Chapter 146 Still Have to Cater to the Mistress’s Whims?

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Still Have to Cater to the Mistress’s Whims?

Longview was a company under Julian Sterling’s name. With its formidable strength and deep pockets, it possessed the capital to leave even Helios powerless to compete. They had established an independent team, giving Stella Sutton full authority over it, with all other departments instructed to fully cooperate. This setup made it seem as though they were already treating Stella like the boss’s wife.

"Longview has also made their stance clear. They said if we want to build our team, we have to negotiate with them," Peter Preston said.

Sophie Winslow understood. This was intentional retaliation. Stella wanted to reclaim every ounce of pride she had lost at Helios.

She let out a mocking laugh. "Julian Sterling invested a billion into Helios. He doesn’t care in the slightest whether this project succeeds or fails, nor does he care if his money goes down the drain. He only cares about avenging Stella’s grievances. Even their talent-poaching is overflowing with such ’affection.’"

"I’ll go negotiate. This is aimed at me," Sophie said straightforwardly. Work was work, and she knew how to keep things professional.

Peter was worried. "I’m afraid they’ll make things difficult for you."

"It’s fine. I just want to see Longview’s attitude. If we can negotiate, great. If not, Helios isn’t desperate for those two people anyway."

Sophie was a woman of action. She grabbed her bag and headed straight to the CBD. The elite talents she wanted for her team were renowned in chip manufacturing. Longview was also an expert in microchips, and her surgical robot project inevitably required this component. This trip was unavoidable.

At Longview, Sophie brought up her scheduled appointment with Mr. Walden and was escorted upstairs. Mr. Walden was Julian’s subordinate and one of the core executives responsible for Longview’s operations. He was the most suitable person to speak with regarding this matter.

Just as she stepped out of the elevator, Sophie was met head-on by a bustling crowd. And the person leading them, holding court at the center of attention, was Stella. She wore an elegant smile, her chin slightly raised—appearing approachable but actually exuding arrogance. Mr. Walden was also among the crowd.

Seeing Sophie, he immediately smiled and said, "Miss Winslow, you’re here."

Sophie nodded. "Are you busy?"

Mr. Walden waved his hand dismissively. "It’s for Miss Sutton’s new project team today. We just held a major meeting."

Sophie was, of course, aware of this. Besides, Stella’s smug triumph was practically overflowing. She looked at Mr. Walden. "Shall we have our discussion first?"

Mr. Walden was just about to nod when Stella turned to look over. "You’re here to discuss the new experts hired for the project team, right? Perfect. I’d also like to hear what Helios has to say."

Her tone was condescending, as if she held a higher rank than Mr. Walden himself. Mr. Walden couldn’t help but look at Sophie.

Sophie asked calmly, "Does Miss Sutton have full authority to meddle in Longview’s affairs? Has Julian transferred Longview under your name?" Her blunt question felt like a stinging slap to the face.

The smile faded from Stella’s lips. Without answering Sophie directly, she simply said, "I’m managing such a massive project team right now. Sophie, please correct your form of address and call me Ms. Sutton. If you can’t even grasp basic workplace etiquette, how do you expect to accomplish anything?"

It was as if she were drawing a clear line between their ranks and statuses, carrying a subtle, lofty arrogance meant to trample her. Sophie frowned.

Stella, however, assumed Sophie had lost her confidence. After all, Stella was no longer someone who needed to rely on joining another person’s project team just to pad her resume; she now had independent authority at a top-tier AI medical enterprise like Longview. Naturally, the difference between her and Sophie was like night and day. There was simply no comparison.

"As for Helios wanting to collaborate with the experts on my team, I think we should just forget it. After all, my team is made up entirely of elites. We do not accept deadbeats from partner companies who use begging tactics to build their resumes."

Sophie knew that Stella, now holding significant power, was intentionally making things difficult. She was blatantly calling Sophie that very deadbeat.

"Mr. Walden, let’s discuss our own project plan in more detail. Let’s not waste time on irrelevant people," Stella said, turning to look at him.

Mr. Walden understood her stance perfectly. She clearly had no intention of negotiating with Helios. Although he believed that establishing a deep relationship with Helios would be a win-win situation, Stella was, unfortunately, the person placed there by Mr. Sterling. She even had the potential to become the boss’s wife in the future...

For people like him, there was only one path to choose. He could only look at Sophie and say helplessly, "Miss Winslow, I might have an urgent matter to attend to on my end. How about we discuss this another day?"

At least he didn’t cause Sophie to lose face entirely.

Having witnessed Stella’s arrogant strutting today, Sophie didn’t push the issue. "Alright." She turned and left.

Her marriage to Julian had never been made public. As a result, she—the former lady of the house—now had to endure the whims of the other woman. But none of that mattered anymore.

She had come today simply to do her due diligence. With Stella currently enjoying the peak of her power, there was no way she would negotiate with Helios in good faith. Therefore, Sophie wouldn’t force it. An elite team would be ideal, but those specific individuals weren’t strictly necessary. She could still execute the project even without bringing anyone new on board.

If Stella was waiting for Helios to beg her, she was absolutely dreaming.

Shortly after Sophie left, Evan York came upstairs to check out Stella’s new office.

"I heard you went to Helios yesterday and got the cold shoulder?"

Stella merely smiled. "It’s no big deal. Helios should be begging me right now. Their team’s project is a total pipe dream; they desperately need to scramble for the best experts and elites. Now that those people are on my side, they won’t be able to hold out for long. Soon enough, they’ll come offering Helios’s Digital Chinese Medicine database in exchange for a chance to collaborate with my team’s members."

She was incredibly certain of this. She was the one holding the initiative now. When the time came, Helios would hand over the database on a silver platter, serving as a stepping stone for her own fame and success.

Evan was also aware of this situation. After some thought, he agreed that Helios would most likely bow their heads for the sake of the bigger picture. Ultimately, Stella would gain access to the Faye Digital Chinese Medicine database.

He didn’t pry any further. Instead, he handed over an invitation. "This Saturday, the York Family is hosting a medical summit. You can come if you’re interested. Philip Preston will very likely be there."

Stella’s eyes lit up. Philip Preston. Dean of Calyx, professor at Kingsford Medical University, academician at the National Academy of Somatic Medicine, and Hector Caldwell’s chief disciple. He was a connection she absolutely had to secure. Even if she couldn’t become Hector Caldwell’s student, it wasn’t impossible for her to win over Philip Preston. She might even become his student in the future and participate in scientific research alongside him.

Evan said, "An invitation will also be sent to Helios. Sophie Winslow will be there too."

Stella’s smile faded, and a sense of crisis washed over her. "Why? I thought you didn’t like her either?"