?Chapter 360:


    “Not really,” Lainey said. “I came looking for you, actually. I wanted to invite you to dinner.”


    Ste blinked, pleasantly surprised. “I’d love to, but I already promised a friend I’d eat with her.” She paused. “You don’t mind her joining us?”


    Lainey smiled. “That sounds perfect. You can pick the restaurant.”


    Ste called Sharon, and after getting her confirmation, she and Lainey left the research institute together.


    Just as they stepped outside, Ste spotted William standing not too far off. Without missing a beat, she looked right past him and kept walking.


    Lainey noticed. Her brows lifted slightly, a glimmer of curiosity flickering in her eyes. Were they… fighting?


    At the restaurant, the atmosphere was light and effortless. The three women clicked instantly. Lainey casually mentioned a handbag she’d been eyeing, and Sharon lit up.


    “I actually have that one. I’ll give it to you,” she offered breezily.


    Lainey blinked. “It’s really expensive…”


    Sharon waved a hand like it was nothing. “Please. Just a little pocket change.”


    Lainey grinned. “Then I’ll get you those concert tickets you wanted—and arrange a backstage photo op with the artist.”


    Sharon gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. “Lainey, you’re an angel.”


    Steughed softly as she watched them, the lightheartedness of the moment easing her thoughts. But just then, her phone lit up on the table, buzzing with an iing call.


    As Ste reached for her phone, she noticed that it was a call from Neb. Rising from her seat, she excused herself with a gentle smile. “Work call. I’ll be right back—don’t wait up.”


    Sharon and Lainey barely looked up, too absorbed in their own conversation to notice her leaving. Stepping out into the quiet corridor, Ste leaned against the railing and answered the call.


    “Ms. Gilbert, we have a problem,” her assistant blurted out, voice tight with urgency. “One of our client’s executives got into a car ident and suffered a severe head injury. Hispany says he’s in critical condition—they don’t know if he’ll even make it through brain surgery.”


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    The news caught Ste off guard. She hadn’t anticipated a crisis like this. “Is he at the hospital already? Which one?”


    The assistant hesitated, then added, “There’s more. The client’spany says that if he doesn’t survive the surgery, they’ll call off our coboration.” Ste’s brow furrowed in disbelief. “That doesn’t make any sense. The deal was already signed—how does his ident change our partnership?”


    A helpless sigh drifted through the line. “I know. I pushed back, but they’re insistent. If their executive doesn’t pull through, they’ll terminate the deal.” Ste pressed her lips into a thin line, pacing a few steps. “Where are we supposed to find a top-tier neurosurgeon at thest minute?”


    A heavy silence hung between them—if Ste didn’t have a solution, the assistant certainly didn’t.


    The assistant said, “We’ve already got everyone at the office calling every big-name surgeon we can find. We’re doing our best, but if wee up empty, there’s nothing more we can do.”


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