Danielle nodded and led Niki into the apartment building. Gian watched until they disappeared into the elevator before turning and heading toward the supermarket at the community entrance. He knew that beneath Danielle's calm exterior lay a great deal of past pain, and the best he could do was simply be there for her.
-
Meanwhile, Alexander remained in his car, motionless, long after Danielle's vehicle had driven out of sight. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling within him. After a long moment, he slowly opened them, started the car, and drove off in the opposite direction.
-
A new company had moved into an office building in the tech park. The NextCore Tech sign gleamed atop the skyscraper, its glass facade reflecting the blue sky and white clouds—a mirror of the city's high hopes for this new power in the aerospace industry. This was the new company Alexander had founded to relaunch the Phoenix-07 fighter jet project. From its inception, it had become a magnet for capital and top technical talent.
In the Ninesky Technologies conference room, a collaboration proposal from NextCore lay on the table before Danielle and Gian.
“So, are we going to accept this olive branch from NextCore?” Gian asked, his voice cautious as he tapped his finger on the proposal.
Danielle lifted her coffee mug, feeling the warmth of the ceramic against her fingertips. Her gaze drifted out the window to the NextCore building, standing not far in the distance.
The negotiations quickly got down to business. Leveraging the unique value of the Phoenix-07 project, NextCore held a clear advantage, especially on the issue of profit sharing, where Alexander refused to yield an inch.
Alexander's voice was level but carried an undeniable weight. “The core technology for the Phoenix-07 project, government liaison, and primary marketing will all be handled by us. This profit split is perfectly reasonable.”
A member of the Ninesky team immediately countered, “Mr. Davidson, we can't accept those terms. Ninesky will not only be dedicating our technical team to R&D, but we'll also be managing the production liaison for certain components and handling follow-up after-sales services. The percentage you're offering is not proportional to our investment.”
Alexander picked up his glass of water and took a small sip. “The core technology is in NextCore's hands. That is an irreplaceable advantage,” he stated. “Ninesky's contributions are certainly important, but not enough to change the fundamental logic of the equity distribution. We can't offer any more.”

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