The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

The police left.

Leila Jennings and Professor Cheney went to lunch with the other members of the project team. Representatives from the other companies were on the same floor.

The bidding would open at two in the afternoon, and everyone was waiting.

But more than who would win the bid, everyone’s thoughts were still on the affair between President Sinclair of Stellaxis Technologies and Sarah Lynch.

Whether it was the leaked secrets or President Sinclair’s extramarital affair, the impact of the incident was immense.

Stellaxis Technologies was about to take a heavy blow, and even Forrester would likely be shaken by the fallout.

Now it all depended on how Forrester would handle it.

This incident also gave them a clearer understanding of Nathaniel Cole’s ruthlessness. He either didn’t make a move, or when he did, it was to deliver a fatal blow.

The looks everyone gave Nathaniel Cole were now a mixture of respect and fear.

Everywhere Nathaniel Cole went, he was met with a chorus of "President Cole."

He passed by, poised and unruffed, without responding to anyone, until his gaze fell upon Leila Jennings sitting in the crowd. Only then did he pause.

Zachary’s eyes followed his.

’Miss Jennings isn’t just here, she’s surrounded by colleagues. I saw one of them at the cocktail party. Clearly, Miss Jennings is no ordinary person.’

’President Cole must have suspected this long ago. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so calm when he saw her downstairs this morning, and he didn’t force her to take the same elevator as him.’

"President Cole, our table is up ahead," Zachary reminded him. ’Don’t keep staring, President Cole. You don’t want to end up like Sarah Lynch and bring harm to the one you care about.’

Nathaniel Cole naturally understood this. He withdrew his gaze and walked forward.

Just then, Leila Jennings looked up and happened to see the side of Nathaniel Cole’s face as he turned away.

She quickly averted her eyes.

Leila Jennings received a voice message from Cherry Cole.

"Leila, what are you up to? Did you see the news today? My brother is bidding for the proprietary chip project spearheaded by Mr. Thorne! My whole family is watching, and it’s making me a little nervous."

"I don’t know if my brother will win the bid, but we’ll find out from the news this afternoon. The official media will report on it."

"Actually, I’m also really excited to find out who’s taking over the project now that Mr. Thorne has stepped away. Can you imagine how brilliant the person in charge must be? I tried to get some info at the last cocktail party but came up empty. This time, I have to see who it is!"

Leila converted the voice message to text. Just by reading the words, she could picture how nervous and excited Cherry Cole was on the other end of the line.

She typed: [I saw. And then?]

Cherry: "I’ll go pester them, throw money at them, and get them to make a custom chip for my bionic robot!"

Leila smiled faintly. [I’m busy now. I’ll talk to you later.]

She put her phone away and finished her lunch.

The time reached two o’clock.

The media had also arrived.

Everyone following the event was sitting in front of their screens, waiting for the thrilling moment.

The various companies in the industry, as well as the Cole Family, the Sinclair Family, and others.

The Cole Family was waiting for Nathaniel Cole to appear on camera, while the Sinclair Family was waiting for Sean Sinclair and Sarah Lynch. An appearance would mean they had won the bid.

But there was a delay in the media broadcast.

While those outside were still waiting, the research institute’s director had already announced the winning company.

"Congratulations, to the Cole Group."

As the resonant voice faded, the other companies first sighed in disappointment, then turned to look at the Cole Group with envy.

The employees of the Lantech R&D Center couldn’t help but cheer loudly. Even Zachary, who was always calm and smiling, broke into a huge grin, pumping a fist and exclaiming joyfully, "Yes! We got it!"

Everyone from the Cole Group and Lantech was beaming, unable to hide their excitement. Some even stood up to bump fists.

Professor Cheney clapped his hands.

The applause began to swell.

Thunderous applause erupted.

As the head of the Cole Group, Nathaniel Cole sat calmly amidst the crowd, surrounded by cheers and applause.

The man nodded once, then raised his hands and began to clap lightly, slowly, and rhythmically, congratulating his company and himself.

Composed and dignified.

