"Six years ago, you said you were taking me to a party, but you took me to a hotel room instead. Why?"

"If I had called the police, you could have ended up in jail!"

Six years ago, she had returned to the country to visit family. That was the very hotel where Vincent Grant had planned to confess his feelings to Joanna Sherman, and Mira Quinn was the one who had taken her there.

Sophia Shaw’s words snapped Mira Quinn out of her extreme agitation, and her face went pale.

Terrified of what else Sophia might say, she quickly ended the live stream.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Mira Quinn said, grabbing the hem of her skirt and running off.

Sophia Shaw watched her retreating back, her eyes narrowing silently.

She wasn’t actually sure if it was Mira who had taken her to the hotel room.

Back then, after they arrived at the party venue, Mira Quinn had told her to wait a moment while she went to get a gift.

After drinking a glass of water, she had become groggy and had no idea who had led her into the room.

She had only been testing her just now, but Mira had already revealed her guilt.

’Why would Mira Quinn send me to Vincent Grant’s room?’

Sophia only found out later that after she left, Mira Quinn had become Joanna Sherman’s lackey.

’If that’s the case, what reason would Mira have to go against Joanna?’

She couldn’t find an answer for now. She would have to ask again the next time they met.

Just as Sophia Shaw stepped out of the hospital, she got a call from Levin Sawyer.

’He must have heard I was discharged.’

Sophia massaged her temples, a headache brewing. She didn’t know how to answer Levin Sawyer.

Levin had given her strict orders last night that she absolutely had to rest for the entire day today.

But she couldn’t sit still.

Besides, there was so much work waiting for her.

’What kind of person dumps all their work on their colleagues?’

She couldn’t bring herself to do something like that.

Levin Sawyer called twice in a row, so Sophia had no choice but to answer. "Levin, I’m already fine. It’s boring staying in the hospital, so just let me go to work."

"It’s not about that."

Through the phone, Levin’s tone was heavy. "Faye, it’s about our rocket group-buy project."

"What’s wrong with the project?"

She had run through the group-buy project in her mind no less than a hundred times. ’It’s impossible for there to be a problem.’

"It’s not the project itself, but a personnel issue."

Levin Sawyer found it hard to say, but he knew they had to face it. "The government just called. They said the expert panel is requesting to have you replaced."

"Why?"

"They haven’t given a reason yet."

"Did they suggest a successor?"

"No, but they’ve asked us to come to a meeting right now. It’s probably to discuss this very issue."

Sophia reported her location. "I’m downstairs at the hospital."

"I’ll come get you right now."

When Levin Sawyer arrived, he was carrying breakfast.

He had originally planned to buy breakfast for Sophia and then head to the company.

Levin handed her the breakfast. "Here, eat something first."

After speaking, he smoothly took Bun from her.

Bun struggled for just a moment, but then she recognized Levin Sawyer. She obediently snuggled into his long, sturdy arms and curved her little body into a crescent moon shape.

She wanted Levin to swing her like a swing.

Levin gently rocked his arms, swinging her.

Sophia wasn’t one for ceremony. She sat down on a nearby stone bench and began to eat.

There wasn’t even a table in front of her.

Back in their days at the base, it was gloves off to eat, gloves on to work. The two of them had long gotten used to it.

Passersby were a little surprised to see a beautiful woman eating breakfast just like that.

But the way she ate was quite elegant, making for a pleasant sight.

Sophia paid no mind to others, completely focused on her food.

While swinging Bun, Levin Sawyer glanced over at Sophia.

Worry was evident in his eyes. "These people are being ridiculous. I won’t agree to a replacement."

Sophia didn’t look up. "I’m too young and have never directly led a group-buy project. It’s normal for the expert panel to have doubts."

"They must have a more outstanding candidate in mind, which could actually be good for us."

Although Sophia had spearheaded the project abroad, Samuel Goldman was the one in charge of the specifics.

