udia''s foot tapped nervously under the table as she red at Alexander. The empty restaurant makes the air around them more thick with tension. "It wasn''t about that " Alexander began, his tone calm but frustrated.


    "Then what was it about, huh?" udia shot back, cutting him off, her voice rising. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white as she leaned forward, eyes narrowing.


    Alexander sighed, rubbing his temple. "Look, udia, I told you before. The deal wasn''t made with me. It was with my father. Jason made the deal with him, not me. I didn''t have any say in it." udia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please. You expect me to believe that? You''ve been sitting pretty, reaping the benefits, while Solstice gets crumbs. You didn''t notice anything was wrong?"


    Alexander sat up straighter, fixing his gaze on her. "I didn''t take over the wine project. I wasn''t even involved. No one told me about the continuation of the deal. I haven''t received a single document to sign, not here, not there, nothing." His voice grew firmer as he spoke, frustration creeping in. "And as for you taking over the vineyard? I had no idea. My secretary didn''t inform me. How could I know something I wasn''t told about?"


    udia crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Convenient excuse, don''t you think? me it on the secretary."


    "me?" Alexander let out a sharpugh. "I''m not ming anyone, I''m telling you the truth. If I had known, I would''ve dealt with it. But I didn''t." He leaned back in his chair, still holding her gaze. "This isn''t on me." udia''s lips curled into a bitter smile. "Right. You expect me to just take your word for it?"


    Alexander leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as his face inched closer to hers. "No," he said, his voice low and firm. "If you don''t believe me, talk to my father. Ask him yourself. He''s the one who made the deal with Jason." udia''s eyes widened, momentarily caught off guard by how close he was. But she quickly masked her surprise with a scoff. "I''m supposed to call up your father and ask why yourpany is ripping mine off? Real professional, Alexander."


    He smirked. "You''ve got a better idea? If you want answers, that''s where you''ll get them. And when you do," he said, standing up abruptly, "you owe me an apology. And ire Peterson, too."


    udia frowned, her eyes narrowing as she watched him rise from his seat. "ire? What does she have to do with this?"


    "She''s been dragged into this mess just like me," Alexander said, his tone casual as he adjusted his suit jacket. "If you''re wrong-and you are then you owe both of us an apology."


    With that, he leaned down slightly, his face inches from hers again, a yful smirk on his lips. "Deal with it, udia."


    Before she could respond, Alexander straightened up, turned on his heel, and walked out of the restaurant. udia watched, her heart suddenly racing as he exited the door and headed to his car. The nerve of him! But for some reason, her pulse quickened as she watched him drive away, the challenge still hanging in the air between them.


    She grabbed her phone and dialed her secretary''s number, her fingers shaking slightly from a mix of frustration and something else she didn''t want to name.


    The moment the call connected, she didn''t even give her secretary a chance to speak. "Get me an appointment with Alexander Harris''s father. Now. I don''t care how you do it, just make it happen."


    Hanging up, udia leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. The gall of Alexander to throw this back at her. The audacity to use her of needing to apologize. But there was something in the way he spoke, that confident, almost teasing tone that made her wonder... what if he wasn''t lying? What if he really didn''t know?


    ire shook hands with the journalist as she stepped into the studio at Metacortex. She felt the familiar hum of the building, her preferred spot for media duties. ire always liked doing interviews at Metacortex rather than going out into the wild world unless she absolutely had to. It was more controlled, and morefortable here.


    As soon as she was inside, the makeup artist swooped in, adding a quick touch-up to her face. ire sat still, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Thest thing she wanted to do today was another interview, but after the big press release yesterday, she knew it was important to keep up appearances.


    A little media duty never hurt. "Gotta keep the machine rolling," she thought with a small sigh.


