George Mullen, the leader in Stella Technology's Sales Department, was the sales champion when THG was launched. Now, with PWL on the verge of going public, he is once again at the helm, spearheading the marketing strategy.
George walked through the bustling crowd to greet Estelle, "Where are you working now, Manager Gery?"
Estelle spoke in a detached tone, not wanting to elaborate: "I haven't been doing much. A friend's company started a new project, so I went over there to help out temporarily."
She remembered when she found Aiden with that THG robot in her bedroom, and he had said it was foisted upon him by the sales department.
Estelle couldn't tell how much of what he said was true, but even if it was, she wouldn't hold it against the sales department. However, after their breakup, which became the hottest gossip at Stella Technology, on the day she left, she returned to find Aiden about Crescent's issues. After leaving Gavriel's office and passing by the sales department, she heard several sales team leaders gossiping and stretching of fact. Estelle stood behind a pillar as the crude remarks drifted into her ears.
Estelle didn't know if George had been present or not; maybe he hadn't joined in, or perhaps he just hadn't spoken up. But whatever the case, it was all in the past. She was too tired to refute absurd rumors or maintain meaningless social ties.
Looking at the dazzling signboard, Estelle asked, "Is PWL ready so soon?"
"Yes," George replied, "Since Mr.Watson secured that government contract, Stella Technology's stock prices have been climbing. Mr. Watson is very happy and wants to leverage the publicity from the government order to expand further. It just so happens that PWL's development is nearly complete, so they decided to call a board meeting to bring forward its launch and sale."
Estelle furrowed her brows and repeated his words, "Nearly complete?"
"Oh, no," George realized his slip and quickly smiled, "The development phase for PWL ended a while ago. Manager Edward submitted the final report at the end of April, and everything has gone smoothly. PWL was originally scheduled to be launched next year, but now it's been brought forward by more than half a year. I got a bit carried away with my excitement. Please don't take offense, Manager Grey."
Estelle didn't say anything more,
But then she thought about how Crescent was a defective unit of the PWL project that had been discarded two months ago. His behavior, speech, emotions, and service functions were still relatively fine. After that, PWL continued development for another month before completing the project. Perhaps it really had passed multiple tests and met the standards for release.
Estelle nodded and then suddenly asked, "Does PWL only have 99 prototypes?"
"Yes. From PWL-001 to PWL-099, they are all the zero-generation prototype robots of the PWL project."
Estelle said, "I remember that the THG project had 100 units at the time."
George paused for a moment and laughed, "That I didn't know. The number of zero-generation prototypes is an internal matter for the project team. Once development is completed, the robots are handed over to the sales department. We just take whatever we get. Besides, 99 and 100 only differ by one, it's not a big deal. What do you think, Manager Grey?"
Estelle conceded, smiling, "You're right."
As they talked, Crescent waited quietly nearby.
George, with his keen sense for gossip, looked at Crescent and asked with a smile, "Is he your new boyfriend?"
"A relative's child," she said, sticking to her story.
"Oh... I see." George looked apologetic. "Sorry for being presumptuous. He looks so handsome, I thought he'd be a good match for you."
They chatted a bit more. The exhibition hall was bustling with activity, and a team member came over to ask George to return and confirm some details.
So they naturally wrapped up their conversation. George turned around and waved at Estelle, "See you later, Manager Grey."
"See you later," said Estelle.
Crescent stood among the crowd, and as Estelle approached him, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "You're back."
"I ran into a friend and chatted for a bit," Estelle explained briefly. "Let's go buy some clothes."
The robot had an internal temperature regulation program, so Crescent wasn't afraid of the cold; rather, wearing too many layers could affect heat dissipation.
Estelle headed to the men's clothing section. With Crescent's good looks and physique, choosing clothes for him was effortless. As long as the size was right, anything looked good on him.
In less than ten minutes inside the store, the shopping was done. Crescent went to pay for the pile of new clothes. He pressed his finger on the sensor, and the screen displayed the electronic account. The shop assistant folded the clothes and said, "Miss. Grey, thank you for your patronage."
His logical system gave him analytical capabilities, and Crescent knew it was a mix-up. The fingerprint cover used his as Estelle's, and the shop assistant, seeing the account information, mistakenly assumed it was his name.
But it didn't matter; they both shared the same surname. Crescent took the clothes and nodded in response, "Thank you."
Estelle watched him amusedly. Crescent came over with the shopping bag, and she said, "Change into them now. This one is too warm; you'll be uncomfortable."
Crescent immediately acted. Estelle realized it was too late, "Hey!...Who told you to undress here?"
Crescent paused with his hand on the hoodie's hem, his head poking out halfway, "Can't I?"
The shop assistant discreetly looked away. Estelle sighed helplessly. At least it was just the upper body.
Her gaze lingered on his exposed abs, where the muscle definition was clear, and synthetic blood vessels extended beneath his skin, with faint veins rising at his hipbones.
She pulled Crescent aside, using the wardrobe to shield him, and ordered him to change quickly.
Crescent quickly removed his hoodie and put on the new T-shirt. His hands were beautiful, with slender arms slipping down the sleeves. Estelle stared at them for a while.
Suddenly recalling what Sera had said to her, that she should keep Crescent as a kept man — in reality, his daily needs were already under her care, and he had already done what a kept man would do for her.
Looking at his clearly defined fingers, she couldn't help but recall the way he had served her with those hands. An idea began to form, and she asked softly, "Do you want doing something on bed?"
Crescent immediately looked at her and answered, "Yes."
"Alright, let's go home then."
