Chapter 428

Dominic Fairchild also attended the summit.

His seat was positioned in the second row, slightly behind and to the side of Isabella Sinclair and Alexander Whitmore.

He arrived fashionably late.

Just as he was taking his seat, he caught Alexander leaning slightly toward Isabella, initiating conversation.

When Isabella deliberately ignored him, the way Alexander's smile faltered...

Dominic's expression darkened imperceptibly.

For some inexplicable reason, he'd always sensed Alexander treated Isabella differently.

Over the past few months, their interactions had remained strictly professional, leading Dominic to believe Alexander had moved on.

But now—

Dominic's piercing stare was so intense that Alexander couldn't possibly miss it.

Turning his head, Alexander acknowledged him with a polite nod. "Mr. Fairchild, what a pleasant surprise."

Dominic schooled his features into neutrality, responding with a curt hum.

At this prestigious Enterprise Excellence Summit, Walter Ashford stood as one of the keynote political figures. After delivering his opening remarks, Walter and other dignitaries began announcing the list of distinguished enterprises.

Naturally, YodaVision made the cut.

Isabella, Alexander, and Julian Montgomery, along with several other company representatives, ascended the stage to receive their awards. As they accepted their certificates, Walter inquired, "Would any representatives care to share a few words?"

Following Alexander's eloquent speech, Isabella took the microphone. "YodaVision's current success stems from our relentless pursuit of innovation and cultivating teams that embody this philosophy..."

Watching from the audience, Victoria Kensington found the scene mildly amusing.

Really?

While YodaVision had indeed flourished, its achievements hardly correlated with Isabella's contributions.

Yes, she'd published that groundbreaking paper that caused waves—but only after YodaVision had already established its global reputation.

Listening to Isabella now, one might think she'd single-handedly built YodaVision from scratch through sheer determination.

Though she stood on stage accepting the award as the company's representative, everyone knew she merely served as Nathaniel Graves's proxy.

In truth, this honor had absolutely nothing to do with her.

After the speeches concluded, Isabella, Alexander, and the others descended from the stage.

The summit lasted approximately three hours in total.

As it concluded, Isabella prepared to depart.

Noticing her movements, Julian maneuvered past Alexander to approach her. "Leaving so soon?"

"Yes."

However, Isabella had cultivated a respectable reputation in business circles, and numerous entrepreneurs now sought her attention.

Thus, her departure was delayed.

Both she and Julian found themselves surrounded by well-wishers.

Alexander, too, had drawn his own small crowd.

Dominic, aware of Victoria's presence and noting Alexander hadn't immediately sought her out, decided to approach Victoria himself.

Spotting his approach, Victoria greeted him. "Mr. Fairchild, I didn't see you earlier. I'd begun to think you might have skipped the event entirely."

"Unexpected matters detained me," he replied.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Alexander, who had somehow positioned himself beside Isabella again. Dominic's brow furrowed.

Victoria, who monitored Alexander and Isabella's interactions even more closely than Dominic, had naturally noticed as well.

Just as she prepared to comment, Dominic suggested, "Shall we join them?"

Victoria offered a practiced smile. "I still have several matters to discuss with others here. If you have business over there, please don't let me detain you, Mr. Fairchild."