Judith pretended to help Ella stand, reaching for her arm, but Ella moved away from her touch.

With raised eyebrows, Judith mockingly said, "Ella, why would you come to a place like this? Even if you're trying to impress Austin, isn't thisa bit too desperate? If Mrs. Karen Raymond found out. she'd say you have questionable morals."

Ella's expression instantly darkened.

"Don't bother with her. She's trash," Austin said coldly, not even sparing Ella a glance as he pulled Judith away.

He thought she was trash.

Ella's emotions plummeted, feeling as though something had been carved out of her chest, leaving a hollow space for the cold to rush in. freezing her from within.

She rose and made her way toward the restroom exit, each step a struggle.

Her legs felt like jelly beneath her.

When she emerged. Austin and Judith were just getting into their car.

"Would you two stop flaunting your relationship? It's making me sick,"Paul jeered from nearby.

Austin carefully helped Judith into the car,joining her in the backseat.

He was saying something with a warm smile, making Judith laugh with delight.

They looked perfect together.

As their car drove away. Ella collapsed on the sidewalk.

"Someone fainted! Call an ambulance!"

"There's so much blood!"

At the hospital, the doctor who had examined her previously scolded ber as she drifted back to consciousness. "I told you last time not to neglect your health. Why are you being so reckless with your life?"

Ella rubbed her throbbing temple. "What happened?"

"Endometrial bleeding. If it gets worse. you could develop uterine cancer!"

'The doctor stared at Ella sternly.

Though being scolded, Ella didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled. and as she smiled,tears began to fall.

"Silly girl, why are you crying?" The doctor's tone softened.

"Dr. Moore, thank you for caring about me," Ella said, noticing the name on her badge.

Dr. Bety Moore's anger dissipated, and she spoke gently. "No matter what troubles you're facing, you need to take care of yourself. If you don't value yourself, who else will?"

Betty assumed Ella was suffering from heartbreak.

Ella pressed her lips together, then said firmly. "I'll take better care of my body."

They looked perfect together.

As their car drove away, Ella collapsed on the sidewalk.

"Someone fainted! Call an ambulance!"

"There's so much blood!"

At the hospital, the doctor who had examined her previously scolded her as she drifted back to consciousness. "I told you last time not to neglect your health. Why are you being so reckless with your life?"

Ella rubbed her throbbing temple."What happened?"

"Endometrial bleeding. If it gets worse, you could develop uterine cancer!"

The doctor stared at Ella sternly.

Though being scolded, Ella didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled,and as she smiled,tears began to fall.

"Silly girl, why are you crying?" The doctor's tone softened.

"Dr. Moore, thank you for caring about me," Ella said, noticing the name on her badge.

Dr.Betty Moore's anger dissipated, and she spoke gently. "No matter what troubles you're facing, you need to take care of yourself. If you don't value yourself,who else will?"

Betty assumed Ella was suffering from heartbreak.

Ella pressed her lips together, then said firmly, "I'll take better care of my body."

"Good. You don't have any serious issues right now. I've prescribed some medication-finish the course and come back for a follow-up. Here's my number," Betty handed her a card with her contact information.

After thanking her, Ella was discharged.

When she returned home, her lower abdomen was still cramping with pain.

Opening the door, she discovered that her bedroom door had been replaced with a security door.

After finishing her sandwich, she took a shower and contacted her previous investors.

The first two didn't answer, but the third call connected just as she was about to give up.

"Ella, can we discuss that project you mentioned earlier in more detail? I'm very interested," the voice said.

Ella was momentarily stunned, not quite processing what she'd heard.

"The Prometheus Project," the caller clarified.

Her excitement made her hands tremble. "Absolutely, we can set up a time to meet."

"Great. I should introduce myself properly. Eugene mentioned you left in a hurry and thought you might not be pursuing investment anymore. I'm Carl Larson."

Ella committed the name to memory.

"Of course. Thank you for your time."

She had succeeded!

When she met with Carl again, they arranged to meet at a coffee shop.

In the bright. cozy café, Carl sat by the window, sipping his coffee while intently studying financial news on his tablet.

Ella arrived precisely on time.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

Carl looked up from his work and stood politely, extending his hand. "It's only been five minutes."

Ella nodded and took the seat across fromn him.

She got straight to the point, sending him the well-organized information about the Prometheus Project's core objectives and target user groups.

Carl clearly understood that AI development required high-quality data.clear objectives, and appropriate algorithms-aIl essential components.

"The Prometheus Project was initially funded by Daron with Valentin as an investor. It aims to create an Al platform that belongs to the users themselves. While the project is still in its early stages and the AI framework remains our core development challenge, we've made significant progress through continuous training and can now demonstrate a mature,visualizable model."

"Our target users include corporate analysts, content creators,educators and students, and small business owners. We want Al to become more than just a tool for industry giants-we envision it as a universal tool that

various sectors can develop and customize, allowing users to create Al assistants tailored to their specific needs."

Ella's well-prepared presentation immediately captured Carl's attention.

His eyes lit up as he recognized the project's future potential.

Making a decisive move, he offered, "I can invest ten million dollars in the initial phase."

Ella hesitated.

The project needed thirty million dollars to continue development.

Business was business.

Carl could see that Ella urgently needed funding to overcome this hurdle,but he wasn't foolish.

He knew that projects often failed during early development, and he wasn't willing to risk a large sum upfront.

Minimizing risk was his priority.