No longer a pushover

Cedric's words obviously carried a hidden meaning, and it was hard to ignore the way people were interpreting them.

On the other side, Laura's expression nearly cracked. She had not expected Cedric to bring Noelle to this dinner, let alone act so close to her in front of everyone.

She could not help but think he did not care about her dignity at all. After all, everyone here had assumed she and Cedric were an item.

Noelle glanced back at him, wondering if he had any idea how misleading his words sounded. She was annoyed that he claimed she was his woman.

Without saying a word, Cedric pulled out a chair for Noelle and motioned for her to sit. Then, he sat down right next to her.

Noelle hesitated for a second. If she remembered correctly, that had been Laura's seat earlier. She questioned whether this man really could not see what he was doing.

The looks around the room shifted subtly. Word had it that Cedric was incredibly protective of a girl outside of work. Seeing this, they started speculating if that mysterious gaming streamer, SweetNelly, was actually Noelle.

Laura was clearly sidelined now, and she could not keep quiet any longer. "Ced, tonight we're discussing a new Al project. Ms. Liddell doesn't really have the background for this, so she might find it a little boring."

in right after. "Yeah, I mean, what would a gaming streamer even understand about tech like

had that unmistakable mix of

Tommy, and the people around him instantly stood to offer her a seat, giving her the respect she was used to. Just then,

They've got the best tech and the deepest pockets-once this hits the market, they'll

Greene's sharp instincts. My family initially didn't believe

the future of the Al project. Once it launched, Maple Enterprise's value would skyrocket—and so would

"If you're bored, feel free to leave

replied calmly, "I'm

is really into the Al project, then.

and shook her head. "Not at the

the projections they were talking about were just that-projections. Talking too

laughter. His eyes held a mocking glint. "Ms. SweetNelly, if you don't get it,