She only had a direct line of contact with Samuel Goldman to handle issues he couldn’t resolve on his own.

Guiding and leading on-site are two completely different things.

Levin Sawyer had always admired Sophia’s broad-mindedness.

"Honestly, if it were me, I’d never be able to accept it."

"You were the one who proposed and realized this project. Ninety percent of the blood, sweat, and tears in it are yours. For them to just replace you on a whim... I’d rather scrap the project than hand over your achievements to someone else."

Sophia smiled. "Levin, are you indirectly calling me a saint?"

"I’m no saint. But if we can bring in a top expert from abroad, we can take the opportunity to learn and exchange ideas. Who knows, it might even elevate Lead Aerospace to a new level."

"We’d be stealing their secrets."

"So, don’t look at the person ’stealing our job’ as an enemy."

It was a moment of clarity for Levin Sawyer. "It seems my perspective was too narrow. I never even thought of that!"

"Now I’m actually curious who this expert is. If it turns out to be your idol, won’t you ’pluck him bald’ with all your questions?"

The mere thought of Sophia’s ferocious intensity when learning new technology made even Levin Sawyer shudder.

Sophia had studied under Old Master Sloan, and he was the person she admired most.

Her idol, however, was an outsider.

This person didn’t come from a rocketry background, yet he had spearheaded a series of rocket projects, single-handedly founded a rocket company, and dared to challenge NASA.

Her insistence on returning to her home country to establish a rocket company was influenced by him.

Hearing Levin say that, Sophia couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation herself.

After Ms. Archer came out, Levin Sawyer had the driver take her and Bun home, while he and Sophia hailed a taxi straight for the government compound.

A staff member led the two of them into a conference room.

Inside the conference room, a government representative and eight heavyweight members of the expert panel were already present.

Sophia deliberately scanned the room. Aside from the seven expert panel members she hadn’t seen last night, there were no unfamiliar faces.

The idol she was expecting... hadn’t appeared.

Levin Sawyer knew what she was looking for and tugged on her sleeve.

As they sat down, he leaned over. "Don’t worry. The important players always make a late entrance."

Sophia managed a smile.

The government representative briefly stated the purpose of the meeting, then said, "And now, Professor Lane will announce the name of the new chief project manager."

Professor Lane stood up, nodded to everyone, and began, "Taking into consideration Miss Shaw’s experience and capabilities, our expert panel held an emergency meeting last night to discuss a more suitable candidate for chief project manager."

"And that candidate is..."

CLICK.

The door was pushed open from the outside.

Revealing the faces of Vincent Grant and Joanna Sherman.

The receptionist at the door said apologetically, "My apologies, you two, but we’re in a meeting. If you could please..."

"Let them in," Professor Lane interrupted.

Vincent Grant and Joanna Sherman walked in.

Sophia and Levin Sawyer looked over at the same time.

Joanna Sherman walked ahead of Vincent, her heels clacking against the floor. Her curly hair swayed at her waist as she moved, her presence commanding.

Even though Vincent Grant was a step behind, the refined nobility in his features was impossible to ignore.

He strode in on long legs, stopping beside Joanna Sherman.

He gave a slight nod to the crowd.

When his gaze fell on Sophia, it flickered to her elbow.

Vincent Grant had called her last night, but Sophia hadn’t wanted to answer and had silenced her phone.

She was utterly disgusted by these two people. Even seeing them in a setting like this, she didn’t want to look them in the eye.

She chose to ignore them.

Vincent Grant’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He waited until she picked up a pen to write something before finally pulling out a chair and sitting down.

The natural authority Vincent Grant carried with him silenced the room for a long moment. It was only after he sat down that Professor Lane spoke again.

"Out of a sense of responsibility for the project, the entire expert panel skipped the banquet last night after discovering this issue, holding a meeting on empty stomachs instead."

"After much discussion, we determined the most suitable chief project manager is..."