Chapter 291 

Mr. Snow hit decline on his ringing phone without even looking. The made three suppliers, two investors, and God knows how many creditors already this morning. 

“When it rains, it pours,” he muttered, slumping deeper into the couch. 

Natalie stopped her pacing to shoot him a look. The clicking of her heels against the floor had been driving him crazy for the past 

hour. 

“Dad, we’re literally drowning here,” she said, gesturing at the stack of financial reports on the coffee table. “Overseas investments tanking, projects frozen, and those vultures won’t stop calling.” 

Mr. Snow pressed his fingers against his temples. The headache that had started last week was now his constant companion. 

Tell me something don’t know,” he snapped. “The Snow name won mean squat in a month if we don’t pull a rabbit out of our 

hat.” 

Natalie watched her father crumble before her eyes. The man who’d once dominated boardrooms now looked small, defeated–old. Her stomach twisted. She’d never even checked price tags while shopping before this week. 

“Nice pep talk.” She dropped onto the armchair across from him. “Got any real ideas hiding behind all that doom and gloom?” 

You think I haven’t been trying?” He straightened up, eyes flashing. While you’ve been-” 

He stopped mid–sentence, a desperate spark lighting his face. “Wait… what about Sophia Haven?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“She likes you, right? Always inviting you to those charity things? Maybe she could talk to Adam, get him to- 

Natalie actually laughed. “Seriously? Sophia’s nice to my face because I tick the right boxes on her daughter–in–law checklist. If Adam actually listened to mommy dearest, I’d already be his doctor instead of watching that Sterling woman put her hands all over 

him.” 

She didn’t add what they both knew–the moment Snow Industries collapsed, Sophia would drop her faster than last season’s 

handbag. 

Mr. Snow winced as pain shot through his skull. Natalie softened, seeing him broken like this. 

“Dad, we need to face facts. Haven Enterprise is our only real option. 

“They lowballed us.” 

“Who else has that kind of cash?” She leaned forward. “Those smaller companies we’ve been talking to? They’re just window 

shopping. Half of them are probably Haven’s puppets anyway.” 

“Adam won’t budge.” 

“We won’t know until we try. She crossed the room to sit beside him “Look, I hate this too. But if we patch together money from five different places and just one backs out halfway through…” She let the thought hang in the air. 

Her father stared at his hands for a long moment. “Fine,” he finally said. “One last shot with Haven. But I’m not begging.” 

“Nobody’s begging,” Natalie said, already reaching for her phone. “Were negotiating.” 

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Chapter 291. 

The afternoon sun glinted off tiven Enterprise’s towering windows the building screamed money and power, making Natalie’s stomach knot even tighter. 

Natalie dug het nails into her palms as they followed the receptionis. The tiny pricks of pain kept her focused, kept her from screaming. 

The conference room door swung open. Adam was already waiting, is wheelchair at the head of the table. Thomas stood nearby, his face giving nothing away. 

Something’s off, Natalie thought. Adam looked… impatient? The man who usually dragged out deals like a cat playing with a mouse now seemed eager to finish and move on. 

“Mr. Haven,” she began, flasking her best smile, “we’ve been thinking about your offer.” 

“And?” One word, flat as a pancake. 

Natalie pushed through the ice in his voice. “Haven Enterprise is clearly the industry leader. Dragging this out isn’t good for anyone. We’re prepared to accept your terms, but we’d like twenty–five billion given the technology’s potential.” 

Adam Midn’t even blink. “No. Twenty billion is already more than it’s worth. Any money it makes in the future will be because of Haven’s team, not your idea.” 

The dismissal stung, but Natalie had expected it. She pivoted smoothly. 

“Twenty billion works,” she conceded, “but Snow Industries wants to stay involved. We have fully equipped labs sitting empty, experienced staff—”  ̧ 

“Not happening,” Adam cut her off with a flick of his hand. “Haven doesn’t need help with this.” 

Natalie caught her father’s defeated look. Another dead end. 

Then Adam casually flipped through their materials. “Of course, taking this deal puts Snow and Haven in business together. That connection opens doors.” His eyes flicked up to Mr. Snow. “Worth thinking about.” 

Mr. Snow straightened like he’d been shocked. “You mean that?” 

Adam nodded once before immediately returning to business. “Twenty billion. Yes or no?” 

The message was clear. Haven’s name could help with banks, buy them time with lenders, boost their reputation. A thin lifeline, but still a lifeline. 

“Yes,” Mr. Snow said, grasping at hope. “But the full amount transfers within 24 hours after signing. No installments.” 

The urgency wasn’t subtle. Those overseas creditors weren’t the patient type. 

“Done,” Adam agreed without hesitation. He snapped his fingers, and Thomas scooped up their documents and disappeared. 

When Thomas returned with the final contracts thirty minutes later, Mr. Snow’s hand trembled slightly as he pressed the Snow family seal onto the paper. Just like that, years of research and development–gone. 

The door closed behind the Snow family. Thomas neatly filed away the contracts while Adam immediately checked his phone, his whole mood visibly changing. 

His screen lit up with a new message from Irene: “The kids won’t stop talking about snorkeling again. Lucas claims he saw a mermaid. Want to weigh in on this debate?” 

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Chapter 291 

A genuine smile broke across Adam’s face as he typed back: “Tell him believe him. And remind Lily I found more starfish spots for 

next time.” 

Next time. The words lingered his screen. Their island getaway had changed everything, leaving both of them dancing around what came next. 

“Treatment tomorrow? Or too busy playing corporate shark?” Irene’s reply came quickly. 

“Never too busy for you.” Adam hesitated, then hit send before he could overthink it. 

Thomas glanced up, catching his boss staring at the wall calendar, specifically at a date circled in red. The ghost of a smile played at Adam’s lips. 

“Will there be anything else, sir?” Thomas asked. 

“No,” Adam replied, His voice lighter than it had been all day. “We’re done here.” 

As Thomas left, he couldn’t miss how Adam had changed these past weeks. The boss who used to drag out every deal just to watch people squirm had rushed through a billion–dollar deal like he was picking up dry cleaning. 

That circled date on the calendar wasn’t for some meeting. It was clearly for.something personal–something Adam was actually 

looking forward to. 

Adam’s fingers tapped against his armrest with a rhythm that looked a lot like counting down days. The ice–cold businessman had disappeared, replaced by a man with his eyes on something that really mattered. 

Or someone. 

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