Chapter 415
Professor Hancock’s assistant had no idea that, just like Stewart, Charlene was also one of Kenton’s students.
When Professor Hancock commented that Stewart was the real beneficiary of being paired with Charlene, Stewart spoke up. “Last night, during an interview, Mr. Ferguson mentioned that as Mr. Wagner’s student, he was always held to incredibly high standards. Mr. Wagner constantly pushed him to keep up with the latest developments in the field, and made sure he thoroughly understood every technical breakthrough. Whenever he hit a wall, Mr. Wagner would help fill in the gaps.”
“Ms. Ross is quite talented herself, and now that she’s working with Mr. Ferguson, she also gets his guidance. That means she’ll probably advance even faster.”
“So, really, being with Mr. Ferguson is a great opportunity for Ms. Ross.”
That much was true.
But…
One of the doctoral candidates Professor Mack had brought along paused at this point. “If that’s the case, then the views Ms. Ross just presented are actually a synthesis of Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Wagner’s research?”
In other words, Charlene wasn’t quite as brilliant as they’d thought.
Although Professor Mack’s student didn’t say it outright, everyone in the room-including Vesta, understood what was being implied.
Realizing this, Professor Mack hesitated, a hint of disappointment flickering across his face.
He had genuinely believed Charlene was a rare, all-around genius in AI, but now…
Thorne, too, hesitated.
Noticing the reactions of Professor Mack and Thorne, Vesta’s lips curled ever so slightly.
So, what Charlene had just explained was actually a blend of Stewart and Kenton’s technical analyses. No wonder Professor Hancock and Professor Mack had mistaken her for some kind of AI prodigy.
As for Thorne, although he hadn’t openly praised Charlene the way the professors had, he’d been present when she discussed recent breakthroughs in the field. He must have been just as impressed as the others.
But now, judging by his expression, he seemed to realize that Charlene’s supposed brilliance was really just a reflection of Stewart and Kenton’s work.
In truth, Charlene probably didn’t have that level of expertise.
Professor Hancock, however, was well aware that Charlene was also one of Kenton’s students.
He’d discussed technical matters with her before, and he knew that the renowned programming language developed at PrimeStar had been spearheaded by Charlene herself.
So, her technical skills were undoubtedly formidable.
Granted, if every idea Charlene had showcased earlier was entirely her own, it would seem almost superhuman. But, given that she was Kenton’s student, it wasn’t inconceivable.
Which is why Professor Hancock genuinely believed that Charlene’s insights came from her own research.
Of course, all of this was confidential, and he couldn’t say so publicly.
So, even though he knew Thorne and the others were underestimating Charlene, Professor Hancock could only watch in silence, unable to defend her.
Charlene herself had no idea what Professor Mack and Thorne were thinking.
After leaving The Henderson Group, she returned directly to PrimeStar.
During lunch, Sunny messaged her, offering heartfelt congratulations: [Ms. Ross, I never expected you to do so well after leaving the company. Congratulations!]
Sunny still wasn’t clear on the nature of Charlene’s new collaboration with The Henderson Group, but the fact that Charlene was negotiating with them as an external partner meant she had to be in a significant position now.
Charlene replied: [Thank you. It looks like you’re doing well at The Henderson Group, too. Congratulations to you as well.]
After sending that, she added: [And by the way, your coffee this morning was delicious. Thank you.]
Sunny’s reply was both happy and a little embarrassed: [But I think your coffee is still the best, Ms. Ross. No matter how hard I try or how carefully I follow your methods, Mr. Henderson just doesn’t like mine as much. In the end, I even asked a barista friend for help, and I only barely managed to get it right after lots of practice, just to keep my job.]
Charlene and Sunny chatted a little longer before wrapping up the conversation.
That afternoon, Stewart returned from his business trip.
Later that day, their lawyer updated them: Neural Nexus Tech had already paid PrimeStar $200 million in damages, but it would take a bit longer for Vesta to come up with the remaining $100 million or so.
Stewart scoffed. “Isn’t Thorne supposed to be so generous with Vesta? He bought her a house without blinking, gave her a company, and immediately helped her land Aether Innovations as a partner after they broke their contract with us. Our settlement is just over $300 million, but it’s taken them forever to pull the funds together. Are they doing this on purpose?”
“I don’t think so,” Charlene guessed. “It’s probably that the Hawkins family doesn’t want to trouble Thorne anymore. They want to pay the penalty themselves.”
That did make sense.
Stewart clicked his tongue. Considering the Hawkins family’s resources, scraping together two or three hundred million in cash while keeping the company running isn’t exactly easy. Still, even under pressure, Vesta is insisting on paying us herself. The two of them really do care about each other.”
Charlene agreed.
Though honestly, she’d already seen the depth of their feelings back when Vesta was willing to risk her life to save Thorne, and Thorne insisted on leaving her for her own safety.