Chapter 290: What’s Wrong With You?

Capital City, Nexora Technologies.

"Luca! Rachel and I are going to play first!"

Trish was practically bouncing on her feet, her eyes bright with anticipation. Ever since she’d tried the games at Nexora a few days ago, she’d been completely hooked on the immersive experience.

So when Luca had casually asked over breakfast whether the two of them wanted to come along to Nexora that morning, there hadn’t even been a need for a second question.

"Yes!"

They’d answered at almost simultaneously. It was obvious they had no intention of wasting another opportunity to play.

Luca chuckled and patted both girls on the head.

"Go on, go on. Have fun."

When his hand reached Rachel, however, he gave her a gentle smack at her back side.

Rachel froze. The sensation was immediate. Her cheeks turned pink, and she instinctively lowered her head.

She quickly hurried after Trish, trying to act as though nothing had happened.

Luca watched her disappear around the corner before quietly withdrawing his hand.

’She’s way too cute.’

He couldn’t help remembering how different Rachel was when the two of them were alone. Then, she was practically glued to him. Now, with everyone around, she was so embarrassed by the smallest touch that she couldn’t even look at him properly.

Both of them were being extremely careful. They knew one wrong move could give something away.

Even as Rachel hurried after Trish, she kept her steps small and quick, as though she were afraid Luca might catch up and tease her again.

Luca was still feeling rather pleased with himself when a fragrant breeze brushed past his ear. He smiled instinctively. Then he noticed the look waiting for him. Arabella was standing behind him.

Her eyes were fixed on him without so much as a blink. Luca’s smile slowly disappeared. There was something suspiciously sour in the air.

"What’s wrong?"

Arabella took another step closer. She was barely ten centimeters behind him when she reached out and poked him in the waist.

"What?" Her voice was sweet. Too sweet. "You’re brave enough to do it, but you don’t want to admit it?"

Luca coughed. He’d been caught.

Arabella had witnessed the entire exchange.

From the teasing smack to Rachel’s reaction, she’d seen everything. And judging by her expression, she hadn’t missed how much Rachel had enjoyed the attention either.

If Rachel hadn’t noticed the people around them and quickly pulled away, the two of them might have stood there teasing each other all morning.

Luca cleared his throat.

"It’s not a big deal."

Arabella stared at him.

"There are softer ones," he added casually, "but obviously, it’s not appropriate to touch those right now."

As he spoke, he made two quick grabbing motions toward the empty air. Arabella went completely still. Her expression remained perfectly composed.

For someone who had always been exceptionally good at hiding her emotions, she managed to keep her face remarkably calm.

Inside, however, she was probably imagining several creative ways to step on his foot.

’What is wrong with this man?’

Who made suggestive gestures like that in public?

Worse, the moment Luca used that familiar little gesture, Arabella immediately remembered exactly where those hands usually wandered when they were alone.

Her skin prickled. His smug expression wasn’t helping. Neither was the faintly flirtatious look in his eyes.

She said nothing. But her silence said plenty. Luca understood perfectly.

Before the situation could become any more embarrassing, a tall woman in a formal business suit approached them.

"Mr. Hale, the equipment has been fully tested and calibrated. Would you like me to take you to the conference room?"

"Sure."

Luca nodded.

He completely ignored Arabella’s increasingly obvious irritation, simply taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze as they continued toward the conference room.

Along the way, several researchers and employees greeted them. Luca returned their greetings casually until something suddenly occurred to him.

He stopped and turned toward Daniel.

"Oh, right. You mentioned in your message that Vincent had visited Nexora?"

Daniel nodded.

"Yes."

He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Actually, he came more than once. I turned him down every time."

As the head of Nexora Technologies, Daniel understood better than most that scientific progress couldn’t happen in isolation. Cooperation between research institutions and businesses was perfectly normal.

If Vincent had approached Nexora sincerely and been willing to negotiate fairly, Daniel wouldn’t have objected to working with Maison Premier.

In fact, Nexora had been in talks with them for quite some time. The problem was Vincent’s terms. Almost every proposal Maison Premier had put forward was heavily one-sided.

To put it bluntly, they wanted access to Nexora’s existing technology, use its facilities, and gain the benefits of its research without paying anything close to a fair price.

They had even attempted to recruit Nexora’s researchers. Fortunately, Nexora offered excellent compensation, and its recruitment standards were strict. That made poaching difficult.

Still, Daniel knew that money could tempt people. If even one researcher defected and took confidential research data with them, the damage could be enormous.

Legal action wouldn’t necessarily solve the problem. Once someone had your research data, the damage was already done. They could pay compensation, copy the technology, and begin producing competing products.

"Of course he’d want Nexora’s research."

Luca gave a quiet scoff.

"Nexora is one of the leading research facilities in Capital City. It would be strange if Maison Premier didn’t have its eyes on us."

"Was that why he came here recently?"

"One of the reasons," Daniel replied.

"After being rejected several times, Vincent realized that he couldn’t simply buy his way into our research."

Daniel continued walking as he explained.

"So he started looking for other ways to build leverage. Sapphire-Vanguard and the Sato family were part of that strategy."

Luca’s expression remained calm.

Daniel added, "His ultimate goal was to convince Nexora to publicly issue a statement supporting Maison Premier."

Arabella immediately understood.

"He wanted Nexora to help build momentum for Maison Premier."

Daniel nodded.

So did everyone else.

Nexora already had an excellent reputation throughout the industry. It was one of the most respected technology companies in Capital City.

Even a vague statement of support from Nexora would attract attention. Maison Premier and Nexora would inevitably be linked in the public’s mind. And once that happened, Maison Premier could use Nexora’s reputation to strengthen its own position.

It would also create subtle pressure on the Windsor and Halloway families. After all, if one of Capital City’s leading technology companies openly supported Maison Premier, other businesses might start reconsidering where they stood.

"Ambitious."

Luca shook his head with a faint smile.

"Unfortunately for him, having big ambitions doesn’t mean reality will cooperate."

Daniel smiled.

They soon arrived at the conference room.

The moment they entered, everyone noticed the enormous screen covering most of the far wall.

A livestream was already playing.

The footage showed a large crowd gathered outside a building. Dozens of security personnel stood around the entrance, keeping the crowd organized as journalists and guests streamed inside.

After several minutes, the camera followed them through the lobby and into an elevator.

Eventually, the feed reached a spacious conference hall. The camera slowly moved toward the front of the room. Three people were seated behind a row of neatly arranged tables covered in white cloth.

Two men and one woman.

All three were dressed formally, sitting upright with confident smiles. The event had clearly been carefully prepared.

Daniel glanced at the screen. Then he smiled.

"I have to admit, Vincent certainly cleans up well."

He pointed toward the man seated on the far left.

Vincent had obviously spent a great deal of time preparing for the press conference.

His suit was immaculate, his hair was styled differently from usual, and he looked every bit like the polished gentleman he wanted the public to see.