NOVEL NEXT Chapter 125: Deals Secured
The following afternoon, the air in Singapore felt lighter, the kind that comes after something monumental.
The city's skyline gleamed through the tinted windows of a discreet, high-end restaurant overlooking Marina Bay. It wasn't one of those places listed in the tourist guides. This was the kind of establishment where CEOs met behind closed doors, where deals worth billions were toasted quietly with aged wine and no cameras in sight.
Timothy Guerrero had reserved the entire private section of the restaurant.
No reporters. No staff beyond a trusted few.
Just him, Hana, and the men and women who had moments ago made history with him.
Jensen Huang sat at the far end of the table, relaxed for the first time in days. Beside him, Sundar Pichai was scrolling through emails, while Satya Nadella and Andy Jassy exchanged quiet remarks about potential synergies. Elon Musk, as usual, had taken a seat by the window, watching the traffic below with an expression halfway between boredom and genius plotting.
Even Mark Zuckerberg was there, quietly sipping mineral water instead of wine, his face lit faintly by the glow of his AR lenses.
"This feels like a scene from a movie," Hana murmured beside Timothy, her voice barely audible over the soft hum of jazz playing in the background.
Timothy smiled faintly, swirling his glass of Bordeaux. "Except in this one, the heroes wear suits and move markets instead of swords."
The servers moved like shadows, setting down an array of fine dishes, Japanese wagyu seared to perfection, truffle risotto, black cod glazed in miso, and platters of fresh oysters. No one said much at first; even titans needed a moment to let victory sink in.
Jensen broke the silence first. "Well, Mr. Guerrero," he said, his tone warm, "you've just turned a company barely an infant into the single most powerful semiconductor supplier on Earth."
Timothy gave a small nod. "It's not just me. We're partners now, all of us have a stake in the infrastructure of the future."
Zuckerberg smirked slightly. "You make it sound poetic."
"Business is just poetry written in numbers," Timothy said evenly, earning a chuckle from Nadella.
Andy Jassy raised his glass. "Then here's to numbers — and to the men and women who know how to multiply them."
They toasted quietly.
No clinking of glasses, just the subtle acknowledgment of respect between giants.
Elon leaned forward, grinning. "I still can't believe you got us all in one room without the SEC showing up."
Timothy chuckled. "I'm sure they'll find out soon enough. But by then, it won't matter. The foundation's already set."
"That's dangerous confidence," Johny Srouji remarked with a faint smirk.
"It's not confidence," Timothy replied calmly. "It's inevitability."
The table fell into a natural rhythm after that, small talk mixed with strategy. Hana listened quietly as the executives discussed deployment schedules, supply chain bottlenecks, and timelines for the first Aurion X3 shipments. Yet, beneath the technical chatter, there was an unspoken understanding: everyone here had just secured their future, and Timothy was the man who made it happen.
By the time dessert arrived, molten chocolate cake and fine espresso, the group had loosened up.
Jensen and Nadella were laughing about old Silicon Valley rivalries.
Sundar was discussing AI ethics with Sam Altman.
And Elon was sketching orbital cluster diagrams on a napkin, muttering about "AI in low orbit" while Hana tried not to laugh.
Timothy watched it all quietly. A room filled with the world's most powerful innovators, breaking bread and talking like old colleagues. A surreal sight, one that only a few years ago would've seemed impossible.
As the meal came to a close, Timothy stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Gentlemen," he said, his tone composed but sincere, "and Johny, thank you for today. For your trust, your partnership, and your belief in Aurion. We've built something that will outlast us all."
The room fell quiet for a moment. Then Jensen rose, extending a hand. "You've earned this, Timothy. Remember this day, it's the beginning of a new chapter."
"I intend to," Timothy said, shaking his hand firmly.
One by one, the executives gathered their things.
They didn't leave with the flash of paparazzi or entourages, only silent nods and knowing smiles. Deals of this scale didn't need cameras to be historic. The numbers would tell their own story soon enough.
Outside, as Timothy and Hana exited through the back corridor of the restaurant to avoid attention, the late afternoon sun painted Raffles Place in gold. They walked side by side toward the waiting car, the faint hum of the city surrounding them.
Hana finally spoke as they entered the vehicle. "That went smoother than I expected. You practically made every one of them double their bids."
Timothy smirked faintly. "You make the most out of the opportunity."
By the time they reached the headquarters at Raffles Place, twilight had begun to settle.
The skyscrapers gleamed in shades of copper and silver, their reflections shimmering across the bay. Inside the quiet of the TG Mobility Holdings boardroom, Timothy stood by the window, staring at the city below.
The view stretched endlessly, cranes over construction sites, cargo ships gliding toward the port, the glow of offices still alive with movement. It was the heartbeat of a world in motion.
Behind him, Hana placed a stack of signed contracts neatly on the table. "All finalized," she said softly.
"Total commitments now exceed $120 billion. Once the fabs in Subic and Batangas expand, we'll be printing gold."
He let the silence settle between them for a moment before continuing.
"Once we expand to Cebu and Davao, the power demand will multiply," Timothy murmured. "We'll need cheaper, stable electricity, something we can control. The current grid won't sustain what we're building."
Hana nodded thoughtfully. "You mean the nuclear plant?"
Timothy didn't turn around. "Eventually. Either we build the power, or the power limits us. And we need it now and fast."
"But a nuclear power plant takes like half a decade to build right?"
"It is, but there is one company making a small nuclear reactor," Timothy said and continued. "And I want you to look into it."
"What's the name of the company?"
"Nuscale," Timothy revealed.