Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 123

Lillian had always been low-key, even when she became famous at a young age, she remained much calmer than her peers.

Victor, on the other hand, was anything but low-key in the industry. Many people knew him, and when he achieved something, he made sure everyone knew about it.

That was how he, at such a young age, had rapidly accumulated numerous prestigious honors.

He had more awards than he could count.

In contrast, Lillian should have had just as many awards, but the presenters often found their hands getting tired holding onto trophies they could never deliver to her in person.

Victor's rise to fame was swift, and so was his ability to make money.

By now, he had long achieved financial freedom.

That's why, upon discovering Li's new venture, he was willing to pay out of his own pocket just to work with her.

He had won many awards, but he had never surpassed Li.

Some things were a matter of innate talent. Without it, no amount of hard work in a lifetime could bridge the gap.

So, Victor didn't aim to surpass Lillian; he aimed to get close to her.

The news of him joining Lillian's company spread like wildfire.

Lillian didn't pay much attention to it. She was happy about Victor's arrival, but otherwise, she was calm.

To the outside world, Victor might have many titles, but to her...

Victor said, “Boss, just tell me what you need. I can make tea, run errands, give you a foot massage, whatever you want.”

“In your dreams,” Lillian replied. “You’re here now, so I have to give you some real work, don’t I?”

With that, Lillian set up a computer for Victor in the project team's office.

She opened a project she had backed up long ago, and Victor saw the words: Low-Altitude Flight Program.

“Low-altitude flight? As expected from a legend, you always aim high.”

“Let’s solve the problems. There are still many to address. I don’t need to spell it out for you; you can see it for yourself.”

Victor grinned. “I never thought that before I hung up my keyboard for good, I’d get to pull off one last big job with you. Not bad, not bad at all.”

Lillian blinked. “???” They had only ever communicated online before; this was their first time meeting in person.

She was just discovering that this was Victor’s style.

“We’re a legitimate tech company, not some kind of gang. Watch your wording; you could give people the wrong idea, you know?”

Victor feigned humility. “My apologies. I’m not very cultured. Please bear with me, boss.”

She could tell.

—

Litech NaLabs.

Nathan slammed his hand on the table, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he vented in a group chat.

[That guy Victor... I offered him a huge salary, and he turned me down. Then I hear he’s paying out of his own pocket to work at Li’s place? What the hell?]

Below his message, a long line of complaints from other CEO-level figures appeared.

They had all been rejected by Victor before; Nathan was not the first.

—

Since she had joined the company, she had never seen him like this.

When had he ever just sat at his desk and zoned out?

He was always working, making every second count. Daydreaming? Unheard of.

Bella guessed that the events of this year had finally gotten to him.

She knew well that Sebastian was a sapiosexual; his affection for her over the past few years was built entirely on the premise that she was strong, independent, and capable.

He had given up on Lillian because she lacked those competitive qualities.

But now, Bella felt a chill run down her spine.

Lillian had no real skills, yet she had forced her way into this industry. By some stroke of dumb luck, she had managed to recruit a tech legend that no one else could, and now Sebastian was starting to overthink things.

The thought infuriated Bella.

Why?

Bella lowered the hand she had raised to knock and turned back to her own office.

Soon after, Hannah came in.

“Bella, you were looking for me?”

Bella asked, “Did you see the news in the industry today?”

Hannah replied, “I did. I think everyone in the company saw it. Bella, how on earth did Lillian pull that off? The one person nobody could recruit just walks right into her company?”

Bella moved closer to Hannah and lowered her voice. “I need you to do something for me...”