**Chapter 38** Avery peered at Elliot with an icy glare as she adjusted her house slippers, her heart racing with unvoiced frustrations. “What I meant was, how are you supposed to buy me those designer dresses and shoes if you don’t work harder to earn more money?” She felt the weight of her words hanging in the air, each syllable laced with an unexpected challenge. Elliot’s eyes narrowed, the edges of his lips curling into a sardonic smirk. “Poor you,” he hissed, dismissing her entirely before stepping into the elevator, the doors sliding shut with a finality that felt almost mocking. As she stood there, silently swallowing the burning urge to criticize his lavish lifestyle, anger bubbled within her. But the moment passed, and Avery retreated to her room, shedding her elegant gown with a sigh. She stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade down, its soothing embrace dulling her senses, trying to wash away the tumult of the evening before. With dawn breaking the next day, Avery was the first to arrive at Tate Industries. The morning was brisk, the air electric with anticipation. At precisely 10 a.m., she found herself surrounded by a room bursting to the seams with eager employees, their faces reflecting a mix of concern and curiosity. “Good morning, everyone,” she began, her voice steady yet charged with an underlying tension. “My name is Avery Tate. I called this meeting today because I was abducted last night.” As the words left her lips, she scanned the room, noting the expressions of shock ripple through the crowd. “Seriously?! Are you okay, Avery?” a voice broke through the stunned silence. “I’m fine,” she replied, her tone now calmer as she pivoted the conversation. “But we need to address some pressing matters. Our company’s future is in jeopardy. Investors are lost to us, and the few who show interest are only after a bargain. What they’re offering wouldn’t even touch our current debts.” A murmur of unease washed over the room until suddenly, a voice rang out, full of urgency. “We can launch our Super Brain program! Let’s arrange a press conference—it’ll draw investors like bees to honey!” The proposal ignited a fervent wave of agreement, a chorus of hopeful murmurs filling the space. Avery raised a hand to quell the excitement, her expression darkening. “My father would never agree to sell the company. I trust you all understand that. Moreover, the system isn’t fully operational yet. It’s not nearly as valuable as you think.” “Then what are we going to do?” a frustrated voice shot back. “Are we really just going to let the company go down in flames?” “If we cannot secure stable funding soon, that’s exactly the path we’re headed down,” Avery replied grimly, her heart heavy with the weight of their reality. The tension escalated as Shaun, unable to contain himself, slammed his palm onto the table. “You just want to hoard Super Brain for yourself! Your father wasn’t the only one who toiled for it!” Avery met his fiery gaze with cold defiance. “Mr. Shaun, since you seem to think the program’s success is tied to our collective effort, why don’t you assemble a new team to develop your own Super Brain? If you manage to achieve that, then I wouldn’t oppose your attempt to sell it to save the company.” Shaun’s face reddened with indignation, fury simmering in his eyes. It was no secret that her father, Jack, had been the mastermind behind the project. Without him, recreating it was nothing more than a dream. “You say you’re doing this for your father, yet you’ve secretly handed his life’s work over to an outsider…” Shaun seethed, anger rippling through his words. Avery’s eyes narrowed, her voice cutting through his fury like a knife. “So, it was you who abducted me last night, Mr. Shaun?” The accusation hung in the air, a pulse-point of tension. His eyes widened in horror, the realization washing over him. “If you’re willing to cling to the company in hopes of a massive profit, you may want to reconsider. With our current debts, there’s no way out,” she declared, her eyes sweeping the room. “Anyone who aligns with Mr. Locklyn—consider this your notice. Your final wages can be settled today.” With that, Shaun and two of his allies from the research and development team stormed out, their whispers of dissent lingering like a dark cloud. “Did you see that? Avery Tate may appear gentle and quiet, but she’s ferocious!” “Did you hear her? She said she handed everything over to Cole Foster… But can we trust her? She might still be hiding something!” “Let’s track down Cole Foster first!” As murmurs filled the air, Avery stepped out of Tate Industries, her mind swirling with the whirlwind of the meeting. At noon, she met her friend Tammy at a restaurant, a welcome escape from the chaos of the corporate world. “It’s so difficult to catch you these days, Avery! We hardly see each other anymore!” Tammy lamented, her voice tinged with concern. “Are you still struggling to find investors for your dad’s company?” Avery couldn’t help but feel the weight of the world pressing down on her. Each conversation seemed to compound her struggles, but she was determined to rise above the challenge and fight for her father’s legacy.