ire sipped her wine. Gretta Robertson''s voice broke through ire''s thoughts, sweet as sugar but just as artificial.


    "How have you been, ire?" Gretta asked, her smile a touch too wide to be genuine. "I''ve heard you''ve been quite busytely."


    ire knew Gretta couldn''t care less if she was alive or dead. Still, she yed along, cing her ss down and pasting on a fake smile. "Oh, you know how it is, Gretta. Just keeping busy with work."


    Robert, Gretta''s husband, who had been mostly quiet throughout the evening, raised an eyebrow. "Busy with what, exactly? It must be something interesting if it''s keeping you busy."


    There was a glint in Robert''s eyes that ire didn''t like. He was fishing for information, clearly aware of more than he let on. But ire wasn''t about to hand him anything on a silver tter. Instead, she feigned tiredness, letting out a heavy sigh. "Honestly, Robert, it''s been a struggletely."


    Robert''s interest piqued, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Struggling with what, if you don''t mind me asking?"


    "Robots," ire said, as if that exined everything. "I''ve been trying to strike a deal with several roboticspanies, but no one seems interested. It''s driving me up the wall."


    "Robots?" Robert echoed, genuinely confused. "Why are you dealing with roboticspanies?"


    ire nodded solemnly, keeping her expression serious. "Yes, robots. I''ve reached out to fivepanies so far, but they''ve all declined my offers. It''s stressful. I just can''t figure out why they aren''t interested."


    Robert opened his mouth to probe further, but before he could get a word out, ire''s phone rang. She didn''t even nce at the caller ID she didn''t need to. This was her perfect escape. "Oh, excuse me, I need to take this," ire said, holding up her phone and standing up from the table. "Work emergency, you know how it is." She turned to Gretta, giving her a polite nod. "The food was wonderful, Gretta, really. But I must be going."


    With that, ire slipped out of the dining room, leaving Robert and Gretta behind. Once she was outside and safely inside her car, the smile dropped from her face, reced by a thin, hard line. She knew exactly what Robert was up to-trying to dig up information, hoping to catch Metacortex off guard. And if she was right, Robert would run straight to Frank with whatever little nuggets of information he could gather.


    Inside the Robertson mansion, Robert remained seated at the dining table, his thoughts a whirl. He had been so sure the informant he hired had given him solid leads on ire''s activities. Yet, nothing ire had said tonight made sense. Why would Metacortex be interested in robotics all of a sudden? It just didn''t add up.


    Gretta noticed the pensive look on her husband''s face and raised an eyebrow. "Are you still thinking about what ire said?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.


    Robert nodded slowly. "I need to know what she''s up to. Frank expects results. If I don''t find a way to get Venus AMD to the top of the tech world, I''ll be out of a job. And that''s if I''m lucky."


    Gretta frowned. "This is all because of ire, isn''t it? If she hadn''t kicked you out of Metacortex, you wouldn''t be in this mess."


    Robert''s jaw tightened, and he nodded again. "Exactly. If only I''d done more digging three years ago, I could''ve found out if she was still alive. I could''ve dealt with her back then. But now, she''s the one with all the power, and it feels like she''s slowly killing me, one step at a time."


    Gretta''s eyes softened, and she reached out to squeeze his hand. "We''ll figure it out, Robert. ire isn''t invincible. Everyone has a weakness."


    Robert sighed, his eyes distant. "I just hope we find hers before it''s toote."


    Back in her car, ire let out a deep breath, finally allowing herself to rx. The evening had gone as expected Robert was still trying to y detective, and Gretta was as insincere as ever. But for now, she had managed to throw them off her trail. She picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Matthew, updating him on the evening''s events. As she waited for his response, her mind wandered back to Robert.


    If Robert thought he could beat her by snooping around, he had another thinging. ire knew he was desperate, likely under Frank''s orders to bring down


    ???


    But Robert was too


    easy to read. He thought he was ying a game of chess, but he was really just a pawn, being moved


    around by forces he didn''t fully


    understand. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Matthew''s reply buzzed on her phone, a simple thumbs-up emoji that made ire smile. Trust Matthew to keep it light, even when things are tense.


    The next day, ire and Talia were


    buzzing with excitement as they prepared for the uing fashion show. They had been nning for days, but today was special-they were going to check out the venue at Adrian''s mansion on the outskirts of London. Adrian couldn''t be there in person, unfortunately, because he had some important meeting, but he sent his secretary to apany them.


    ire and Talia hopped into the car, chatting eagerly about their ns. "I can''t believe we''re finally doing this," Talia said, her eyes sparkling. She was practically bouncing in her seat.


    ire chuckled, adjusting her sunsses as she nced out the window. "Me too...I have never been involve in a faashion show before."


    As they drove through the winding roads, the city slowly gave way to lush greenery. The trees were tall and majestic, and the sun filtered through the leaves, casting a golden glow over everything. Both women stared out the windows, taking in the scenery with wide eyes. "This ce is like a fairytale," Talia said, her voice full of awe. "I didn''t know London could look like this."


    "Neither did I," ire agreed. She felt a sense of peace wash over her as she looked at the rolling hills and distant fields. It was a wee break from the hustle and bustle of city life.


    When they finally arrived at Adrian''s mansion, they were both momentarily speechless. The mansion was massive, with elegant stone walls andrge, arched windows that reflected the sunlight. Manicured gardens surrounded the house, filled with colorful flowers and perfectly trimmed hedges.


    Talia practically squealed as they stepped out of the car. "This is perfect! I can already picture the runway right here," she said, waving her arms toward the frontwn. "And maybe some models could walk down those steps for a dramatic entrance."


    ire smiled at Talia''s enthusiasm. "Let''s take a look around," she suggested. "There''s a lot to see."


    They were greeted by Adrian''s secretary, a young woman named Lucy, who had a bright smile and a clipboard in hand. "Wee, Ms. ire, Ms. Talia," she said cheerfully. "Adrian wanted me to make sure you have everything you need. He''s sorry he couldn''t be here, but he''ll call in a bit to check in."


    "That''s fine," ire said, still looking around the property. "We''ll be able to manage. This ce is stunning."


    Lucy led them through the mansion, giving them a quick tour. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior, with high ceilings, elegant chandeliers, and tasteful artwork adorning the walls. Everything was luxurious but not overdone, with afortable, lived-in feel. Finally, they made their way to the back garden, which was even more beautiful than the front. Arge, open space stretched out before them, framed by rows of rose bushes and tall hedges. A stone pathway wound through the garden, leading to a small pond with a fountain in the center.


    Talia''s eyes lit up as she took it all in. "This is it!" she eximed.