Chapter 260

The collaboration with Gregory Pembroke went off without a hitch.

Two days later, contracts were signed. With other commitments demanding his attention, Gregory left The Grandeur headquarters.

Exhausted after a grueling half-day session, Isabella Sinclair and Nathaniel Graves retreated to the conference room. They'd just settled with steaming cups of coffee when Victoria Chambers entered, dropping a towering stack of embossed invitations onto the table.

"Every year-end banquet invite we've received this week," she announced.

Thirty invitations at minimum. Dominic Fairchild's stood out immediately, alongside Julian Montgomery's, Whitmore Enterprises', and InnovaTech's.

Flipping through, Isabella's fingers paused. The Kensington family had sent one too.

Not just Nathaniel's name graced the Kensington invitation—hers was printed right beside it. Nathaniel lounged against the conference table, twirling the card between his fingers with a smirk. "Our little startup's making waves."

Truthfully, it wasn't The Grandeur's charm drawing them—it was their two flagship projects and the CUAP system the Kensingtons desperately wanted.

Desperate enough to include the woman they'd once dismissed.

What they didn't know? The tech they coveted hadn't come from Nathaniel at all.

Amusement glinted in his eyes as he watched Isabella sort through the pile.

Whitmore Enterprises, InnovaTech—all had shrewdly included her name.

Only Julian Montgomery had broken pattern, sending separate invitations.

Nathaniel chuckled. "Julian's got manners."

Isabella said nothing. She'd met Julian briefly when he'd asked if she studied under Frederick Aldridge.

"Skip Whitmore, InnovaTech, and the Kensingtons," Nathaniel decided, fanning the cards. "We'll attend Harper Corporation's—they've been decent partners. The others? A polite gift will suffice."

Some, like the Kensingtons, didn't even warrant that.

Clean breaks worked best.

"Agreed." Isabella's thoughts mirrored his. Between core operations and studying Frederick's materials, they had no time for pointless socializing.

The Grandeur was hosting its own banquet, but invitations wouldn't go out for days—their schedules were packed.

With fiscal year-end approaching, InnovaTech demanded follow-up. Next morning, Isabella arrived there with Dominic Vega's team.

Victoria Kensington passed them in the lobby. Neither woman acknowledged the other.

Mid-meeting, Isabella felt eyes on her. She turned—and immediately looked away.

Julian Kensington had been watching.

He'd grown bored after two days in Salzburg. Curiosity about his sister's workplace brought him to InnovaTech.

Spotting Isabella, he assumed she worked there. Her dismissive glance intrigued him.

"What's their team handling?" he asked his guide.

"Different department. Likely language system maintenance."

Julian considered observing, but their focus deterred him. "Where's my sister?"

"Ms. Kensington's in Conference Room B."

He followed, finding Victoria commanding a room of rapt executives.