Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 9

Lillian had no idea what her message would set in motion.

She didn’t get a reply after sending it, but the next morning, there was a knock on her hotel room door.

When she opened it, she saw an old friend she hadn’t seen in years.

Lillian stared in astonishment.

She almost didn't recognize Nathan Cole. The disheveled programmer with the thick, black-rimmed glasses and perpetual plaid shirt was gone. In his place stood a man in a sharp business suit, his hair meticulously styled. The heavy black frames had been replaced with thin, gold-rimmed glasses, giving him the air of a successful executive.

But when he spoke, he was still the same old Nathan.

“Li, for the office we’ve been keeping empty for you, I bought a bed. One of those massage-function ones we used to dream about.”

His words seemed to transport her back years ago, to a time when she was still the Lillian full of her own dreams.

As teenagers, their group had their own workshop, taking on all sorts of projects, eventually turning that workshop into a company.

But she had thrown herself headlong into love, charging onto a battlefield of her own making, and pressed pause on her dreams and career.

Her friends had all moved forward, while she had been gone for years.

She didn’t even know if she could keep up with them now that she was back.

Nathan, emotional and excited, talked nonstop.

He told her about the company's growth since she left, the changes in the industry, and the company's three main focuses now: artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and, most importantly, the low-altitude economy.

As Nathan spoke animatedly, Lillian listened, shocked at how rapidly things had progressed in the few years she’d been away.

Finally, Nathan noticed the complex expression on her face.

“Li, the algorithm you wrote that won you that award is still unmatched to this day. With the industry’s development and demand, do you have any idea how many people are desperate for it?”

Lillian smiled faintly. “Let’s not dwell on past glories. After five years away, I really can’t keep up.”

Nathan immediately pulled a laptop from his backpack. “Li, I brought this for you. I’ve loaded it with all the files you’ll need.

“All the source code for the company’s projects is on here. Take a month, get familiar with everything again.

“You’ll always be the fifteen-year-old genius I remember.”

Lillian looked hesitant. “But I’m almost thirty now.”

Over six years away. That was time she could never get back.

Nathan insisted, “Your starting line is different from everyone else’s, Li. You were already at the finish line.

“Do you know how many tech companies in this country want the rights to use the ‘Li’ algorithm?

“And you’re the only one who has the source code. If you were willing to sell it, you’d be on the rich list.”

Lillian just smiled gently at the praise.

It was the one resource from her past that she hadn’t been willing to throw away for Sebastian’s startup.

Her past achievements were indeed something to be proud of.

But she knew she needed to move forward.

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