My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

Niall's humble response was met with polite skepticism from the team. They clearly believed she was being modest about her achievements. After the brief celebration of her recognition, everyone returned to their tasks with renewed focus.

DataPulse's press conference had been scheduled for that morning, but Niall had been too engrossed in her work to check for updates. Now curious, she pulled out her smartphone and began searching for news about the event.

"Were you at the morning press conference as well, Mr. Harris?" she asked Maverick while scrolling through the search results.

"Yeah," he confirmed simply.

As she played a video clip, the screen filled with Veronica's confident presentation of DataPulse's cutting-edge products and technological innovations. Maverick watched Niall's face carefully, searching for any hint of jealousy or resentment toward her former colleague. To his surprise, her expression remained perfectly composed, revealing no negative emotions whatsoever.

The stark contrast between Veronica's open hostility toward Niall during the Christmas gathering and Niall's current dignified demeanor wasn't lost on Maverick. It reinforced his assessment that Veronica couldn't match Niall's professional poise and maturity.

Before Maverick could voice his observations, Malachi leaned toward Niall, eyes fixed on her screen. "I caught parts of DataPulse's press conference earlier. Their technology is genuinely impressive," he remarked with genuine admiration.

"You're right," Niall acknowledged without hesitation.

Though Maverick didn't consider himself a technology expert, even he recognized DataPulse's exceptional capabilities in the industry. As Niall switched to footage of Dario delivering his portion of the presentation, Maverick seized the opportunity to offer encouragement.

"With Ms. Crystal on the team, Stellar has every opportunity to develop even more groundbreaking technology in the future," he stated confidently.

A soft smile appeared on Niall's face. "You're too kind, Mr. Harris. Compared to Mr. Reid, I still have considerable ground to cover."

Maverick interpreted her response as excessive modesty. "There's no need to downplay your abilities, Ms. Crystal."

"But it's the truth," Niall interjected, her voice carrying genuine conviction. "Learning from Mr. Blair has always been a dream of mine. I recently had the opportunity to meet him, but I wasn't yet qualified to become his student."

Her candor was refreshing, and Maverick found himself appreciating her honest self-assessment.

This revelation clarified something for Maverick – Niall's interest in Dario wasn't merely about his AI expertise, but also because he had been mentored by the legendary Malcolm Blair.

"If you haven't reached that level yet, just keep pushing forward," Maverick encouraged. "With your capabilities, I'm certain you'll achieve your goal eventually."

Niall smiled appreciatively at his words. Before she could respond, Cullen entered the room, slightly rushed.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr. Harris," Cullen said with professional courtesy.

Maverick stood to greet him. "Not at all, Mr. Dennis. I arrived earlier than scheduled."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Cullen gave Niall a meaningful smile before leading Maverick upstairs to discuss their business matters in private.

Niall watched them depart, her mind already shifting back to her projects. Just as she was about to immerse herself in work again, her phone vibrated with an incoming call. The screen displayed Isaac's name.

It wasn't surprising that Isaac and the rest of the Crystal family had watched DataPulse's press conference. The event had created significant waves throughout the technology sector.

The prospect of DataPulse potentially generating enormous profits had intensified the pressure Isaac felt as head of the family business. While the Crystal owned their own technology company, they lacked the crucial breakthrough innovations needed to remain competitive. This had resulted in years of mounting financial losses.

Losing money would be tolerable if they were making genuine progress, but after all this time, their technology division remained stagnant. Each passing day meant burning through more capital – a situation that kept Isaac perpetually on edge.

This explained his call to Niall. He was hoping she might offer some solution or insight, especially given Cullen's ongoing mentorship. More than that, Isaac wondered if Niall had finally reached a level of expertise that might impress Malcolm Blair himself – a connection that could potentially transform the family's fortunes.