The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 176

Danielle paused, her gaze unconsciously lingering on the man before her.

Harold?

She'd never met Harold in her previous life, but his name was hard to miss. He was a legend in the industry—the CEO of Vanguard Technologies. He'd taken over his father's company at just twenty-eight, and now, in his thirties, had elevated the already dominant Vanguard Technologies to even greater heights.

She hadn't expected him to show up at Ninesky in person today.

Why hadn't anyone from Ninesky come down to greet such a distinguished guest?

"So you're Mr. Chapman," Danielle said quickly, apologetic. "Hello, I'm Danielle from Ninesky's R&D Division."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Chapman. We really should have sent someone down to meet you properly."

Harold didn't seem the least bit annoyed. He smiled politely. "Miss Crawford, nice to meet you."

He extended his hand, and Danielle shook it, surprised by his gentlemanly demeanor.

"No need to worry, Miss Crawford," Harold said. "Some of our tech team arrived ahead of me. I decided to come over last minute—your Mr. Atwood didn't even know I was coming."

Understanding dawned on Danielle. No wonder there hadn't been anyone waiting to receive him.

Compared to his reputation as a tough negotiator, Harold seemed far more approachable in person—polite and unassuming.

"Shall we?" he prompted.

Danielle led him upstairs, sending a quick message to Gian along the way. As the elevator doors slid open, someone was already waiting to greet them.

Gian approached with a friendly smile. "Mr. Chapman, we had no idea you'd be visiting today. Please forgive us for not meeting you sooner."

Harold's expression was mild, almost warm. "I dropped in on a whim. Please, don't trouble yourselves."

Securing a partnership with Vanguard Technologies was a major win for Ninesky—far more valuable than anything they could get from Sentinel Group.

Meeting Mr. Chapman in person, Danielle was beginning to understand why he'd brought Vanguard to new heights. His vision, his generosity—these weren't qualities you encountered every day.

It was impossible to refuse such an invitation.

Danielle and the rest of the team accompanied the engineers to Cloudwood Private Dining, where Harold had reserved one of the best rooms—a spacious suite that could comfortably seat a dozen people. Only the core tech leads had been invited.

All through dinner, Harold remained quiet, simply listening as the technical teams exchanged ideas. He seemed more like an observer than the center of attention.

Danielle kept glancing at the time, worry gnawing at her. She couldn't stop thinking about her mother waiting in the hospital. The dinner was starting to run long, and she was searching for the right moment to excuse herself.

Harold seemed to notice. He set down his fork and spoke in a gentle tone, "I think we've had enough for tonight. Let's call it here. We can set up another meeting to work out the remaining details."

With the biggest name in the room making the call, the dinner came to a natural close. Even though everyone was still deep in conversation, they all stood to leave.