of man who could stand beside Sophia as an equal.
Of course, Sophia was equally impressive. Even as Vertex Innovations Group diversified into multiple industries, she'd kept a tight grip on chip R&D technology. Cloud Group's product development over the past five years had relied heavily on Vertex's technical support.
Evelyn silently agreed. No one but Michael could possibly be worthy of Sophia.
Just as their conversation wound down, Bruce pushed the door open.
By sheer coincidence, Bruce was wearing a pale yellow T-shirt paired with simple black straight-leg pants—a near-perfect match for Evelyn's soft yellow sundress. Together, they looked like they were wearing couple's outfits.
Their eyes met. Both froze for half a second.
Meanwhile, Tony—completely oblivious—greeted him cheerfully. "Mr. Howard! Ms. Johnson's in her office. Mr. Stewart's here too. Can I get you some juice? Coffee?"
"No need." Bruce snapped out of it, flashing Evelyn an easy, confident grin. "Morning. It's still a bit early for lunch—want to check out a home décor store first?"
What had once been simple admiration for an idol had shifted—especially after agreeing to the fake relationship and learning so much more about him. That admiration had transformed into something else entirely.
Evelyn fought to suppress the flutter in her chest, forcing herself to sound casual. "Sure."
She knew she shouldn't let herself feel this way. Shouldn't let herself want more. But emotions weren't something logic could control.
Every time she got closer to him, her heart betrayed her.
And this—this was her first real date with Bruce.
Tony watched them leave the lounge together. A beat later, realization hit him like a freight train.
His eyes went wide.
Oh my God.
I just found out something HUGE.