Chapter 44
Vousfulvia could well see right away that Autumn was sounding more vibrant lately, just as she expected—the kind of woman she admitted always possessed a resilient spirit. She explained, “Luther’s laboratory hit a major snag on their project. Their team’s been stuck on the same issue for nearly two months, and if this drags on, the costs will become unmanageable. They’ve heard about Lagi-3, which led them to me. If someone can fix it, they’re offering a one-million-dollar payout.”
She added, “I looked over the documents they sent. Lagi-X did solve something similar a few years ago, but with a three-year gap, the details don’t fully match. You know how it is with tech—even the smallest deviation can change everything. My team couldn’t crack it, but I think you might be able to.”
She paused, then reminded, “Of course, Luther’s involved because the Caldwell Group has invested in them—your ex-husband’s a mover. I figured I should be upfront about that. If that’s a dealbreaker, I totally understand.”
However, Olivia’s tone took a turn. “Then again, no one says no to that kind of money, right?”
Autumn replied, “I can’t not. I’m not that type. We did agree to get filthy rich together, remember?”
Olivia chuckled. “I know it. I’m not going to lie. The contract’s already sitting on my desk, ready for me to sign on your behalf. Naturally, it’ll go through the company’s…”
“Don’t rush it yet. Let me go through the material first. Only say yes if I’m confident I can deliver,” Autumn said. Olivia reassured her, “I’ve already told Luther not now. If you say you’re in, I’ll just tell him the situation changed. They’ve been stuck for two months anyway. They’re not going to have a sudden breakthrough in the next few days.”
“Give me a timeline,” she added.
Autumn answered, “I’ll look over everything tonight after work and get back to you by Friday.”
“I love that efficiency,” Olivia made a kissy sound on the other end. “This is why divorce is amazing, Autumn. You’re finally shining in your own field. Once your paper’s out, your value’s sky-high. You’ll have options—join me and start something new, take a high-paying offer at one of the plants, or go solo. Either way, funds will line up at your door.”
Autumn didn’t have a concrete plan for the future. Right now, and certainly never imagined she’d walk away from him. No one could say what the future held. All she cared about was finishing her research. Plans always kept up with life anyway. She never thought she’d fall for Damion,
Luther’s laboratory was developing many projects simultaneously. Project A was the most critical, and it had been divided into two teams. That day, both teams were called in for a meeting. Luther stood before them and announced, “Due to ongoing health issues, the leader of Team One has stepped down. As of today, I’m appointing Emilia as the new lead.”
The reaction from Team One was immediate and hostile. Someone snapped, “Emilia’s only been here a short while; she doesn’t even have a completed project to her name, and some of us have far more experience. So, why is she being promoted?”
Everyone in the room was a top expert. Naturally, knowledgeable people had their pride, and they also spoke bluntly. A staff member started to explain, but Emilia stepped forward instead. She calmly said, “I can solve the current issue we’re stuck on.”
She’d seeded a meeting with Olivia, and she did everything she could to get her on board. To her, this roadblock wasn’t even a real problem. Moreover, she had already discussed the athen in advance, but let out her portion to Odhia.
“If you can solve it, why haven’t we seen you present your plan? It sounds like talk, not action,” someone said.
Emilia propelled the team forward. “A key issue stalled for two months with zero progress. I understand the frustration, but that doesn’t mean others can’t solve it too, right?” Then, she turned to Luther and stated clearly, “Give me one month. I’ll lead this team through the breakthrough.”
Luther appreciated her calm and composed demeanor. Once the shouting ended, he called his office head. “Emilia, I reached out to Olivia Clements, the CEO. She had a meeting already scheduled with Olivia, but Luther had already reached out to MegaCorp.