"Our partner is none other than StarPath Technology, led by Mr. Parker, who shares our philosophy! Please welcome Mr. Zayn Parker to the stage!"

As the spotlight instantly fell on Zayn, the triumphant smile on Chase's face stiffened. He stood in the middle of the aisle like a statue.

Meanwhile, Zayn calmly got to his feet and straightened the collar of his suit. He cast me a reassuring glance before striding toward the stage.

When he passed Chase, he didn't even pause in his steps. It was as if Chase were merely an insignificant obstacle.

All eyes were drawn to the stage, as well as Chase, standing forgotten in the aisle. His complexion shifted from ghostly white to steel gray before flushing an angry red. He stared intently at me, his eyes filled with disbelief and bitter resentment.

Ashley also lost her composure. She tugged on Chase's sleeve as her lips trembled, but she failed t

That very night, Chase's company's stock prices plummeted in after-hours trading. 

Panic quickly spread, and calls bombarded his phone. The questioning from the board, the investors' angry outbursts, and the media's scrutiny left him overwhelmed.

It was only then that he realized he had lost more than the project—he had lost the company's future.

He returned to his empty office and felt the biting cold and fear for the first time. He collapsed into his chair, his eyes vacant.

Chase couldn't comprehend how things had come to this. Just a few days ago, he'd been smug about Ashley's "cost-saving" measures. He thought he had everything under control.

Just then, his phone lit up again with a news alert.

"StarPath Technology announced an exclusive partnership with Mr. Jenning. The new energy market landscape is potentially set to be rewritten."

The accompanying photo showed me, Zayn, an

Later, Zayn sent me a teasing message. "You agreed to start today, but you're already pulling a no-show. This isn't like you at all."

It wasn't until I told him I was at the hospital that he saw the thick bandages on my head for himself.

He rushed up to me with a worried look. "What happened to you?"

I took out the USB flash drive necklace I had hidden in my bag. "It's just a small injury. It's nothing serious. I'll be fine after a few days.

"This contains the full proposal for our partnership with Mr. Jenning. As you'll see, his project requires new materials every quarter, and the procurement figures will be in the millions. I've proposed providing him with customized technical support…"

Fortunately, I had a backup plan. With how much things had been going south lately, I encrypted and backed up the core files in advance. The version Ashley stole was only a draft that didn't contain any key data.

Zayn's eyes darkened as his expression grew more stern. He pressed his lips into a thin line. "Was it Chase?"

I didn't want him to know that my ex-fiance and his new assistant were pushing me around. So, I remained silent.

Zayn stayed with me in silence as I patched up my injuries. "Just focus on your recovery. I'll take care of the rest. Don't worry! As your partner, I'm going to help you get everything back."

I gave him a small nod. I had a feeling that he was a reliable person.

…

With my wrist nearly healed, it was finally time for the industry's Technology Innovation Summit.

Sure enough, Chase was also there. Standing by his side was Ashley, who was dressed in a sharp suit.

My expression remained placid while Zayn secretly clenched his fists.

I patted the back of his hand to calm him down. But the small gesture didn't escape Ashley's notice. She raised an eyebrow in provocation, voice dripping with sarcasm as she spoke.

"Impressive. You've already found yourself a new sugar daddy barely a few days after you broke up with Mr. Gibson." 

Zayn glanced at her and warned coldly, "Watch your mouth."

Hearing that, Chase's eyebrows shot up. "If you have the guts to do it, you can handle the gossip. You accused Ashley of climbing her way up through underhanded means, Willow. But I think you're the one with the dirtiest tricks."

He stared into my eyes and said flippantly, "You used to say you wanted to wait until marriage before living together. I figured you were being conservative. But it turns out you were just afraid I'd find out about your affairs. It was all to leave yourself a way out. Clever!"

Zayn had been holding back, but Chase's slanderous remarks made him lose his temper. He punched Chase in the mouth. "Shut your fucking mouth!"

Chase stumbled back, then cursed angrily. "Did you really let your sugar daddy take a swing at me, Willow? How do you two even have the guts to show up here?

"If you hadn't stolen the proposal Ashley worked out with Mr. Jenning and prevented us from contacting him, I wouldn't even be at this summit. I should instead be holding a press conference to announce the deal!"

He sounded flustered, but quickly recovered and smiled. Then, he looked at me and Zayn with contempt. It was as if he had the upper hand.

"But today, you're just here to make up the numbers! Even if we were temporarily unable to contact Mr. Jenning, his project isn't going anywhere. When they name their strategic partner at the summit, and the exclusive supplier of the new materials, who else can it be but us?"

Zayn was about to snap back, "Dream on!" when the emcee's voice rang out. They called for everyone to be seated.

The summit's host announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, today, we are here to witness an important partnership. We have signed an exclusive strategic partner for the new energy project."

Chase was so excited that he nearly jumped to his feet. He stood up triumphantly and shot us a taunting glare as he started toward the stage.

As he passed Zayn and me by, he smirked and spat out, "Pathetic!"

But what happened next stunned him.

"Our partner is none other than StarPath Technology, led by Mr. Parker, who shares our philosophy! Please welcome Mr. Zayn Parker to the stage!"

As the spotlight instantly fell on Zayn, the triumphant smile on Chase's face stiffened. He stood in the middle of the aisle like a statue.

Meanwhile, Zayn calmly got to his feet and straightened the collar of his suit. He cast me a reassuring glance before striding toward the stage.

When he passed Chase, he didn't even pause in his steps. It was as if Chase were merely an insignificant obstacle.

All eyes were drawn to the stage, as well as Chase, standing forgotten in the aisle. His complexion shifted from ghostly white to steel gray before flushing an angry red. He stared intently at me, his eyes filled with disbelief and bitter resentment.

Ashley also lost her composure. She tugged on Chase's sleeve as her lips trembled, but she failed to form a single word.

Zayn, who was on stage, began his speech. "Thank you to the summit organizers

Chapter 5