    Momentster, the interview began. The journalist greeted the camera with a bright smile. "Good afternoon, everyone! Today, we have the incredible ire Peterson with us, the brains behind Metacortex''stest breakthrough. ire, it''s such a pleasure to have you here!" ire stepped into the shot, gave a polite nod to the camera, and then turned to the journalist. "Thank you, it''s great to be here," she said, shing a smile. She was used to this by now-put on a friendly face, answer a few questions, crack a joke or two. Easy. "Now, ire, let''s dive right in," the journalist said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Yesterday''s press release was fantastic! I was lucky enough to be there, and the robot presentation was simply amazing. Everyone''s talking about it!"


    ire chuckled, shaking her head a little. "Thank you, I''m d you enjoyed it! I think the robot did a great job too didn''t break down or anything, so I''d call that a win!"


    The journalistughed. "I''d say so! You must be thrilled. Tell me, how was it preparing for such a huge moment? I mean, it looked so perfect, but I imagine there were a few bumps along the way?"


    "Oh, absolutely," ire nodded, her eyes widening. "You wouldn''t believe how much stress goes into making everything look that smooth. In fact, during the demo before the press


    release, where we had just a few et


    VIPS, the robot almost


    malfunctioned! It was one of those heart-stopping moments where I thought, ''This is it, we''re done for.'' But you know, my team-they''re amazing. We went back to the drawing board and made sure everything was more than perfect for the big day. So yeah, I''m just d it all worked out in the end!"


    The journalist raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wow, almost a malfunction? I''d never have guessed! That must''ve been nerve-wracking!"


    "You have no idea," ire said, shaking her head with a grin. "I think I aged ten years in those few minutes."


    They shared anotherugh before the journalist leaned in a bit closer, her expression shifting to something a little more serious. "Speaking of yesterday''s press release, there''s a bit of chatter going around about a certain someone who showed up unexpectedly. Did you know Frank Potter from Venus AMD was in the audience?"


    ire raised her eyebrows, pretending to look shocked. "Frank Potter? No, really?" she said, cing a hand on her chest like she couldn''t believe it. "What a surprise."


    The journalist smiled knowingly, clearly catching onto ire''s yful tone. "Yes, he was there, watching the whole thing. What do you think about that? Any thoughts on yourpetitor making an appearance?"


    ire leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs casually. "Well, Frank Potter can do whatever he wants. Maybe he was just there to get inspired by Metacortex-who could me him?" she said with a wink.


    The journalist burst intoughter, shaking her head. "You''re too much, ire! But really, do you think it''s a concern, having someone like him watching your every move?"


    ire shrugged, still smiling. "I''m not worried. If he''s there, he''s just seeing what we''re capable of. And if he thinks he can replicate that-well, good luck to him. We''re always a step ahead."


    "You certainly are!" The journalist grinned, flipping through her notes. "And speaking of staying ahead, what''s next for Metacortex? After such a big release, I''m sure everyone''s wondering what you''ve got cooking for the future."


    ire sat up a little straighter, her expression turning thoughtful. "Well, without giving too much away, let''s just say we''re not slowing down. The robot is just the beginning. We''ve got a few more tricks up our sleeves-some projects that are going to push the boundaries of what people think is possible. But of


    course, I can''t spill all the details just yet."


    "Oh,e on," the journalist teased. "Just a little hint?"


    ire chuckled. "I''m sorry, no can do."


    The interview continued, bouncing back and forth between light business talk and casual banter. ire, as usual, handled every question with ease, mixing in just the right amount of humor and professionalism.


    "And how do you handle the pressure of being such a high-profile businesswoman?" the journalist asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I mean, you make it all look so easy, but surely it must get overwhelming at times."


    ire let out a smallugh, crossing


    her arms. "Oh, believe me, it''s not easy! Some days I feel like I''m juggling a hundred things at once, and at least fifty of them are on fire. But at the end of the day, it''s all about having a great team around you, staying organized, and, of course, making sure to take breaks when you can."


    As the interview wrapped up, the journalist leaned in for onest question. "Well, ire, it''s been amazing talking to you. But before we let you go, I''ve got to ask-if you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out in business, what would it be?" ire thought for a moment, then smiled. "I''d say don''t be afraid to take risks. It''s easy to y it safe, but the real magic happens when you step outside yourfort zone. And always trust your gut. If something feels right, go for it. Even if it''s scary."