The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 382

Nolan chimed in with praise. "Winona is starting to show the same brilliance you had back in the day, Mr. Harper. With a little more experience, she'll easily be able to run her own department."

Seeing his protégé complimented brought a proud gleam to Jericho's eyes. "Of course she will. As long as Winona keeps pushing forward and honing her craft, her future achievements will absolutely rival mine."

Meanwhile, Quentin Vance and Tallulah Shipley were dining at the same restaurant. As they walked in, Quentin spotted Mr. Harper. He had always deeply admired the veteran researcher, so he asked a waiter if it would be appropriate to step over and say hello. Jericho, recognizing Quentin's genuine talent, graciously agreed.

Quentin led Tallulah into the private dining room. The moment they stepped inside and saw Winona sitting there, a flash of disdain crossed both of their faces. Pretending Winona didn't exist, Quentin warmly greeted Mr. Harper. While Jericho was polite enough to Quentin, his demeanor toward Tallulah was noticeably icy.

Noticing the cold shoulder, Quentin quickly tried to bridge the gap. He formally introduced Tallulah to Jericho, laying the praise on thick regarding her supposed talent. "...I'm sure you're familiar with Locke Group's recent R&D breakthroughs, Mr. Harper. Tallulah is their Director of R&D. If she hadn't been feeling under the weather lately due to her pregnancy, Locke's innovations would undoubtedly be leading the industry in Riverton right now."

Jericho and Nolan exchanged knowing, cynical smiles. They were perfectly aware that all of Locke Group's previous successes were built on Winona's sweat and tears. Add to that the fact that Tallulah had just blatantly plagiarized Goddard Group's competition format, and they found her shamelessness utterly repulsive.

Tallulah shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sting of Jericho's continued indifference.

Trying to network, Quentin smoothly asked if they could exchange contact information. But Jericho, thoroughly unimpressed by Quentin's close association with Tallulah, shut him down with a polite but firm rejection. "You're currently working in a foreign laboratory, and adding each other on a messaging app wouldn't be appropriate right now."

Quentin instantly recalled industry rumors that Jericho's lab had recently taken on several highly classified government projects. Given his own employment overseas, he understood the need for strict boundaries and didn't push the issue.

"I completely understand," Quentin said with a polite smile. "We won't interrupt your dinner any further. Tallulah and I will head out."

Before leaving, Tallulah shot a resentful glare at Winona. It infuriated her to see Winona held in such high regard by an industry titan, enjoying private dinners with him. They were both in R&D, and Tallulah genuinely believed she was just as capable. So why did this legendary figure practically dote on Winona while treating her like dirt?

The sixth team up was one Winona had flagged early on. Their proposal was packed with innovative highlights, earning her undivided attention and prompting her most detailed inquiries of the day.

The team captain, a brilliant student named Cole Lennox, faced Winona's rigorous questioning without breaking a sweat. His answers were fluid and confident. Winona was highly impressed, realizing that his specific area of expertise was exactly what her own team was missing. She immediately started wondering if she could recruit him for Mr. Harper's lab.

Watching the stream from home, Jericho Harper was having the exact same thought. He, too, saw immense potential in Cole.

Suddenly, the viewer count in Goddard's livestream skyrocketed. Over at Locke Group, Tallulah had paid to boost her own stream onto the trending pages. The bot farms and paid trolls she'd hired flooded into Goddard's broadcast simultaneously. The chat erupted with aggressive spam, accusing Cole Lennox of plagiarizing the work and presentation of Tanner Yates, a contestant from Locke's competition.

Because the public was unaware that Goddard Group had announced their competition first, the trolls weaponized the identical formats and marketing materials, viciously tearing into Goddard.