Semua Bab Rivals to Lovers: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Lena really did guess it right—Edith had pulled his grandmother aside so mysteriously just to find out if Alaric was currently single.Alaric helped his grandmother into the car first before walking around to get in from the other side. The cool night air slipped in briefly before being swallowed up by the warmth inside the vehicle.He held the phone he had just hung up, not putting it back into his pocket. His fingers absentmindedly brushed over the still-warm screen.Facing the car window, he let the dim interior lighting mask the unrestrained amusement tugging at the corners of his lips.Isla pressed the seat’s massage function, and a faint humming sound followed. After a whole evening of walking around, she was indeed a little tired. But she had also gathered a lot of information tonight, so her mind wasn't ready to rest just yet.She glanced at Alaric. "Do you know why Edith pulled me aside? She was all worked up, saying, 'Why didn’t you tell me earlier that he’s this good-looking

"Oh my god, did you guys see that huge bouquet of roses this morning? It was bigger than half my body—like someone was trying to open a flower shop in the office!"Winfield, one of the front desk staff, animatedly described the scene to his coworkers in the company cafeteria.Another colleague chimed in, "Yes! I was in the elevator with Iris when she was carrying it up to Lena’s office. It was gorgeous, completely over the top, just stunning!"The others, who hadn’t been lucky enough to see it, grew even more curious.Colleague B: "Who on earth would go to such lengths? I bet it’s Mr. Jones from that landscape design firm."Colleague C:

"Claire?"Lena recognized the woman instantly—it was her old seatmate from middle school.She stood up and reached out her hand. "It’s been so long! I thought you’d moved abroad for work and weren’t coming back.""I actually came back two years ago, but I lost all my old contacts, so I couldn’t reach anyone." Claire’s voice carried a mix of excitement and nostalgia. "I never expected to run into the two most brilliant from our class right here!"Alaric shook her hand as well, and it clicked—Claire had been in their class during their last two years of high school. Back then, she and Lena had been inseparable, but after graduation, she had seemingly disappeared. Now he remembered—she had moved overseas after finishing school.

Alaric hadn’t expected to run into his former blind date under these circumstances.Emma extended her hand for a brief but polite handshake, her demeanor poised and composed."It’s been a while," she said with a small smile. "I hope you don’t mind me coming along with Mr. Ridley today—I made the call myself."Today’s meeting had originally been scheduled as a one-on-one with Keaton. Alaric only found out upon arrival that Keaton had brought Emma along.Keaton lifted a hand casually. "Oh, so you two already know each other? That saves me the introduction."He smirked slightly before continuing, "Our company has recently tied our equity in the Escort Wharf project with Silver Investment Bank’

Winfield’s interest in partnering with SkyNet was driven by a specific proprietary technology—one that no other company had successfully replicated.SkyNet’s energy management system utilized big data analytics and self-learning algorithms to precisely monitor and regulate energy consumption within entire residential buildings. It could intelligently control lighting, air conditioning, and other systems, significantly improving energy efficiency.This not only drastically reduced operational costs, but also gave their project a competitive edge—the chance to become the first development certified under the government’s newly issued green building standards, making it eligible for policy subsidies.For example, in their Escort Wharf project, which included 3,500 luxury residential units,