Chapter 347
Chapter 347:
Lance, too, had steadied himself more than before. After hearing Hutton declare that the problem couldn’t be solved, he said nothing. There was no use fighting it—he had no choice but to let it sink in. A brief silence settled over the room before Lance managed a strained smile. “Mr. Tucker, the entire department already feels incredibly honored that you graced us with your presence today p>
Emmanuel gave a solemn nod. “No matter how things turn out, we truly appreciate you coming by. The evening is drawing in, and I would be honored to host you for dinner, Mr. Tucker p>
Glancing at Dillen and Alonso, Lance said, “And I owe both of you a thank you as well. If it weren’t for you, we never would have brought Mr. Tucker here or learned anything about River. Please, both of you, join us for dinner p>
Dillen and Alonso exchanged a glance and then turned toward Hutton. But Hutton didn’t move. He stayed seated, eyes locked on the screen in front of him. With a heavy sigh, he finally said, “Letting this go isn’t something I can do. This project had p>
“Twenty billion invested in it, and so many people have given everything they had, only for it all to fall apart at the very last stage. Thinking about it hurts p>
Everyone in the room felt the weight of his words. Both Emmanuel and Lance struggled to hold back their tears. Emmanuel had pinned all of his dreams to the success of this project, while Lance had dedicated years of tireless effort, only to watch it collapse. The pain was worse than losing a limb.
Refusing to give up, Hutton continued, “But I’m not giving up. I refuse to believe there isn’t a way forward. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll take it upon myself to contact my mentor, River, for advice p>
Lance’s face brightened. “Mr. Tucker, are you really able to ask River for help p>
Hutton quietly nodded and took out his phone, sending a message to River.
Just then, Elliana’s phone began to ring.
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Elliana had intentionally turned her phone’s volume up. Even though it was just a short notification chime, the sound echoed loud enough for everyone to hear.
Hutton’s head whipped around at once, his eyes widening in shock. He immediately recognized the alert. That specific tone was one-of-a-kind, personally designed by River. If that was true, then who exactly was this flashy, overdone woman in front of him? Could she really be River? Despite being River’s protégé, Hutton had never seen her real face. For years, that unique notification sound had been his only way to verify her identity—it had been burned into his memory.
Before Hutton could fully process what he’d just heard, Lance came stomping over, frustration boiling over as he shouted, “Elliana, can you just go already p>
“Alright,” Elliana said with a shrug, her voice flat and detached. Then, she rose to her feet and quietly walked away.
That response threw Lance off balance. He couldn’t understand why the same Elliana who had refused to leave earlier was now giving in so easily.
While he stood there puzzled, Hutton had already jumped up from his seat and was hurrying after Elliana, visibly thrilled.
For a man over sixty years old, Hutton’s sudden burst of energy left the whole room stunned. They watched in disbelief as the aging scholar jogged after her. No one had a clue what was going on.
Whatever anyone thought didn’t matter to Hutton in the slightest. As soon as he caught up, he bowed his head and greeted her with full respect. “What brings you here p>