Gratitude flickered in Selene’s eyes, and Quentin felt his heart float as light as a
feather.
“You turned down the CTO position at Vaughn Enterprises to go work for OmniCore Technologies? Selene, are you out of your mind?”
Selene spun around, facing the man who had suddenly appeared behind her.
She didn’t bother to hide her disdain, shooting Harrison a cold glare. “Mr. Vaughn, are you a ghost or something?”
She leveled her gaze at him. “Why do you always sneak up on me like a specter? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
Called out, Harrison’s attitude only grew more combative.
“I just happened to be passing by, so don’t flatter yourself. Let me tell you something–even if you hand over Thompson Victory Technologies to OmniCore as some kind of peace offering, you’ll never be part of their inner circle! Foreign companies like that never really trust people like us. They’d rather sit back and watch us tear each other apart.”
Selene turned to Quentin. “Is that true about OmniCore Technologies?”
Quentin hesitated, not wanting to offend Harrison, but he also hoped Selene would join OmniCore. “The executives at OmniCore are all cultured, highly qualified people. They’re approachable, and I’ve always found them friendly. Honestly, I get along well with the higher–ups there.”
Selene studied Quentin thoughtfully; clearly, he knew more than just a couple of OmniCore’s top brass. There was something about him she couldn’t quite figure
out.
Trying to diffuse the tension, Quentin turned to Harrison. “Mr. Vaughn, you and Selene are divorced. She’s not coming back to Vaughn Enterprises or working with you. Maybe it’s time to accept that and move on.”
Harrison’s throat tightened, as if he’d swallowed a fishbone. Did he need Quentin’s pity?
He had always looked down on Quentin–even despised him. A man who would give up his own name, kneel at Clarissa’s feet, slap his own face, and let his pride be trampled–Harrison didn’t consider Quentin a man at all.
Chapter 193
And yet Selene would rather stand with someone like Quentin than set foot in Vaughn Enterprises again.
“You really are two of a kind,” Harrison sneered. “Two nobodies clawing their way into the Vaughn family from nowhere, desperate to fit in. You’re both cut from the same cloth.”
Quentin’s face darkened instantly. After six years married into the Vaughn family, he’d tried everything to shed the “country boy” label, but now, in front of everyone, Harrison had laid him bare.
Harrison turned to Selene and declared, “You’ll never find a better job than with Vaughn Enterprises!”
But Selene just smiled. “I spent seven years with the Vaughn family and learned every hard lesson there was. From now on, my path will only get easier.”
Harrison’s expression turned to ice. She was just being stubborn, refusing to admit defeat.
At that moment, a teacher pulled up in a little two–seater tour cart.
She opened the back seat and spoke softly to a child inside. After a long pause, the small boy finally poked his head out, warily taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes landed on Selene in the crowd, and his whole face lit up.
Altair grabbed his tiny backpack and hopped out of the cart. He looked as though he wished he could sprout wings and fly straight to Selene.
But there were so many people around–children laughing, parents chatting–the noise and bustle pressed on him like invisible walls, holding him back.
“Isn’t that Little Star?!”
Daph spotted Altair, her rosy lips parting in a wide grin, eyes crinkling with delight.
Selene followed Daph’s gaze and immediately started toward Altair.
Just then, Felicity noticed him too and called out, “Hey, isn’t that Dr. Vaughn’s illegitimate kid?”
“What does ‘illegitimate‘ mean?” Dames asked curiously.
Felicity smirked. “Do you know who Altair’s mom is?”
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