Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Shadows Behind the Golden Light

The warm, amber-hued lighting within the private tea room at The Ebony Lounge cast a soft, golden glow across Lucas Hill’s animated face, highlighting the sheer intensity of his expression. He was in the middle of a passionate monologue, his words tumbling out between enthusiastic bites of an exquisitely crafted pastry. As he chewed, he continued to ramble incessantly about his grand plans for the future, his eyes burning with a brilliance that seemed to contain the sparkling depths of an entire galaxy. It appeared that this time, after years of forcing himself to live in the shadows, terrified that the tallest tree would catch the most wind, Lucas had finally found the true guiding light for his path forward.

Julian Sterling and Lucas had been conversing for quite some time, the hours slipping away unnoticed in the comfortable sanctuary of the lounge. The topic of their discussion had gradually shifted from the dry, lifeless figures on the contract pages to the flesh-and-blood individuals who would stand alongside Lucas to steer the ship of Imperial Caine Analytics through the turbulent waters of the industry.

“In the beginning, when I first met Vincent Vaughn through the contact information provided by that competition you suggested, I honestly thought he was completely unapproachable.” Lucas admitted, swallowing a mouthful of cake in haste. He immediately reached out to grab another small, golden-crusted egg tart from the silver tiered stand. It seemed the sweets at The Ebony Lounge suited his palate perfectly, providing a sugary fuel for his high energy.

“His face is always cold as ice, like a statue carved from marble.” Lucas continued, gesturing with the tart: “He wears those gold-rimmed glasses that make him look scholarly, sure, but his gaze is terrifyingly sharp. Every question he asks feels lethal, like he’s dissecting your soul. I almost got dizzy just trying to keep up with his interrogation during our first meeting.”

Lucas took a large bite of the crispy tart, the delicate pastry flaking apart and scattering a few crumbs onto the porcelain plate below. He chuckled, a carefree sound that filled the room: “But after working together a few times, I realized he is actually a very decent guy. He just has a severe resting face,the classic cold on the outside, warm on the inside type. There was this one time I was completely stuck on a piece of code, hitting a wall. Vincent stayed up the entire night fixing the bugs for me without a single word of complaint. By the time morning came, he just silently placed a cup of hot coffee on my desk and went to get some sleep.”

“It seems you have become quite close with him.” Julian observed, taking a slow, elegant sip of his tea. A faint smile played on his lips as he made the comment.

In reality, Julian had not scrutinized every single detail of the original novel with a magnifying glass. Consequently, he did not possess a comprehensive, encyclopedic knowledge of exactly what kind of person Vincent Vaughn was in the original text. What he possessed were merely fragmented puzzle pieces, scattered remnants of plot points: a generational talent in network architecture, a man with significant ambition but also a rigidly high code of professional ethics. He was a figure who had been suppressed and marginalized by his own clan until he was on the brink of madness.

A man like that was a double-edged sword. If one could win his loyalty, it would be like giving wings to a tiger, an unstoppable force. However, if such a talent were to fall into the hands of an opponent, he would become an unpredictable and devastating threat. Currently, listening to Lucas’s anecdotal evidence, it appeared that Vincent was not a bad operator. At the very least, he seemed to be a reliable partner to whom they could entrust the technical backbone of Imperial Caine Analytics.

“How could I be as close to him as you are to your connections?” Lucas laughed mischievously, his tone laced with a hint of teasing: “You are the mysterious financier behind the curtain, after all. But yes, we do talk more now. We are long-term colleagues, after all, staring at each other’s faces for eight hours a day. Ah, that reminds me, do you want to meet them? The core team? I can arrange a discreet meeting, totally off the books.”

In theory, Lucas always regarded Julian as the true boss, the silent sovereign of the company. He had always advocated for the key figures within Imperial Caine Analytics to know exactly who Julian was, believing that transparency with the leadership would strengthen loyalty. However, Julian’s perspective was vastly different.

Julian thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in his mind, before shaking his head with firm resolve: “No, that is not necessary. Not yet. It is not the right time. Meeting them now would only invite unnecessary suspicion, especially given the sensitive position I am currently in. If Vincent or his cousin were to discover that I am a member of the Sterling family, or worse, connected to the Caldwells, their psychological state regarding the work might be compromised. They might start second-guessing our motives or spawn different calculations and schemes.”

Julian set his teacup down on the saucer with a soft clink, looking deeply into Lucas’s eyes to emphasize his instructions: “Rest assured, there will be an opportunity to meet sooner or later. For now, the most important thing is for you to focus on how to push the company to grow, to get it into a stable operational rhythm. I can provide you with abundant financial resources and outline the macro strategy, but when it comes to personnel management and technical expertise, my hands are tied. You and Vincent must strive to handle that yourselves. Just ensure there is no internal strife.”

To be honest, Julian was more than capable of intervening in the technical aspects. After all, he was Azure Caine, the legendary figure Lucas dreamed of inviting to the company. But for the time being, to ensure his cover wasn’t blown too significantly, Julian was forced to maintain the façade that he knew little to nothing about the technical wizardry behind Imperial Caine Analytics. He had to play the role of the wealthy, idle patron who was simply supporting his young friend’s startup out of boredom and benevolence.

Fortunately, the narrative Julian painted was easily convincing to Lucas. Regarding the issues Julian had just raised, Lucas understood them better than anyone. He knew that for a fledgling startup to transform into a powerhouse within a year or two, in a technology world teeming with sharks, was a near-impossible feat. They could only build step by step, moving slowly but surely, creating a foundation of data so solid that no storm could knock them over.

And so, Lucas and Julian once again huddled together, their heads bent over the table as they discussed the development roadmap for the next quarter. They debated the allocation of cash flow and the critical task of recruiting additional subordinates without alerting their competitors.

They lost track of time as they conversed. Outside the panoramic glass window, the city lights had fully taken over the darkness, illuminating the metropolis. By the time they had finalized the most critical items on their agenda, Julian began to feel his body staging a violent protest.

He felt as though his bones were on the verge of falling apart, piece by piece. For the past few days, he had been living the life of a “salted fish”, lying idly in bed, being pampered and served hand and foot by Ethan Caldwell. Now, suddenly having to sit upright on a stiff, formal sofa for several consecutive hours, his lower back and waist were throbbing with a dull, persistent ache.

He looked over at Lucas, who was sprawled comfortably across the opposite chair, completely devoid of any dignified image, looking as relaxed as a cat in the sun. Julian frowned slightly, shifting his weight to the side in a surreptitious attempt to find a more bearable posture. He leaned his back gently against the armrest, trying to release the tension that had knotted the muscles in his shoulders.

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