Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 716

"If our partners bring additional strategic resources to the table, even better. If..." the founder continued smoothly.

He laid out a laundry list of aggressive demands.

Ray started to look incredibly anxious.

She kept throwing nervous glances at Emilia, but Emilia's expression remained perfectly neutral.

Not a single trace of emotion gave her away.

The capital requirements, the sheer scale, the industry connections...

These demands essentially locked out any newly established firm.

Once the Aegis Dynamics founder wrapped up, he led his team and their tech off the stage.

Next up was the company Emilia's team had originally been eyeing during their due diligence phase.

They brought their prototypes out and ran through a comprehensive showcase.

But it was painfully obvious that they couldn't hold a candle to Aegis Dynamics.

A dark horse was a dark horse for a reason. No wonder the guy was so arrogant.

Emilia sat back, absorbing it all.

One presentation rolled into the next.

Soon, the morning session concluded, and it was time for the networking lunch.

The crowd began migrating toward the dining hall.

Emilia stood up, but as she turned around, she locked eyes with Frederick Donovan standing just a few feet away.

Frederick was significantly older than Christian, firmly in his middle-aged years.

Noticing her gaze, he offered a polite, calculated smile and nodded.

Emilia considered it for a moment, then nodded back.

Before she even made it to the exit, his assistant approached her.

"Mr. Donovan would like a moment of your time," the assistant said with a practiced smile. "Ms. Dennis, are you available for a brief chat?"

Emilia glanced up, catching Frederick's expectant look across the room. After a brief pause, she said, "Alright."

The group moved out into a secluded, quiet corridor.

Emilia brought Ray, while Frederick was flanked by his assistant.

Emilia studied the older man.

Thanks to her close friendship with Christian, she was treated to constant, expletive-laden rants about his older brother.

Back when she was still part of The Erickson Group, she had bumped into Frederick a few times at social functions.

But they had never actually spoken like this.

*'That arrogant prick literally walks around with his nose so high up in the air, he looks at people through his nostrils!'*

*'I swear to god, he probably eats through his nostrils too!'*

*'Just because he popped out of the womb first, got a head start in the company, and married a woman with a rich daddy? What does he have to be so damn smug about?!'*

Looking at him now, Emilia realized every single one of Christian's complaints was flawlessly accurate.

From the moment he pulled her aside, Frederick had been talking down to her.

His words, his posture, his tone.

All dripping with insufferable arrogance.

"Partner with me, drop Christian, and I will take over the Donovan Group effortlessly. When that happens, our two families—no, our three families—can form an unstoppable alliance. We might even be able to tear The Erickson Group down for good," Frederick offered smoothly. "Tell me, Emilia, don't you want to destroy your ex-husband's legacy?"