That familiar voice made her heart skip with anxiety.

He didn't care about her at all, and never had any intention of caring.

Ella refused to answer and hung up the phone.

Another wave of cramping seized her abdomen, more intense than any before.

"Ella, what's wrong? Is your stomach hurting again?" Briar entered with a mug of freshly heated chicken broth, alarmed at the sight of Ella curled into a ball on the bed. She quickly set down the mug and hurried to check on her.

Ella was in too much pain to speak, managing only a slight shake of her head.

Briar urged her, "Drink some of this to warm yourself up."

The warm liquid slipped down her throat, chasing away some of the chill.The abdominal pain seemed to ease slightly.

Ella leaned back against the headboard, her face still pale but her eyes gradually clearing.

She couldn't just do nothing.

Judith and Austin-she wouldn't let either of them off the hook!

As her mind began to clear, her phone rang.

Ella answered to hear Jason's voice: "Ella,how are you feeling today?"

"Are you calling just for small talk?" She asked.

"I've contacted several alumni from our university, all with excellent technical backgrounds. Would you like to interview them yourself?"

"Whatever you decide is fine."

"And the renovation team-I've already spoken with them. Everything's proceeding according to plan." He paused, then finally asked what was really on his mind, "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"You couald just bow your head to Austin and avoid all this hardship."

Ella let out a scornful laugh. "Who do you think is responsible for my suffering up to this point?"

If she could do it all over again, she would never choose Austin.

This marriage had taught her that she couldn't rely on anyone but herself.For the rest of her life, she would depend solely on her own strength.

Austin looked down on her and believed she couldn't survive without him.

She was determined to not only survive but thrive, and to defeat him in the very field he prided himself on.

However, as soon as this thought crossed her mind. Jason's voice came through again: "Ella, there's one more thing. Those drone component suppliers we had lined up-they've all just backed out,claiming they can no longer supply us! I suspect someone's pulling strings behind the scenes.

"

He paused, seemingly waiting for Ella to process this information.

"I had someone look into it. All these companies have previously worked with the Raymond Group."

The answer was obvious.

Ella trembled with anger. "I understand. You focus on keeping the team stable while I meet with some potential contacts."

After hanging up, Ella stared out at the overcast sky and took a deep breath.

'Austin, did you really think this would be enough to defeat me?' She thought.

Her phone vibrated with a message from Derek reminding her about tomorrow evening's dinner.

[Seven o'clock at Golden Fork Bistro. Don't be late.]

Ella looked at the message, her eyes flickering slightly.

She replied:[Okay.]

The following evening, Ella dressed with particular care.

She chose a sleek black dress with clean lines that accentuated her slender figure. She applied light makeup to conceal her pallor, projecting the sharp.distant professionalism of a career woman.

When she entered the private dining room. Ella discovered several unfamiliar faces besides Derek.

Derek noticed herarrival, and with a single glance, a server pulled out a chair for her. "Ms. Brooks."

At that moment, two more figures appeared at the entrance-Austin and Judith.

Austin's gaze was cold as ice as he looked past everyone else in the room,landing directly on Ella, seated beside Derek.

He didn't even acknowledge the curious glances from the other executives present, addressing only Ella, "What are you doing here?" His tone suggested she was his personal property.

Ella didn't even raise an eyebrow as she took a small sip from her cup.

Derek, however, smiled as he stood up, his posture straight and his presence every bit as commanding as Austin's. "Mr. Raymond, what a surprise. Had I known you were coming, I would have made proper arrangements."

"When I'm looking for my own people, do I need to inform you?" Austin replied coldly.

His words caused subtle changes in the expressions of the executives present.

"Your people?" Derek raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ella,undisguised amusement in his eyes.

"Mr. Raymond, you're joking," Ella said, standing, meeting Austin's gaze without a hint of fear. "We're divorced. I belong to no one but myself now.

"

Her voice was steady and cool. "Although, Mr. Raymond, you barging into someone else's dinner with Ms. Brooks seems rather beneath the dignity of the Raymond Group's CEO, doesn't lt?"

Austin's expression darkened completely.

Griffin, the CEO of Horizon Ventures Inc. and a well-known figure in venture capital circles, cleared his throat, attempting to ease the tension. "It's all a misunderstanding. Mr. Raymond is just concerned, that's all."

"Concerned?" Ella suddenly smiled, a smile edged with frost. "Mr.Raymond's concern isn't for me. After all, he went so far as to cut off all of Diamond Tech Solutions' component suppliers for Ms. Brooks' sake. That kind of concern-I can't afford it."

Her statement directly exposed Austin's tactics in front of everyone,showing no mercy.

Griffin's expression instantly changed.

He had been somewhat interested in Ella's Diamond Tech Solutions, but if working with her meant offending Austin, the risk was simply too high.

Austin, who had been waiting for this effect, looked coldly at Ella as if she were an insignificant troublemaker. "Business competition is about capability. If your company can't retain its suppliers, that's your problem."

"Ms. Brooks," Griffin spoke after a moment of contemplation,his tone no longer as warm as before. "In business, harmony generates wealth. Mr.Raymond holds significant influence in our industry. Opposing him so openly probably won't benefit your company's development."

Though phrased as advice, his words clearly indicated his position-he wasn't willing to risk offending Austin for the sake of a startup.

Ella suddenly found herself isolated, the center of hostile attention.

Seeing this, Judith's face lit up with a satisfied smile. She spoke in a solt

voice, "Ella, don't be so stubborn. Austin is only looking out for you.Starting a business is so difficult-why put yourself through all that as a woman?"

Ella ignored everyone else and turned her gaze to Griffin.

"Griffin, you're right-business is about capability," She said calmly, her voice carrying a strange, compelling authority. "I heard Horizon Ventures recently invested in a logistics company called 'Time Warp Express' and brought in a state-of-the-art automated sorting system. Is that correct?"

Griffin was startled, not expecting her to suddenly bring this up.

"Yes, that's right."

"Then Griffin, are you aware that while this system is touted as cutting-edge, its actual operational efficiency is fifteen percent below projections?Especially during peak hours between 8 PM and 10 PMA. when the mis-sorting rate spikes dramatically, causing Time Warp's customer complaint rate to double this quarter."

Griffin's face drained of color.

This was internal company data-how could she possibly know it?