Jude had never imagined he’d find himself in a situation like this.
If he’d known this was coming, he would’ve kept a much lower profile back then.
Now, the embarrassment was so intense he wished he could curl his toes and sink straight through the floor.
“Say something!” Seymour hissed, practically ready to explode.
Jude forced out two words, stiff and awkward: “Ms. Gilmore.”
Noreen gave a faint nod, her face expressionless, eyes never meeting Jude’s.
Anyone with half a brain could see what was happening.
That nod—she was only doing it out of courtesy to Seymour.
She had no interest in Jude whatsoever.
Seymour could tell, but he pretended not to notice. He pressed on, “You two are close in age. You should get to know each other—us old folks are on our way out. It’s up to your generation to shape the future of Rivercrest City.”
“Especially someone as talented as Ms. Gilmore. You’re bound to become a pillar of our business community. Jude here could use your guidance—he’s interested in AI too. Just invested in an AI initiative recently, called SkyMind.”
Jude wanted to melt into the floor.
If he’d known it would be like this, he’d have preferred being shipped off overseas.
At least then he’d only have to suffer, not lose face.
When Noreen heard Jude’s investment in SkyMind, she finally looked at him directly.
Her gaze made Jude squirm; he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was mocking him.
Noreen said, “VP Wilder sure has a ‘fine son.’”
Seymour, missing the sarcasm, took it as a compliment.
“At least he looks decent. As for everything else… average at best.”
Noreen just smiled, saying nothing more.
Jude couldn’t get away fast enough. He tugged at Seymour, desperate to leave.
If he stayed a second longer, he’d never be able to show his face in public again.
Meanwhile, Carman was wrapping up the product demonstration and began thanking everyone who’d helped along the way.
Dylan’s name came up.
Seymour’s jealousy flared when he heard Dylan had invested in InnoCore.
The reason Omniva Group had started to decline was the bitter power struggle between the two Wilder family branches.
Seymour was a bit more capable than his older brother, but unfortunately, his own son, Jude, was a disappointment.


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