The girls looked at Ingrid's grim face and quieted down.

The second floor of the banquet hall was relatively quiet. When Grant brought Nicole upstairs, an unruly-looking young man in an expensive black shirt stood up.

The two men shook hands briefly. Grant smiled and said, "Mr. Lichman, it's been a while."

Gerard Lichman laughed. The corners of his lips hooked up charmingly. "Hello, Mr. Stanton."

Without waiting for Grant's introduction, Gerard had already moved his gaze onto Nicole. It was an appreciative glance with a decent sense of proportion that was not offensive.

"Ms. Nicole, you're not only beautiful but also capable. I hope that you won't mind that I put off our dinner and invited you to this banquet instead."

Nicole smiled, "Of course not. Congratulations on J& L's 5th anniversary. I hope we'll be able to work together happily in the years to come."

She made a double entendre.

Gerard smiled. "Mr. Stanton, may I talk to Ms. Nicole privately? After all, if there's a chance for cooperation, the person we'll be liaising with is Ms. Nicole."

"Sure." Grant was not surprised by this request and gave Nicole a reassuring glance. He then turned around and went downstairs to network with others.

Gerard and Nicole stood facing each other in front of the railing on the second floor under the ambient light. The handsome man and beautiful woman talked eloquently and calmly.

"Ms. Nicole, I'd like to know why you're so confident about this cooperation."

Gerard held a glass of wine and casually shook the burgundy liquid in the glass.

Nicole raised her eyebrows. A strand of wavy hair fell across her forehead and around her ear. The look in her eyes was very alluring.

"Mr. Lichman, the conditions I gave are very sincere. I believe that you're also aware of it. Compared to so many other investors, there's no one else more suitable than Stanton Corporation. To put it bluntly, you have the technology, and I have the money. Stanton Corporation won't expect J&L to be profitable in five years. Instead, we're looking at long-term cooperation. I believe that in the next ten years, we will be the ones to determine the level of AI development in this world."

Those that could pay more than Stanton Corporation could not provide more benefits than Nicole, while those that could provide more benefits did not have the capital.

Gerard was not just a businessman. He was also an engineer, so he wanted to find the most suitable business partner for his brainchild.

Nicole's bold words made Gerard re-examine the woman in front of him with less playfulness and more solemnity.

Gerard bowed his head and pondered. "Vice President Nicole, do you mind participating in a three-way partnership with another company?"

"Who else?"

Nicole did not believe that there was a better fit than Stanton Corporation.

Gerard raised his glass to indicate behind Nicole. Hearing the soft footsteps that gradually approached them, Nicole's heart suddenly jumped and missed a beat.

Nicole felt a sudden silence in the air. She turned around with her glass of wine and her smile was frozen on her face with just one glance.

Sure enough, the only one who could compete with Stanton Corporation in the same project was none other than Eric Ferguson.

Eric was wearing a black suit with expensive cufflinks that looked familiar to Nicole. It made him seem so cold, indifferent, and unapproachable.

His gaze lingered on Nicole for a few seconds before he greeted Gerard frankly.

Gerard's eyes bounced between the two of them. "I guess I don't need to introduce you both since you should be familiar with each other. Ms. Nicole, my apologies for not telling you in advance that regardless of who our final partner is, Ferguson Corporation will be involved in the project."

Looking at Nicole's puzzled gaze, Gerard chuckled and continued, "That's because Mr. Ferguson has been funding all of my projects as an angel investor since the inception of my company."