After he left, the restaurant returned to silence, but the atmosphere had become even more charged following this unexpected visitor.

"Stay away from him," Austin said, his voice turning cold.

"The Ashton family is political hyenas who will devour you whole and leave nothing behind."

"From where I'm sitting, you seem no different," Ella remarked casually.

Austin was momentarily caught off guard by her response and.surprisingly, offered no rebuttal.

He remained silent for several seconds before suddenly speaking. "Before you go to WVillowvale Heights, you'll need an absolutely secure location to complete the preliminary data integration for the Sprout Initiative."

"Vanguard Technologies' lab doesn't have adequate security clearance anymore."

"What are you suggesting?"Ella asked.

"I have a private island with my own laboratory. The security system is on par with the Drakmoor government's."

He looked at her, revealing the true purpose of tonight's meeting.

"Move in, Stay at my place,"

Austin's words weren't a request but a statement-not an invitation but a decision already made that brooked no alteration.

Ella looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Mr. Raymond. perhaps you've forgotten that we're already divorced."

""Living together' between ex-husband and ex-wife is truly nauseating."

Austin's expression darkened. though surprisingly. he didn't become angry.

"I have three separate villas on the island. each a mile of coastline apart from the next."

"My laboratory is at the northern end of the island; your living area would be at the southern end. We'd have the entire island between us."

"I'm merely offering what appears to be the safest. most efficient solution right now."

"And the conditions?" She asked.

"The condition is that once all external threats have been properly handled.Diamond Tech and the Raymond Group will sign an exclusive ten-year strategic technology partnership agreement to enable resource sharing and mutual advantages in the tech sphere, allowing us to jointly expand our market presence and enhance our comperitive edge. What I want is your future."

Ella stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside were the glittering lights of Drakmoor's metropolis; inside were two people who had once been the most intimate of partners, now conducting a cold business transaction as enemies.

"All right," She said, turning to face him. "I accept. But I have conditions of my own."

"First, all security on the island must be taken over by my people and Dr.

Adler's team. I don't want any unauthorized eyes in the laboratory."

"Second, our cooperation is strictly limited to the technical sphere. In terms of our personal lives. I hope you can remember the fact that we are divorced and avoid any behavior that crosses boundaries."

"Third." She paused, her gaze suddenly turning sharp.

"For the Willowvale Heights bid, I must have full authority.You can provide resources, but you cannot interfere with any of my decisions."

"Deal," He said, standing and extending his hand toward her.

Ella looked at that hand-the same one that had dragged her into the abyss countless times, yet had occasionally offered her moments of warmth.She hesitated for a second before finally taking it.

As their hands clasped, there was no warmth, only the silent sealing of an unspoken alliance between them.

The following morning, a black helicopter was already waiting on the rooftop of Vanguard Technologies's headquarters.

Robert, leading his core technical team, packed all server hard drives and critical equipment into specially designed shock-resistant transport cases.

"Ella, are you sure about this?" He asked.

"Dr. Adler, we're in a race against the devil," Ella replied. "Sometimés, we need to borrow the strength of another devil."

The helicopter rose into the air with a thunderous roar, heading toward the deep ocean.

About half an hour later, an emerald-green island shrouded in morning

mist appeared in Ella's view.

Austin was already waiting there, with a row of technicians in white sterile work uniforms standing behind him.

"Welcome to DeepSea," He said.

"This is the highest level access card. It will grant you entry to any area here."

Ella took the card without saying thank you and followed Austin intothe building called "DeepSea."

For the first time, Ella felt genuinely impressed. This wasn't merely a private laboratory-it was a national-level research facility.

The Raymond family's power in Drakmoor was far more terrifyingthan she had imagined.

"I'll arrange for your team to stay in Villa Two on the south end of the island," Austin continued. "Villa One is my residence. You can stay in Villa Three. There are dedicated underground tunnels between the two villas that lead directly to the laboratory."

His arrangements were meticulous to the point of being cold,perfectly honoring their agreement from the previous night about mutual non-interference.

Ella's team quickly began transferring data and connecting to the servers under Robert's leadership.

Meanwhile,Ella followed Austin to the lowest level of the laboratory.Unlikethe server room above, this was a more private research space.Several large interactive data screens hung on the walls, and in the center

stood a quantum computer prototype that Ella had never seen before.

She recognized it Immediately.

"I bought it," Austin said matter-of-factly.

Ella approached the prototype, her fingers gently caressing the cold metal casing.

She suddenly understood that Austin's claim about investing in future rule-makers wasn't empty talk.

Just then, her attention was drawn to a temperature-controlled safe nearby.

Through the bulletproof glass, she saw a very old 1980s computer resting inside.

"That was my mother's legacy," Austin's voice came from behind her.

"Many years ago, when she first came to Drakmoor, she used this computer. She once said that all great things begin from the simplest starting point."

Ella turned to face him. "You knew about my mother all along?"

"I only knew that she was a truly remarkable woman," He replied.