Chapter 2

"Miss Eve, hello."

I extended my hand. She gripped it lightly before letting go.

"Miss Annie is young and accomplished. Smith Medical has been very aggressive in the industry these past two years. Our Mr. Thomas has been paying close attention."

"You're too kind."

After the pleasantries ended, we got down to business.

Director Mason reported on the previously finalized cooperation framework. Eve took notes on the side, occasionally interjecting with questions. Her questions were all sharp and professional—she was definitely not just an empty-headed vase.

After forty minutes of discussion, her phone rang.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call."

She walked out of the conference room. The door didn't close completely, and her voice drifted in from the corridor:

"Diego, I'm in a meeting at Thomas Group. Yeah, the high-end medical equipment company, Annie Smith. Do you know her? You don't? Okay then, let's go taste the menu tonight. The banquet menu still isn't finalized. Okay, love you."

I kept my head down staring at the contract terms, reading word by word, but my fingertips were slightly white.

Eve returned, smiling as she sat down:

"Sorry, personal call. Let's continue."

When the meeting ended, I stood to grab my bag and leave. Eve walked me to the elevator.

"Miss Annie, may I ask something presumptuous—are you married?"

"No."

"Do you have children?"

I looked at her:

"Miss Eve, does this question relate to our cooperation?"

"No, just curious. Women powerhouses like you are mostly single."

The elevator arrived. I stepped in, unable to tell if she was asking casually or had already sensed something.

Monday, there was trouble at the company.

"Miss Annie, Thomas Group responded. They're adamant about a thirty-eight percent profit split."

Raven's expression was terrible.

"The reason given is that Mr. Thomas personally set it, and they said if we don't agree, they'll turn around and work with our competitors."

"Competitors? There are no same-tier competitors in our sector."

"They mentioned a name. Carter Medical."

I set down my pen.

Carter Medical—a company established just four months ago. The founder was our former technical director who'd jumped ship, taking three core engineers with him. Their product was still in development and hadn't even obtained market authorization.

Thomas Group was using a shell company without even a finished product to pressure me. They were bluffing.

"I thought so too, but what if they really invest? The offline channels in the East are too important to us."

I thought for a moment:

"Set up a meeting with Kane Thomas for me. I'm done dealing with intermediaries."

"Are you sure you want to meet him directly?"

"At the negotiating table, I'm Annie Smith, founder of Smith Medical. Any other identity doesn't exist."

Raven hesitated, then returned five minutes later:

"It's arranged. Wednesday afternoon, Thomas Group headquarters. Kane Thomas will see you personally."

"Good."

Wednesday, I stood in the elevator on the fifty-fourth floor of Thomas Group headquarters, taking a deep breath.

Kane Thomas. The last time I saw him was five years ago.

Back then I was still the Thomas family's adopted daughter, twenty-three years old. I didn't know how to apply sophisticated makeup, wore cotton dresses bought from Amazon. He sat on the leather sofa in the Thomas family living room, speaking to me across the coffee table:

"Annie Smith, the Thomas family doesn't need an adopted daughter who doesn't know her place, much less one who has feelings for Diego. Here's two million. Take it, sign the papers, get out of the Thomas family, and never come back."

I didn't take that two million. I left.

Only when I left, I was already carrying a small life in my belly.

Today's me wore a sharp suit with full presence, completely different from that timid girl of years past.

"Miss Annie, Mr. Thomas is waiting for you inside."

By the floor-to-ceiling windows, a man around sixty stood talking on the phone.

Kane Thomas hung up and turned around:

"Miss Annie, please sit."

His eyes held scrutiny. Five years had changed me too much. He wasn't certain, but his gaze told me he found me familiar.

"Mr. Thomas, our previous framework negotiations stalled on the profit split. I wanted to discuss it with you face to face."

"Miss Annie certainly gets straight to the point."

He sat down.

"Thirty-eight percent was my decision. I have my considerations."

"What considerations?"

"The value of Thomas Group's channels isn't just distribution—it's a complete after-sales system and technical training system. Factor in those costs, and thirty-eight percent isn't high."

"Mr. Thomas, I've done my due diligence. Seventy percent of Thomas Group's after-sales team is outsourced. A thirty-eight percent split should correspond to a mature end-to-end system, not a half-built work in progress."

He laughed:

"Very thorough homework. Cooperation requires mutual benefit. Thirty-three percent—I can additionally provide completely free training support for the first batch of equipment, saving you labor costs."

He stared at me for ten seconds:

"Miss Annie, you remind me of someone."