Nathaniel Cole’s peripheral vision once again locked onto where Leila Jennings was seated. He lifted his gaze and looked diagonally ahead.

Leila happened to look up at that moment, and their eyes met across the crowd, clashing gently.

Leila’s lips curved into a slight smile.

’Congratulations.’

Nathaniel Cole’s eyebrow twitched upward.

’The pleasure is mutual.’

A contract signing ceremony would be held there at three o’clock, and the research institute cordially invited the representatives from all the major companies to stay and observe.

Nathaniel Cole looked at Zachary, instructing him to have everyone check their attire and their pens, and to review the procedure once more to ensure there would be no mistakes during the signing ceremony—not even the smallest one.

Professor Cheney’s side was also busy checking the contracts and pens, while confirming the procedure with Leila and the others.

"After the signing ceremony, there’s an awards ceremony for you all. They’ll be presenting the corresponding honors and bonuses. It’s also here, which is convenient since the media is already present."

Professor Cheney looked at Leila. "The media won’t ask too much during the signing ceremony, but they probably will at the awards ceremony, and they might even touch on your personal life. Leila, you need to be prepared. But they won’t ask anything too outrageous. Answer what you want to answer, and don’t answer what you don’t. You’re a national hero now; the media won’t want to get on your bad side."

Leila nodded, then pursed her lips and asked, "Where’s the water?"

Professor Cheney suddenly chuckled. "Nervous?"

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t. Leila nodded.

Chloe smiled too and stood up. "I’ll get her some water."

Leila drank one glass of water after another, to the point where she had to keep going to the restroom.

Nathaniel Cole noticed.

"President Cole, would you like to check it over one more time?"

"I’m going to the restroom."

Nathaniel Cole stood up and walked toward the restroom.

When Leila came out of the stall, she ran into Nathaniel Cole at the sinks. The man was bent over, washing his hands, but his eyes were fixed on the mirror above the counter.

Their eyes met in the mirror’s reflection.

"President Cole." Leila walked up beside him and put her hands under the faucet, letting the cold water run over her palms.

Nathaniel Cole finished washing his hands and straightened up. He watched her leisurely, not speaking for a long moment. Instead, he held out a tin of mints.

Leila stared at the metal tin in his hand, also silent.

Nathaniel Cole had no choice but to speak.

"They’re not poisoned."

"They’ll help you focus."

Of course, Leila knew they weren’t poisoned, but she didn’t understand why he was suddenly offering her mints.

Before she could reach out to take one, Nathaniel Cole seemed to grow impatient. He opened the tin, popped a mint into his own mouth, then took out another and moved closer to her.

He pressed the mint against her lips.

"Open up," the man’s voice was commanding, leaving no room for argument.

As if bewitched, Leila opened her mouth, and a cool flavor spread through it.

Satisfied, Nathaniel Cole left.

Leila chewed on the mint, making a loud CRUNCH CRUNCH sound. The cool flavor intensified.

A shiver ran through her.

’These mints really do wake you up.’

Meanwhile, at the police station, Sarah Lynch could no longer sit still. "Have you finished your investigation or not?" she demanded. "I’m in a hurry to get back for the signing ceremony!"

"Sarah Lynch, you’ve been kicked off the project team. The signing ceremony has nothing to do with you, and neither does this project."

"What?!" Sarah Lynch slammed her hands on the table, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

"Don’t get agitated. Whether you were on this project or not, you were never going to be the one signing."

In the next interrogation room, Sean Sinclair asked, "Who won the bid?"

Under the spotlights and media cameras.

Nathaniel Cole and Leila Jennings sat facing each other. They lowered their heads to sign their names on the contract, then passed it to the other to continue signing.

The signing was complete.

Both parties stood and shook hands.

Nathaniel Cole: "A pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Jennings."

Leila Jennings: "A pleasure doing business with you, President Cole."

They faced the cameras. With a CLICK, their picture was instantly splashed across the headlines of every major media outlet.

At that moment, Leila Jennings’s identity was completely revealed.