From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 130

Over a dozen men suddenly surged out from behind Xavier, blocking Sierra's path. Lydia had seen these men at the airport; they were Xavier's bodyguards. A warm hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her out of the convention center and plunging her into the quiet, dim surroundings. The black Bentley parked at the entrance started its engine. In the backseat, Lydia gave a small tug, and the warmth of his palm immediately left her wrist. That earlier moment had been an accident. She silently warned herself. Yet her mind couldn't stop flashing back to his handsome face, his sexy lips, and his crisp scent, which still lingered around her nose and seemed to be growing stronger. She could feel his gaze resting lightly on her. His presence was so overpowering she couldn't ignore it. Flustered, she rolled down the window, letting the rushing wind blow away the tension in the cabin. The black Bentley circled around and stopped at another exit. Wesley opened the door for her. Thank you, Mr. Ford, Lydia said, not daring to look at him. Yeah. His response was flat and distant. After getting out of the car, Lydia walked back toward the convention center doors. A few seconds later, she heard the roar of the engine behind her. She glanced back just in time to see his striking, sharply contoured profile flash by. His brow was impassive, betraying no extra emotion. Her eyes dimmed as she walked through the doors. Harrison walked up to meet her. Lydia, are you alright? I saw Mr. Ford pull you out of the water and was going to go with you to the hospital. But I got cornered by one of the executives who wanted to talk. Harrison, I'm fine. I just swallowed a bit of seawater. Lydia forced a smile. You look so happy, what's going on? The government just established a 300 billion National Semiconductor Grant! It's going to subsidize advanced manufacturing, semiconductor equipment, materials, and industrial chips. Subsidies will be awarded based on the capabilities demonstrated by each research institute. And our institute has been selected! Research funding wasn't just a problem at her mentor's academy. Even their research institute, which was sponsored by the Ford Corporation, was struggling financially. If they could secure this grant, it wouldn't just speed up their research progress—it would also allow for deep collaboration with the government. That would be a massive boost for the future application of the low-nanometer chips they were developing. The review committee is coming this afternoon. You need to come with me to meet them. Me? Is there anyone who understands chip technology better than you? Harrison said, his tone brimming with pride. But I... Lydia spotted Frederick chatting with some famous scientists a short distance away. If you have any input later, just tell me and I'll be the one to speak, Harrison said, realizing a second too late where she was looking. He really wanted to ask how the divorce was going, but with so many people around, it wasn't the right time. Okay. Lydia nodded. After seeing the foreign scientists off, she and Harrison rushed to the government building without stopping. Almost all the renowned research institutes in Averton had sent representatives. When Adkins and Jasper walked in, Lydia was slightly surprised to see Sierra tagging along behind them. With Sierra's complete lack of skills, there was no way she could have gotten into the Kingsleigh Research Institute. The image of Frederick chatting with Adkins earlier flashed through her mind. Lydia looked away and took a seat next to Harrison. The executives arrived one by one, and just as they were about to deliver their opening remarks... Excuse me, I'm going to have to interrupt. Someone in this room got their position purely through nepotism and has absolutely no real skill. Her presence here is a complete waste of everyone's time. I hope the committee will investigate this immediately. One of the executives frowned. Who are you talking about? Sir, my sister, Lydia Sterling, has no right to be here! She only got her degree at Averton University because her mother was sleeping with Professor Julian Zane. The moment she graduated, she got married and became a housewife. She has absolutely zero work experience, yet a few days ago, she was suddenly hired as a senior researcher at the Zane Research Institute. And the representative for the Zane Research Institute is Harrison Zane, Julian's son... The room erupted into low whispers. Aside from Sierra, everyone sitting in this room was a top-tier researcher or scientist from a major institute. They relied purely on merit, so naturally, they looked at Lydia with disdain. Someone had even pulled up Lydia's academic records. Look, sir. This is Averton University's School of Pharmacy. That has absolutely nothing to do with semiconductor manufacturing, someone said, handing their phone with the records up to the committee. The executive's frown deepened. Before she met her mentor, she had been specially admitted to Averton's pharmacy program. Growing up surrounded by her mother's work, her pharmaceutical talents had been discovered early on. But she had no interest in pharmacy—in fact, she resented it. So, she took electives in semiconductors, which was when she was discovered by her mentor. Her mother had nearly reported her mentor over this. At the time, she was only sixteen, and transferring majors required parental consent. Her mentor, fearing her mother would refuse, had bypassed her entirely. Her mother felt that as a top pharmaceutical expert with incredible connections in the field, she could guarantee Lydia a brilliant future. Plus, she truly believed in Lydia's pharmaceutical talent, seeing her as a perfect copy of herself. But Lydia didn't want it. Terrified of breaking her mother's heart, she never dared to fight back. Until she met her mentor... Her mentor promised repeatedly that her talent in semiconductors vastly outstripped her skills in pharmacy and vowed to cultivate her properly. Only then did her mother finally relent. Later, when her mentor angrily expelled her from the academy, her file was sent back to the pharmacy department. As for her two years of studying abroad... The memory brought a surge of anger to Lydia's heart. When she wanted to leave, the Zener Institute had used her degree to blackmail her. In order to get away, she had simply given up the degree entirely. To this day, she still hadn't graduated and was only technically enrolled at Harvard. The executive looked at them sternly. You two, come inside with me. Lydia and Harrison followed the executive into an adjacent lounge. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Sierra's unbearably smug face. Inside the room, Harrison immediately started explaining everything to the executive.