CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 100: ALL’S FAIR IN WAR, HE FELL FOR THE TRICK

C?

Conqueror of Disease?

This device also encompasses over 12,000 illnesses, 300 million intelligent modules, able to cure all common and rare diseases?

An intense unease tightly coiled around his heart like vines, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Because this data astonishingly overlapped with that of D, a result achieved by The Fordham Group with years of effort across three major labs.

Today, Andy Lockwood had actually preemptively launched a similar product.

A bad foreboding suddenly arose in his mind.

At this moment, Keegan Lindsey burst into the office almost immediately, followed by Vice President Ezra Jacobs who walked in with a noticeably uneasy expression.

Aiden Fordham’s voice was like ice.

"Immediately! Right now! Summon all core departments for a meeting!"

On the other side, The Lockwood Group’s press conference was still in full swing, with technicians demonstrating diagnostic results and treatment plans to the reporters, all with extraordinary precision, leaving many astonished.

Reporters wished they could take one home on the spot.

The release of C was undoubtedly an unprecedented success. Firstly, by proving Andy’s innocence at this press conference, it captivated global attention with high momentum. Secondly, the capabilities of C instantly stunned the medical community, clearly positioning itself as the new global focus of smart medical technology.

It was at the top level of The Lockwood Group, in the president’s office.

The giant floor-to-ceiling windows captured the bustling cityscape, failing to dispel the low pressure inside.

Stella Grant clenched her palm tightly, her fingertips turning a bit pale.

She stared at the composed man behind the desk, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

"Senior, why does C’s data resemble that of The Fordham Group’s D? Was this data... obtained from The Fordham Group?"

Andy Lockwood tapped his slender fingers lightly on the smooth tabletop, emitting a rhythmic soft sound.

Then, he smiled.

That smile carried a hint of wickedness and nonchalance, yet with an undeniable confidence in his strategy.

"Stella, in business competition, all is fair in war!"

He leaned slightly back in the large chair, his posture relaxed.

"Of course, our Lockwood Group is not weak either; following protocol, we could have produced such a high-quality product in a year or two."

He paused, his tone casual but each word fatal:

"I just made it happen a little earlier."

Stella gasped, her heart seemingly weighed down by a boulder, making it difficult to breathe.

She almost blurted out, "Doing this, you’ll ruin The Fordham Group!"

As soon as she finished, she was stunned herself. Why was she worried about Aiden Fordham?

The smile on Andy Lockwood’s face faded a bit, but his gaze remained sharp.

"The Fordham Group won’t collapse." His voice was calm but carried an unrefutable certainty, "Aiden Fordham is much stronger than you imagine."

He stood up and walked slowly toward Stella, his towering figure bringing an invisible pressure.

"Stella, you have no ties anymore, in a few days, we’re off to Nation A. Aiden Fordham is no longer your responsibility, and he doesn’t need your sympathy."

His voice lowered, carrying a hint of enticement.

Stella remained silent.

For a long while, she spoke with difficulty, her voice nearly inaudible, "Senior, is there still room to maneuver? Can we... halt C’s launch?"

She raised her head to look at Andy, her eyes unknowingly carrying a trace of beseeching.

Asking this, even she felt ridiculous, like a naive fool trying to alter the predetermined course of a business empire with mere words.

She knew that asking such a question now was tantamount to making the Lockwood Group slap its own face.

Yet she asked anyway.

Andy Lockwood gazed deeply at her, his eyes complex and inscrutable.

He reached out his hand, intending to touch her cheek, but Stella instinctively avoided it.

His hand froze mid-air, then he nonchalantly withdrew it.

"Stella." His voice took on a cold edge.

"Think of the child you lost, think of Aiden Fordham’s leniency towards the perpetrator, think of his indifference to you over the past three years."

Each word from Andy Lockwood was like a poisoned knife, stabbing deep into her heart.

"He’s not worth you pleading for him, not one word!"

Stella’s body trembled violently, her face turning pale in an instant, her throat seemed blocked, unable to utter a word.

Her chest ached with pressure.

"I’m leaving now!" She averted her eyes in embarrassment, turned, and almost fled from the office.

The indifference on Andy Lockwood’s face shattered instantly, replaced by a near-twisted sense of pleasure.

He walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink, the amber liquid refracting an alluring light within the crystal glass.

He had never held the press conference before because he was waiting, waiting for all production and testing of C to be completed.

Currently, Aiden Fordham was undoubtedly on fire.

Once he chose to release D, almost identical in function to The Lockwood Group, in three days, he would be branded a plagiarist and would lose his standing in the medical community.

If he didn’t release it, then the four-year effort devoted by The Fordham Group would be all for nothing, destroyed abruptly.

Either outcome would draw The Fordham Group into a deadlock!

This was the consequence of Aiden Fordham challenging him!

Andy Lockwood tilted his head back, downing the strong drink in one go.

The fiery liquid burned his throat, bringing a rush of fierce pleasure, his eyes revealing undisguised possessiveness.

Inside, he felt incredibly satisfied!

...

The atmosphere in The Fordham Group’s conference room was frozen to the point of being deadly.

"Just three days, only three days!" The marketing director’s voice broke.

"Our new product launch is in three days! Right now, The Lockwood Group’s C is rubbing our noses in the dirt! If we proceed as planned, we’ll be exposed as blatant plagiarists, waiting for the entire internet to mock us!"

"But if we don’t release..."

Another senior executive spoke hoarsely, "Four years of effort, thousands of brothers’ hard work, all gone to waste!"

The conference room was deathly silent.

The technical director pushed open the door, walking in with a face as white as a sheet, the tablet screen in his hand displaying glaring data comparisons.

"President Fordham, directors... The core data within The Lockwood Group’s C is...identical to ours."

He paused, his voice even lower.

"It’s practically copy-paste. And they’ve added some new aspects, incorporating a few emerging technology points we just started developing in our labs but haven’t applied yet; they... they have implemented innovations."

"Snap!"

Someone’s pen dropped to the ground.

Ice, thoroughly solidified.

Vice President Ezra Jacobs, a usually refined man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, now had eyes sharp enough to pierce hearts.

"How could our data have leaked?" His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried immense weight, "Only three people have the highest clearance for U-shield. President Fordham, myself, and the technical director..."

Aiden Fordham suddenly raised his eyes, his pupils constricting.

U-shield! His heart thudded immensely.

He recalled how he had personally handed that U-shield to Stella Grant at the manor, specifically instructing her to take care of it, leaving it with her for a full day and night!

"Swish—"

Aiden Fordham’s face instantly turned ashen, his entire aura suddenly cold.

He didn’t say a word, abruptly stood up, the chair screeching as it slid back gratingly.

He strode out without looking back at the conference room.

Leaving behind a room full of executives exchanging gazes and a gradually heavier atmosphere, had the boss discovered who the thief is?