Chapter 72

No.1

The words hung in the cold, sterilized air of the Aethel data center.

Elisa's statement about respecting marriage and family acted like a physical needle, sliding directly under Allena's ribs and piercing her lunngs.

Allena's face drained of all color, turning a sickly,ashen white. Her chest heaved. She forced her frozen facial muscles to stretch into a painful,trembling smile.

"Ms. Wilder," Allena stammered, her voice high and tight with panic. "I think... I think you might have a severe misunderstanding about me. I hold the sanctity of marriage in the highest possible regard."

Alastair let out a sudden, sharp scoff.

It wasn't a loud noise, but in the absolute quiet of the reception area, it sounded like a gunshot. The room instantly fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

He reached into the breast pocket of his shirt. He

moved with agonizing, deliberate slowness. He pulled out his sleek, black smartphone.

He unlocked the screen and tapped open a file he had received just that morning. He held it up, angling the screen so August and Allena could see it clearly.It was a detailed background report.

No.2

"Allena Mills," Alastair read aloud. He chewed on the syllables, his tone dripping with dark, intellectual mockery."Mills. That is fascinating. According to this preliminary data provided by my analysts, the primary beneficiary of the Sinclair Family Trust...does not share that surname."

The temperature in the room plummeted to absolute zero.

Allena's body violently jerked as if she had been hit by a live electrical wire. August's jaw locked so. hard the muscles in his neck bulged.

The Sinclair family was Allena's biological father's family. It was the family that had abandoned Elisa's mother. Allena's current public persona was built entirely on the name 'Mills' to hide her illegitimate origins. Alastair had just casually, brutally ripped the

floorboards out from under her entire existence.

August immediately stepped in front of Allena, his broad shoulders blocking Alastair's view of her. His dark eyes burned with aggressive, billionaire entitlement.

"Cromwell," August demanded, his voice a low,threatening rumble. "I warn you, stop right there.Allena's private affairs have absolutely zero

relevance to this project, and it is certainly not a topic you are permitted to publicly humiliate her with here. If you say another single word about her origins, the Chambers Foundation will immediately re-evaluate all of our funding to JHU."

Alastair slowly lowered his phone. He pointed the corner of the device directly at August's chest.

No.3

"Zero relevance?" Alastair repeated, his voice slicing through the air like a scalpel. "In my company, Mr.Chambers, a person's fundamental character and the truth of their origins are intimately connected. We do not build Al on a foundation of lies."

He shifted his gaze around August's shoulder, his eyes locking onto Allena with the terrifying intensity

of a predator.

"My intelligence division is quite thorough," Alastair said, his voice dropping to a freezing whisper. "And my analysts have flagged a very disturbing pattern. It seems a certain illegitimate daughter of the Sinclair family has developed a very passionate hobby for...squatting in another's nest. For intervening in other people's homes."

Allena let out a pathetic, strangled gasp. Her fingernails dug so deeply into the palms of her hands that the skin nearly broke.

"Mr. Cromwell, no!" Allena cried out, real tears of panic finally spilling over her eyelashes. "That is malicious media slander! August and I are..we are..."

"I have absolutely no interest in hearing your pathetic excuses," Alastair barked, cutting her off with brutal force. "I only want to know one thing. How can l possibly trust the clinical data of a woman who cannot even be honest about her own legal surname?"

He didn't wait for her to answer. He turned sharply to his assistant.

"Anya," Alastair ordered. "Initiate a full, unrestricted background sweep on Ms. Mills. I want every single academic publication from the last ten years. I want the raw clinical data she claims to have collected.And I want a comprehensive pull of any and all legal disputes involving her name."

No.4

Anya nodded sharply. "Right away, sir." She turned on her heel and marched toward the secure records room.

Total, suffocating panic seized Allena's throat. She couldn't breathe. She knew exactly how much water was in her "academic achievements." If a man like Alastair Cromwell dug into her past, she wouldn't just be rejected; her medical license could be revoked.

She grabbed August's sleeve, her fingers trembling violently. She looked up at him with wide, desperate eyes,begging him to fix it.

August's face was a mask of dark, boiling fury. He hated being challenged. He hated his money being ignored.

He took a heavy step forward, invadng Alastair's personal space.

"Cromwell," August said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, vibrating threat. "The Chambers Group is one of the most significant financial partners to the entire tech and medical sector in this city. I strongly suggest you afford Ms. Mills the basic respect she deserves."

Alastair stared at the billionaire. For three full seconds, the room was dead silent.

Then, Alastair threw his head back and laughed.

It wasn't a polite laugh. It was a booming, echoing roar of pure, unadulterated mockery. The sound bounced off the metal walls, completely humiliating August in front of the entire room.

No.5

"Respect?" Alastair gasped, wiping a tear of amusement from his eye. "Mr. Chambers, do you honestly believe you can purchase my respect with a checkbook?"

The laughter vanished from his face instantly. His expression hardened into solid granite.

"My company respects exactly two things:undeniable truth and raw talent," Alastair growled. He raised his hand and pointed to a sleek, framed patent

certificate on the far wall. It was for the core Aethel Al predictive engine. "My company's valuation does not rely on the pathetic charity of arrogant trust-fund children."

August's face turned a violent, mottled shade of purple. He had never, in his entire life, been spoken to like this in a professional setting. His hands curled into massive fists at his sides.

Alastair ignored him completely. He turned his terrifying gaze back to Allena.

"Furthermore," Alastair said, his voice dripping with venom. "Regarding your background check, I have one additional, mandatory requirement."

Allena swallowed hard, her throat clicking audibly in the quiet room. "What...what requirement?"

Alastair leaned forward, resting his hands on the reception desk. He looked at her like she was a disease under a microscope.

No.6

"I require a fully documented, written statement detailing the exact timeline and nature of your relationship with Mr. Chambers," Alastair demanded.

He paused, letting the weight of his words crush her.

"I need to know the exact date you inserted yourself into his life," Alastair continued, pronouncing every word with agonizing clarity. "'And, more specifically, I need it in writing whether or not he was legally married to another woman at the time of your insertion."

The demand was a lethal, public execution. It ripped away the last microscopic shred of Allena's dignity.

Allena's face flushed a dark, humiliating red. Her entire body shook. "You... you cannot humiliate me like this!" she sobbed.

"Humiliate you?" Alastair asked coldly. "I am simply protecting my institution. I refuse to allow a person who specializes in squatting in another's nest to contaminate my projects."

The phrase hit Allena like a physical blow to the stomach. She let out a loud, ugly wail, burying her face in her hands as the tears poured down her cheeks.

August couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Allena by the shoulders and pulled her firmly behind his

back. He glared at Alastair with pure, homicidal rage.

No.7

"Enough!" August roared, his voice shaking the glass partitions. "Your arrogance is absolutely sickening,Cromwell!"

Alastair didn't flinch. He stood perfectly straight, his eyes burning with righteous fury.

"Arrogance?" Alastair fired back. "Mr. Chambers, I am simply refusing to let my company become a sanctuary for filth."

He turned away from the billionaire, completely dismissing his existence. He looked at Elisa. His voice instantly softened back into a professional tone.

"Faye," Alastair said. "Show them the door. We have wasted enough oxygen on this."