Chapter 146

Rowan cleared his throat, forcing a polite smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Ms. Alyssa, you’re exaggerating,” he said smoothly. “Our production line hit a technical bottleneck. Ethan specifically brought in an external specialist to help us break through it.” Alyssa’s gaze slid toward Sloane, cool, assessing, openly hostile. “Let’s set aside whether she’s actually a specialist,” Alyssa replied lightly. “My question is simpler.” She folded her arms. “If this goes well, who do we negotiate with? The Scott Group or her?” “And if it goes badly?” She tilted her head. “Who takes responsibility?” Rowan hesitated. “This…” he began, then stopped. The room grew quiet. Every pair of eyes turned toward Ethan. Inviting an outsider hadn’t been the first choice, it had been a last resort. The institute was cornered, the pressure unbearable, and this was the only remaining move. But today’s partners clearly hadn’t come just to observe. They’d come to challenge. Under normal circumstances, they