Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 44

"I'm fine."

Madeline said, offering a calm, steady smile as she shook her head.

For a fleeting second, the sight had stung, but the pain vanished almost as quickly as it came. She truly didn't care anymore.

A large crowd had already swarmed Lucius and Liliana. Separated by a thick wall of socialites, Lucius hadn't even noticed Madeline's presence.

Silas, however, kept his eyes locked on her.

He knew that beneath her gentle, fragile exterior lay a spine of pure steel. Madeline was a woman who dared to love fiercely and walk away cleanly.

In her professional field, as long as she had a vision, she would pour her heart and soul into it, running purely on passion.

That legendary game that had taken their university by storm years ago was the result of Madeline pulling thirty-five consecutive all-nighters.

Back then, Silas had instantly recognized its massive commercial potential and advised her to sell it, but she had been so blindly in love with Lucius that she willingly handed over her masterpiece on a silver platter.

It had left a bitter taste in Silas's mouth.

She had gambled everything on Lucius, diving into the relationship without hesitation.

But now that she had pulled herself out of the wreckage—despite the heavy price she paid—Silas had never seen a shred of regret in her eyes.

If she said she was over it, he believed her.

"Want to grab a drink?"

"Sure."

Madeline replied with a smile as they headed toward the refreshment area.

"Wine?"

Silas asked.

"This is Madeline Monroe. She's my university junior, my star pupil, and an absolute software engineering genius. I guarantee that if you talk to her, she'll give you a groundbreaking perspective on your project."

Sterling looked at Madeline with renewed interest.

He hadn't expected such a brilliant mind behind that beautiful face.

"Your junior? Is she really that good?"

The university where Silas taught was the top computer engineering institution in the country. Almost every graduate who walked out of those doors became a pillar of the domestic tech industry.

Yet, Sterling couldn't recall ever hearing the name Madeline Monroe.

"Absolutely," Silas smiled. "Sterling, haven't you been looking for a core AI architecture to tie everything together? Well, eight years ago, my junior here engineered an AI patent capable of adapting to multiple smart-home scenarios. It's called Lover AI, and it's currently running my company."

"Lover AI?" Sterling looked astonished. "She built an AI that powerful when she was that young?"

"She did," Silas confirmed. Internally, he thought about how she had also built Lightning Interactive. Lover AI had just been her senior thesis, which Photon Tech had later acquired. But knowing that the Whitman Group now controlled Lightning Interactive, he wisely kept that detail to himself and steered the conversation back.