After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 271

So who exactly was this man? For Waldo, the summit wasn’t just about business—it was a chance to finally meet the person who’d always made him uneasy. All he needed was a name. If he could talk to him face to face, maybe even push his buttons a little, he could figure out where the cracks were.

Shirley glanced at Waldo, noticing how he sat there, lost in thought, his brow furrowed. She hesitated, then spoke up. “Waldo, my dad met with Catherine’s in-laws this weekend. They talked things over and set the wedding date for three months from now.”

Waldo’s face darkened even more. He gripped his pen so tightly his knuckles turned white. His voice was icy. “Is that so?”

Shirley watched him, her eyes soft. “Waldo, maybe it’s time to let her go. Honestly, I don’t think Catherine is good enough for you anymore.” She tried to keep her tone gentle, testing the waters.

Without a word, Waldo stood and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked back at her, his voice sharp. “You and your team need to fix those bugs in Resonance AI, fast. We need to prove ourselves at the summit.”

Shirley’s heart skipped a beat. Upgrades to Resonance AI had been rough lately, but she hadn’t told Waldo about the setbacks. He was all business, anyway. He didn’t really get the technical details.

“Understood, Waldo,” she replied quickly.

Waldo’s mind was already moving ahead. He was determined to use the summit to show off Resonance AI, draw in some new partners, and make it clear to Nexus Dynamics that The James Group wasn’t to be messed with.

As Shirley turned to leave, Waldo suddenly called out, “Shirley, you once told me Resonance AI could go head to head with Nexus Dynamics’ top defense, the Zero System. Was that for real?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Resonance AI can handle it. Its algorithms are already close to being fully autonomous. Breaking through the Zero System is just a matter of time.”

Waldo’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Good. Get to work.”

He knew Nexus Dynamics had been searching for Resonance AI too. They had to be worried. Now that it was in his hands, they’d have to think twice before crossing The James Group. If Resonance AI ever managed to crack the Zero System, even Nexus Dynamics’ legendary defenses would be exposed, or at the very least, their confidence would take a serious hit.

Catherine slipped her arms around his neck, grinning up at him. “What kind of surprise?”

Right then, Nicol popped out of the apartment across the hall. He caught the tail end of their conversation and their little display of affection. Smiling, he called over, “You’ll see soon enough.”

Catherine blushed a little and let go of Lawrence, waving at Nicol. “Good morning, Nicol.”

Nicol grinned back. “Morning!”

Catherine blinked curiously. “Hey, are you younger than Lawrence?”