Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 73

"Sebastian, our product is completely original! Please, give us a chance."

Her eyes were red from crying as she let out fragile, delicate pants, looking utterly pitiful.

Sebastian took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.

Then, he stood up.

Seeing that the top-tier investment officer had been moved to act, the organizers naturally leaned toward Liliana's side.

The host quieted the venue down and personally escorted Sebastian onto the stage.

Sebastian's gaze swept past Liliana without pausing, lingering instead on Madeline.

He gave a faint smile.

This caught Madeline by surprise.

She had heard long ago that Sebastian and Liliana were relatives, the kind who drank tea and shared meals over the holidays, whereas Madeline herself came from a modest rural background.

Yet, Sebastian was smiling at her.

His usually stern face softened with a gentle warmth, like an elder looking proudly upon a promising junior.

Sebastian then took the microphone from the host and announced to the crowd, "The recipient of Thunderbolt Capital's investment is Miss Madeline Monroe."

The moment the words left his mouth, Liliana froze in place, as if struck by lightning.

Madeline also hadn't expected Mr. St. John to announce the winner so abruptly, much less that the lucky recipient would be her.

She had absolutely no prior connection with Sebastian or Thunderbolt Capital, yet he had decisively awarded her the funding.

Silas was equally shocked. Out of over three hundred exhibits, even after filtering out the majority, there were still over forty left. This was only the first presentation, and Sebastian had already made his decision.

It was even more shocking that Sebastian didn't show an ounce of favoritism toward Liliana; instead, he ruthlessly humiliated her in public.

After making his statement, Sebastian returned the microphone and walked away.

But everyone knew that if Sebastian St. John promised an investment, it was a done deal. The contracts and funds would swiftly follow, leaving the crowd in a state of envious admiration.

It only further proved that Madeline was the true engineering genius.

As they exited, many entrepreneurs shot them looks of disappointment, disbelief, and sheer contempt. However, out of respect for Lucius, they held their tongues and stopped verbally attacking Liliana.

But if the two had dared to stay a second longer, the crowd really wouldn't have been able to hold back.

Everyone had heard Liliana boastfully declare that she was the lead engineer, that she had led the team for six months, and that she staked her character on it.

In the end, it was a blatant copy of someone else's hard work.

It was an absolute joke.

After the summit concluded.

As soon as Lucius returned to the office, he received a barrage of contract termination notices. Numerous partnerships were canceled, including a major joint project.

Lucius glanced over the documents. He never expected that the tech company he had spent four years building could be single-handedly destroyed by Liliana in just a few days.

Lucius called for Gavin Graves. "Bring Victoria Holloway in here."

Gavin was well aware of what had happened at the summit. "Boss, she's already waiting outside."