"Hello, is this Mr. Logan Wynn?"
The voice on the other end was steady and firm.
It was an unfamiliar voice. Logan paused. "Yes…"
"This is Stephen, the executive assistant of the Lancaster Corporation. I am calling on behalf of the corporation to formally inform you that the partnership between the Lancaster Corporation and the Wynn family is hereby terminated."
"Furthermore, the Lancaster Corporation will not partner with any enterprise that collaborates with the Wynn family in the future. Thank you."
After saying this, Stephen, the assistant, politely hung up.
A dial tone buzzed from the phone.
Logan stood there, stunned, his mind buzzing. He looked as if he'd been struck by lightning, his face deathly pale.
With a clatter, the phone fell from his hand.
He snapped his head up, his pupils constricting as he stared fiercely at Serena. "You… It was you?!"
"No! Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Logan's voice was distorted, his eyes bloodshot with disbelief. "How could you have that kind of power? How could you just say you wanted the Lancaster Corporation to cancel the deal, and they just did it?"
Not only had the Lancasters canceled this partnership…
They had also declared they wouldn't work with any company that worked with the Wynns. Wasn't that a death sentence for the Wynn family?
How could a worthless country girl like Serena have the power to influence the Lancaster Corporation?!
Serena met his horrified gaze, her red lips curling slightly. Her voice was casual, without a ripple. "Didn't you say I was a jinx?"
Her eyes shifted to the stiff-as-a-board Hailey. The smile on her lips turned malicious. "Then let your lucky charm go and beg the Lancaster family to reinstate the deal. Let's see if her tears work, shall we?"
"You!" Logan seethed with rage.
Seeing Hailey's red-rimmed eyes and her pitiful, wronged expression, he pulled her into his arms and glared at Serena. "Stop trying to sow discord! You think I'd believe you?"
He sneered. "Even if the Lancaster Corporation really wanted to terminate the partnership, the call would go to my father or my older brother. Why would they call my cell phone directly?"
His gaze swept over the phone in Serena's hand, his expression one of someone who had figured it all out. "I get it. That so-called executive assistant was just an actor you hired! You deliberately set this up with someone to put on a show in front of me!"
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became. He laughed coldly. "You country bumpkin, is there anything you can do besides trick people?"
"Believe what you want," Serena said, not bothering to waste another breath on him.
"—I believe her."
A lazy, casual voice suddenly cut through Logan's desperate denial.
Nicholas had a cigarette dangling from his lips. He raised a playful,慵懒 eyebrow and glanced at Logan.
His posture was like that of a god looking down on a struggling ant. His tone was one of natural contempt. "The Lancasters aren't blind. Why would they ever choose to partner with a second-rate family like the Wynns?"
Adrian felt a vague sense of familiarity… that voice sounded familiar.
Meanwhile, Serena was hearing Mr. Harrison's hoarse, anxious voice. "Lead Lancaster, there's been an incident at the institute. The core data for 'Project Aegis' has crashed. Some of the encrypted data might be at risk of being leaked. If we can't repair it in time, the entire national project could be compromised, leading to immeasurable consequences…"
Serena's eyes narrowed, her tone firm. "I understand, Mr. Harrison. Send the access codes to my encrypted channel. I'm heading home now to connect remotely and start emergency isolation and repairs. I'll be at the institute first thing tomorrow morning to handle it in person."
She had promised her grandfather she would be home early. If she went to the institute now, she probably wouldn't be back all night.
Even if she explained it to her family, they would likely worry and lose a night's sleep.
Going home to work on the emergency repairs overnight would be fine.
Serena hung up.
"Mr. Harrison's saving grace…" Nicholas's deep, magnetic voice was particularly captivating. His dark, ink-black eyes held an undisguised interest. "So it was you."
Serena glanced at him.
He knew Mr. Harrison too?
But there was no time to dwell on that. Serena gave Nicholas a polite nod. "Excuse me."
With that, she grabbed the back of Brian's collar and turned to leave.
"Serena! Who do you think you're fooling?!—"

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