Chapter 544:

Alicia’s gaze sharpened. “Caden doesn’t sign your paychecks. Why fear him?”

“That’s true, but you’re aware of his reputation…” Several others exchanged nervous glances. Caden had a volatile reputation in Warrington, acquiring businesses on a whim and behaving erratically. Upon his return, he swiftly acquired several prominent companies, treating business ventures and stock purchases as mere amusements, driven by a reckless disregard for reason. Everyone knew about his relationship with Alicia; it seemed clear he was targeting Blake out of jealousy, determined to eliminate his competition. They knew better than to meddle in his personal matters—anyone who tried would risk disaster.

Knowing Caden's nature well, Alicia didn't want to add pressure to those caught in the crossfire, so she left, frustrated. Her assistant caught up, speaking in a low voice. “Ms. Bennett, you’ll likely need to discuss this directly with Mr. Ward. If you resist, he’ll only escalate things.”

Alicia clenched her jaw, irritation bubbling up. It wasn’t about shielding Blake; it was Caden acting like a child. How could someone his age still be pulling stunts like this? With that energy, why not focus on more critical issues, like dealing with Yolanda? Her anger mounted. “Discuss? I’m not discussing anything with him!”

The assistant sighed. Why were they both acting like children?

Meanwhile, Caden hadn’t returned to his office, avoiding his work for fear his frustration would impact his decisions. Corey’s issue still simmered, so he met with Mayson Herrera, a client who had purchased his Q Robot, to investigate the problem. Mayson, a retired official, had bought the robot out of curiosity but was disappointed by its malfunctions.

“It’s not just mine; the other robots have similar issues. It looks like a total failure. Let’s see if Corey can fix this mess,” Mayson said.

Caden discovered the root of the problem lay in the very section Alicia had revised. She had made substantial improvements, optimizing the robot’s functionality and enhancing the original design. However, after Corey took over, he added his own modifications, creating unforeseen issues and eventually leading to the project’s swift rejection. Corey’s skills should have been sufficient to resolve the problems. The simplest fix would be to revert to Caden’s original version, removing Alicia’s enhancements. So, why had no one suggested that yet? The problem had come to light days ago, and stakeholders were losing patience. Negative reviews were piling up online, and still, Corey was nowhere to be found. Was he even attempting a solution?

Caden shot a glance at Mayson. “Has Corey not reached out to you individually?”