She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 476

Melanie blinked, a flicker of genuine confusion crossing her eyes.

Aria smugly noted that Melanie clearly didn't believe her.

However...

She was absolutely positive Preston was here for her.

Because Preston hadn't arrived alone.

Behind him stood a small entourage of professionals.

And among them was a face Aria immediately recognized.

It was Landon Shaw, the R&D Group 3 Leader from Stellaris PharmaTech.

She had personally reached out to Landon recently.

Back when she was doing projects under her university mentor, Dr. Hayes, she had crossed paths with Landon. They weren't close friends, but they were definitely acquaintances.

With the Royce Group collaborating with Stellaris PharmaTech on the cold medicine project, she had viewed Landon as her ultimate inside connection.

Before launching her studio, she had heavily hinted to Landon that she was the one cultivating the Silver-Leaf Orchid Variant to break the project's bottleneck.

She had specifically requested his help in securing her an invitation to Stellaris PharmaTech's highly exclusive internal seminar.

Attending the seminar would instantly skyrocket her industry credibility.

More importantly, it would give her the perfect excuse to run into Preston and build some chemistry with him.

Landon had understood her intent but smoothly changed the subject, neither confirming nor denying her request.

Aria had assumed he had totally blown her off!

But what a spectacular twist!

On the very day of her grand opening, Landon had arrived with Preston and the rest of the Stellaris PharmaTech team in tow.

Clearly, news of her new studio had sent shockwaves through the industry, prompting Landon to represent Stellaris and formally invite her to the seminar.

The more Aria thought about it, the more blinding her smile became.

She deliberately brushed her hair back, posing seductively, her eyes practically glued to Preston's handsome face.

Yet Preston didn't so much as spare her a peripheral glance.

She had only come to enjoy the drama anyway.

Fortunately, the trip hadn't been entirely fruitless.

Aria's public announcement about using the Silver-Leaf Orchid Variant to solve the cold medicine bottleneck was, in her eyes, a massive smokescreen.

Aria, along with Dominic—and by extension, the Hale family—were absolutely plotting something far more insidious in the shadows.

Confirming that fact alone made her attendance worthwhile.

Lost in her thoughts, Melanie completely missed the subtle, commanding glance Preston shot over his shoulder.

Landon Shaw immediately stepped forward.

Every single eye in the room locked onto him.

Just as the crowd expected Landon to halt in front of Aria, he walked right past her without so much as a glance, stopping squarely in front of Melanie.

"Hello, Ms. Royce. I am Landon Shaw, Group 3 Leader of R&D at Stellaris PharmaTech. I am here to formally invite you, on behalf of the company, to our internal seminar this afternoon. We would be deeply honored by your presence."

Delivered with total reverence in front of the entire industry, Landon's invitation caught Melanie off guard and sent the room into a state of absolute shock.