Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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Benjamin frowned. “Mr. Taylor, you’re clearly mistaken about Ms. Bennett. Her capabilities? Undeniable.”

“And frankly, if you don’t trust Ms. Bennett, or Nova Al’s judgment in appointing her, then there’s no point in us even talking about this. partnership.”

Alexander froze. Then he coughed out a fake laugh.“Mr. Hayes, you misunderstand! Everyone knows Nova Al is top–tier. I’d never…”

Benjamin just waved him off, cutting him short.“But you don’t acknowledge Ms. Bennett’s skills. So, Mr. Taylor. Time for you to go.”

He gestured toward the door, his voice flat and final.

Alexander hadn’t seen this coming. A sure–fire deal, completely blown up by Clara, of all people.

But now? The deal was dead. He shot Clara one last, furious glare, then stalked off, defeated. He’d figure something out later.

Clara looked at Benjamin, a grateful smile spreading across her face.

Benjamin patted her shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. You just nail this system optimization for me, and we’ll have partnerships coming out of our

ears.”

That night, in a private room at The Langham.

Alexander slammed his glass on the table, fuming, “How did I not see it before? Mr. Hayes from Nova AI is such an idiot!”

“He ditched our deal with Taylor Enterprises just for Clara!”

“And Clara! She just stood there, watching Mr. Hayes turn me down, after all these years we’ve known each other!”

“She’s totally trying to get back at me. She thinks I humiliated her in front of everyone.”

“Hah! She needs to get real. Does a woman like her even have any shame left?”

Ethan sat on the couch, a drink in one hand, a cigarette between the fingers of the other. Smoke blurred his features. He didn’t say a word, just gave Alexander a cold, indifferent glance.

Olivia sipped her drink, her eyes flicking to Ethan.“Alexander, don’t get so worked up,” she said smoothly.“Mr. Hayes wouldn’t have gotten Nova Al this far if he was an idiot. There must have been some misunderstanding.”

“Or… maybe he’s only giving Clara a pass because of who he’s trying to impress.”

Alexander scoffed, “Face? With Nova Al’s reputation in the field, who the hell does Benjamin need to impress?”

He paused, then his eyes snapped to Ethan.“Don’t tell me… Clara’s out there dropping Mrs. Carter’s name and trying to pull something?”

After all, nobody in Chicago holds more sway than Ethan.

Ethan flicked his cigarette ash, his voice flat.“No. She wouldn’t dare.”

“Why not?”

Alexander grumbled, “She drugged you, for crying out loud! What else is she capable of? I bet she just wants to use your name to stick around Nova AI.”

“She probably just wants to prove she’s better than Olivia, trying to get your attention.”

‘Ha, seriously, how naive is she? Olivia’s an Cambridge prodigy. What makes Clara think she can even compete?”

Olivia dropped her gaze. Her long lashes cast faint shadows.

She honestly couldn’t stand Clara’s whole vibe. Did she really think anyone could just waltz into AI?

Olivia was just gonna wait and see what kind of mess Clara stirred up.

“Ugh, too bad we didn’t partner with Nova AI.”

Alexander leaned back, letting out a sigh.“I really had high hopes for that traffic management system.”

“Still regretting it, Alexander?” Olivia asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

I know that system. It was pretty solid when it first came out. But honestly, there are tons of similar products out now.”

“My team actually just developed one. It’ll officially launch after the press conference in a couple of days. If you’re open to it, Alexander, we could totally talk about a partnership.”

Alexander’s eyes lit up.“Seriously? See, you’re the reliable one, Olivia. Clara can’t even touch you.”

“Oh, right. I heard Luke’s birthday party is next week. He invited you, didn’t he? And you even promised to bake him a cake yourself.”

Alexander pointed back and forth between Ethan and Olivia.“So, you two are about to… go public and meet the families?”

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Ethan shot him a look, staying silent.

Olivia forced a laugh.“Don’t be silly, Alexander. No way that’s happening.”

“I just felt bad for Luke, that kid. He talked to me, so I said yes.”

Alexander instantly regretted it. What a dumb question.

No matter how much Ethan despised Clara, they were still legally married.

Admitting his relationship with Olivia to the Carter family? That would just openly trash her image.

He sighed. “It’s all Clara! That damn nuisance! If she’d just been smart and divorced Ethan already, we wouldn’t have all this mess!”

“Don’t say that.”

Olivia’s voice was soft.“Clara would have a tough time without Ethan. So… this way, it’s actually for the best.”

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Ethan stayed silent, just crushing his cigarette butt into the ashtray. His movements were casual; nobody had a clue what was going on in his

head.

Three days later, the hashtag #CarterHeirBacksOliviaBennettAtLewisAILaunch absolutely blew up on social media.

The photos showed him standing beside Olivia, sharp in a black suit, his figure looking imposing. He didn’t crack a smile, but that was enough for the public to go wild with speculation..

In Nova Al’s break room, a few programmers were scrolling through the news.

“Olivia’s system, I heard it’s super similar to the scheduling system we developed, huh?”

“So what if it’s similar? Mr. Hayes said her version has way too many bugs. It can’t even compare to ours. Plus, we just got this big shot on our team who patched up all the data vulnerabilities.”

“Yeah, but she’s got Lady Luck on her side, doesn’t she? With the Carter heir backing her, even if her system’s a bit subpar, she won’t struggle to find partners, will she?”

Clara walked past, a water cup in hand, not breaking stride. Back in her office, her fingers flew across the keyboard.

The 3D simulation of the dispatch system hummed on the screen. A virtual city, cars a blur of motion. Every vehicle’s path, precisely mapped. The red lines for congestion warnings? Cut by almost half. Way better than the original model.