Chapter 11

Chapter 11. The night was getting late, but the tension had not subsided. In a small workspace, Adrian stood staring at his laptop screen. Displayed there was a very valuable project proposal. A cross-border collaboration that would elevate Vale Group to a higher level. Those numbers usually made his blood rush. Power, influence, victory. But that night, his mind was elsewhere. His cell phone lay on the table, open to a text message he had just received from the security team: The project location is on the same route as the Vale Holdings development. High risk of friction. Adrian closed his eyes. One face appeared clearly in his mind. Nolan, with his innocent smile and unconditional hugs. He took a deep breath, then pressed the call button. "I'm rejecting this project," he said as soon as the connection was made, without any preamble. The voice on the other end of the line sounded surprised. "Adrian, this is the biggest project of the year. Everything is almost finished—" "Cancel it,"