After a brief round of banter, the project team members settled back into their work.

Vesta knew today was the PrimeStar investment conference. However, due to her busy schedule, she hadn’t had a chance to go online and catch any of it.

Picking up her phone, she searched for the PrimeStar conference from this morning. She turned to Dalton and asked, “Did Mr. Ramirez attend PrimeStar’s conference this morning?” “Yeah,” Dalton replied.

Vesta watched the PrimeStar conference video intently, and soon the segment where Charlene introduced PrimeStar’s products and technology appeared on the screen.

Dalton glanced at Vesta’s expression. She appeared calm, showing no hint of dislike or disdain towards Charlene. He recalled how Charlene had been openly hostile toward Vesta during the Christmas party. Seeing Vesta now, Dalton thought Charlene couldn’t hold a candle to Vesta’s composure and grace.

Just as Dalton was about to comment, Edwin chimed in, “I caught a bit of PrimeStar’s conference too. Gotta admit, their tech is pretty impressive.”

“It is,” Vesta agreed.

Dalton, not being a tech expert himself, was aware enough to know that PrimeStar’s technology was indeed formidable.

As Vesta scrolled to the part where Stewart gave his speech, Dalton commented, “With Ms. Hawkins at Neural Nexus Tech, there’s no saying they won’t develop something even more advanced in the future.” Vesta smiled softly and said, “You’re flattering me, Mr. Ramirez. Compared to Mr. Ferguson, I’m still a long way

off.”

Dalton assumed she was being modest. “No need for humility, Ms. Hawkins-”

“It’s not humility,” Vesta interrupted. “Learning from Mr. Kenton has always been my dream. I met him a while back, but I haven’t reached the level where he’d take me on as a student.” besta’s honesty was refreshing.

alton appreciated her candid nature and ambition even more. It became clear that Vesta’s interest in Stewart esn’t just due to his achievements in Al, but also because he was Kenton’s protégé. Keep working at it, and I’m sure you’ll get there,” Dalton encouraged. “With your skills, Ms. Hawkins, you’ll achieve your goals one day.”

Vesta smiled but didn’t respond. Just then, Thorne entered the room. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Ramirez.”

Dalton stood up. “No worries, Mr. Henderson. I was early.”

After a few polite exchanges, Thorne smiled at Vesta and then headed upstairs with Dalton to discuss

business.

As Vesta watched them leave, she was about to dive back into her work when her phone rang. It was Henley calling.

Henley and the others had also tuned into the PrimeStar conference. The event had certainly made quite an impact.

Thinking about PrimeStar’s two major projects, Henley was getting anxious. Those projects were projected to generate billions in revenue. It was a game-changer.

The Hawkins family had their own tech company, but without key technological breakthroughs, their products lacked market competitiveness. For years, they’d been hemorrhaging money just to keep afloat. 1/2

If losing money led to eventual success, it might be worth it. But years had passed with no progress. Each day that dragged on meant more money down the drain, and Henley couldn’t help but worry. Calling Vesta, he hoped she might have some ideas. Thorne had been mentoring her, after all.

Henley was curious if, with the experience she had gained, Vesta might finally catch Kenton’s attention.