Chapter 201

Simon continued, "Why don't you talk to Nathaniel? You two have some history, don't you?"

Sebastian shook his head. "I could try, but I doubt Nathaniel would listen."

From the way Isabella had agreed to switch dance partners that evening, Sebastian had sensed there was nothing romantic between her and Nathaniel.

Yet it was equally clear Nathaniel held Isabella in high regard.

Sebastian didn't believe that even if he helped Dominic reconcile with Nathaniel, the tech CEO would suddenly agree to collaborate.

"So we're back to focusing on Ms. Sinclair?" Simon tapped his fingers on the table. "But we know so little about her. How should we approach this? Should we investigate her background?"

Dominic waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. I'm done wasting time on her. I'll just call in an old favor."

Sebastian's eyes sharpened. "You mean reaching out to Mr. Aldridge?"

"Exactly."

Since Nathaniel was Frederick's protégé, Dominic believed the mentor's word would carry weight.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone to call Richard.

As Dominic left the restaurant, his finger hovered over Richard's contact. Before he could dial, his phone rang with an incoming call from his father.

Richard got straight to business. "How did the negotiations with VisionTech go?"

Dominic decided honesty was best. "They fell through. I was actually about to ask for your help."

"What happened?"

"I offended one of VisionTech's engineers, and because of her, Nathaniel—"

Richard interrupted sharply. "What's her name?"

Dominic blinked at the unexpected question but answered automatically, "Isabella Sinclair."

A long exhale came through the line, followed by a dry chuckle. "Remarkable. You managed to alienate one of their key technical staff before negotiations even began."

Dominic opened his mouth to argue that Isabella wasn't truly essential—just someone with an unclear relationship to Nathaniel.

But Richard didn't let him speak. "I'll handle this," he said abruptly.

"Thanks, Dad!" Dominic responded immediately.

"Shameless."

"When's your next break?" Dominic saw nothing wrong with asking for family assistance this time.

In his mind, he could have secured the VisionTech deal through merit alone. Personal grudges shouldn't interfere with business.

Richard's voice turned sardonic. "I was planning time off next week. Now I think I'll cancel. Seeing you might give me a heart attack."

The line went dead.

As for Isabella? Richard didn't even mention her. Sometimes life needed obstacles to keep things interesting.

Hanging up, Richard immediately dialed another number.

Isabella's gaze shifted from her computer screen. Seeing Richard's name, her fingers paused before answering. "Mr. Fairchild."

Richard chuckled. "You're clever enough to guess why I'm calling, aren't you?"

Isabella made a noncommittal sound.

Even though her silence confirmed she understood, Richard asked anyway, "Will you agree to work with Dominic? Consider it a personal favor to me. What do you say?"

Business was business. With enough mutual benefit, even rivals could become partners.