CHAPTER 147: GOING BACK TO CALIFORNIA

A week after Lillian sent the proposal to Gabriel’s hospital, she found herself in OmniTech’s private plane heading to California with her team.

Gabriel’s board had reviewed the proposal and, to her delight, were very open to negotiating a partnership. The only condition—they wanted to meet OmniTech’s representatives face-to-face before making anything official.

Which was perfectly fine by her. After all, nothing beat sealing a deal in person.

Ethan wasn’t coming along this time, which meant everything was up to her to handle. Which also was fine, as unlike with the deal with Google, she was pretty prepared for this one.

Though, just to be safe, she reviewed the contract once more to make sure that everything was in place.

Ethan had reviewed it and annoying said that the decision of what to offer was up to her.

This meant that he trusted her enough, but it also meant that he’d be extremely disappointed if she ruined this deal, which she had no intention to.

She was going to nail this and impress him.

Her goal in this negotiation?

To gain as much advantage for OmniMed as possible while still making the hospital feel like they were the ones walking away with the better end of the deal.

A tactic she had perfected in just a few months of being OmniTech’s COO. Which was impressive, since she only just graduated a few weeks back.

This partnership was more than just another step for OmniTech’s expansion. It was the bridge between their cybersecurity dominance and their entry into the Meditech industry.

The Vitaband was the foundation of a new era Ethan envisioned: human-centered technology.

And now it was her job to make that dream take its first official step into reality.

She leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs as she stared out the plane window. The clouds outside looked so soft and fluffy... What would it feel like laying in one.

Probably cold, definitely wet and absolutely not as peaceful as it looked.

She shook her head and turned back to the laptop, a small smile on her face.

These random thought was a sign of exactly how relaxed she was, which hadn’t happened in a while.

The past few months had been chaos. Contracts, NDAs and endless back-and-forths. Every step of OmniTech’s expansion had been a war of negotiations. Yet, somehow, she’d come to love it.

There was a strange kind of thrill in it all.

Seeing the OmniTech logo on every presentation slide, hearing people talk about their innovations filled her with happiness.

Theirs had been the fastest growing company in history, she could still remember their conversation at Danny’s.

She remembered Ethan’s words, he said that OmniTech was going to change the world and she was watching it all play in real time before her eyes.

Back then all he had was $15 million dollars and an idea she thought was too ambitious, now?

Right now, OmniTech Corp was being spoken about in every corner of the tech world with just a single product.

And they were about to do it again...

She smiled as she thought about his achievements. She smiled as she thought about his achievements, the way he always seemed three steps ahead of everyone else, almost as if he could see the future.

Every milestone OmniTech hit and with every breakthrough they made, it all traced back to that mind of his.

And somehow, she was part of it.

Looking at OmniTech’s logo on the laptop’s screen, a smile crept up her face, humanity was about to fly into the future and OmniTech was going to pilot it.

***

A few hours later, a soft chime sounded through the cabin.

"Miss Hayes, we’ll be landing shortly," one of the attendants said politely.

"Thank you," Lillian replied with a smile before shutting her laptop.

She glanced across the aisle where Liam was passed out with his earbuds in, while Lizzy was tapping away on her tablet, muttering something about making sure every single thing was working perfectly, causing her to smile.

The two had come along with her because they were the leads of the project so their input was necessary.

Turning to the side, Lillian looked through the window as she saw the sprawling city stretched beneath them.

The sun was beginning its slow descent, casting a golden-orange glow over the skyscrapers, creating a beautiful scene.

Another few minutes later, the flight touched down.

Exiting it, Lillian, Liam, Lizzy and Lillian’s team headed towards the private arrivals section, away from the bustling airport entrance.

The private arrivals lounge was quiet, almost serene compared to the chaos of the main terminal. Lillian led the way, her heels clicking softly on the polished floor.

Liam and Lizzy followed closely, carrying the prototypes in small cases, while the rest of the team trailed behind them.

Two black sedans waited outside, their drivers already in uniform and nodding respectfully as they approached.

Opening the door, Lillian entered alongside the siblings, while the rest of the team entered the next car and they were driven towards a hotel.

The meeting was scheduled for the next two days which was more than enough time for a rest and for them to fully prepare.

While in the car, she turned on her phone sending a message that informed Ethan that she had arrived.

His reply came a moment later causing her to smile.

Liam and Lizzy observed as she smiled at her phone while she typed.

"Are you and Ethan dating?" Without giving Lizzy a chance to stop him, Liam asked out loud causing Lillian to freeze.

"You idiot." Lizzy delivered a strike on his head, causing him to rethink.

He had just asked their boss a personal question but it still seemed that he hadn’t realized what he did wrong as he said,

"What? I was just curious..." Liam said as he rubbed where she hit, but before Lizzy could deliver the second strike, Lillian’s question came.

"W-what makes you think that?"

"Huh?" Lizzy’s hand froze mid air as she turned to look at Lillian only to realize that there was a blush on her face.

Liam, seemingly not realizing what was going on, explain, "well, you almost always have this look on your face when you look at him or maybe it’s just the smile you always have on whenever you text him? You also had it while texting him just before take off."

Lillian’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by his blunt observation. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out immediately. The blush creeping onto her cheeks betrayed her usual composed self.

"I—I do not," she stammered, though her voice lacked conviction. She quickly looked away, pretending to focus on the city lights flashing past the car window.

Lizzy, now sensing the tension, leaned forward and let out a small sigh. "Liam... why did you choose now to let your idiocy show?" she said, shaking her head.

Liam, seemingly ’completely oblivious’, glared at her, "I’m just saying what I see! It’s kind of obvious." He leaned back in his seat, clearly pleased with himself.

Lillian pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a soft sigh. "Honestly, Liam... focus on the meeting tomorrow. That’s what matters. Personal questions are off-limits."

"But—" Liam started, but Lillian held up her hand, cutting him off.

"No buts," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "In two days, you’re all professional. All this is just distraction and I’d prefer if you were a hundred percent focused."

Lizzy chuckled quietly, giving Lillian a look of approval. "Please don’t mind my brother, he can be an idiot sometimes."

Liam slumped in his seat, realizing the that she was giving him a glare. "Fine... fine," he muttered, though a mischievous glint still lingered in his eyes.

Her reaction more or less confirmed his thoughts, it the two were not dating then it meant they were interested in the other which was a bit surprising when it came to Ethan.

But he wisely chose to say nothing, else he risked another strike from his barbarian of a sister.

Lillian leaned back, exhaling slowly. She felt the blush fading, replaced by a renewed focus. The conversation had been a brief distraction, but it reminded her that, despite all the corporate strategy and preparations, human dynamics could still catch you off guard.

She opened her laptop again, reviewing the presentation slides one last time. Vitaband’s features, OmniMed’s potential gains, possible counterpoints from Gabriel’s board, they were all neatly outlined.

The car finally pulled up to the hotel, and Lillian, with a small, composed smile, led her team inside.

The hotel was the same as the one she had stayed with Ethan and Aria when they previously came.

The Ameswell hotel

Booking had already been previously done and all they needed to do now was sign in and go to their various room which didn’t take long and they were soon in their suites.

Lillian crashed into the bed letting out a sigh, turning around, she was faced with the ceiling as she reminded herself,

She was ready for this deal.