Free Web NovelChapter 96: Chapter 96 Aster’s Reputation
Aster was unrivaled in the industry.
Once her identity was revealed, she would no longer be just Rose Bennett—she would be the legendary Aster.
And that level of fame would attract an extraordinary amount of attention.
Countless people would dig into her past.
Some secrets simply couldn’t withstand that kind of scrutiny.
And right now, Rose was carrying the biggest secret of all: Ariel.
Caution had to come first.
After all, she hadn’t officially received her divorce certificate yet.
For the time being, she would continue operating under the identity of a researcher at G.S.
Caleb nodded in agreement. “You’re right. It won’t hurt to wait a little longer.”
Afterward, Rose and Caleb spent the rest of the morning screening several rounds of potential investors.
That afternoon, Rose returned to Peace Medical Center to monitor the clinical trial.
The moment she arrived, she ran into Oliver.
Rose simply looked away and acted as though he didn’t exist.
A trace of awkwardness flashed across Oliver’s face.
He hadn’t expected Rose to be so openly dismissive of him.
Then he remembered why he had come to the hospital in the first place.
“Oliver, what are you doing standing here?” Samantha had just come downstairs.
Mike’s vital signs had been unstable, so he remained hospitalized for observation. As a result, Samantha had been spending most of her days at the hospital.
Oliver turned around.
Ryan was there as well.
Shrugging helplessly, he said, “You’ve heard about the G.S. investment project, right?”
At the mention of G.S., Samantha frowned.
Disbelief flickered across her face.
No matter how she looked at it, the project sounded unrealistic.
If it actually succeeded, wouldn’t it solve one of the greatest challenges in modern brain surgery?
Did they really think they were about to rewrite the future of medicine?
“You want to invest?” Ryan’s voice was calm and indifferent.
He had immediately guessed Oliver’s purpose.
Oliver pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Not me. My grandfather.”
He sighed dramatically. “He heard about the project and keeps insisting that I invest. According to him, it’s the next major industry trend and could become a revolutionary breakthrough. Personally, I don’t see it.”
He genuinely couldn’t understand why the old man was so confident.
In fact, his grandfather had repeatedly instructed him to invest as much as possible.
Oliver wasn’t optimistic.
But after hearing the same lecture over and over, he had eventually come to take a look.
Unfortunately, Rose had greeted him with complete indifference.
The little enthusiasm he had left vanished immediately.
Seeing that Oliver shared her opinion, Samantha finally smiled.
“Honestly, I think you’re right. Your grandfather is being overly idealistic.”
She crossed her arms. “I’ve reviewed the G.S. project. As someone working in the industry, I’d say the chances of success are extremely low.”
Oliver immediately perked up. “Care to explain?”
Ryan lowered his gaze and casually scrolled through his phone.
A trace of contempt flashed through Samantha’s eyes. “Current technology is the biggest obstacle. "They’re trying to develop a hybrid medical robot powered by artificial intelligence and precision medicine. The technical barriers are simply too great."
She continued calmly. "To make it work, they’d need someone with extensive medical training, years of pharmaceutical research experience, and a deep understanding of artificial intelligence. Finding experts in any one of those fields isn’t difficult. Finding someone who excels in all three is nearly impossible."
"And that’s not all."
"They would also need access to G.S.’s Aetheris Medical AI database."
"The combination of talent, data, and technology required for a project like this makes the likelihood of success extremely low."
So how had G.S. supposedly managed it?
Samantha acknowledged that G.S. was a rising star within the industry.
But this particular concept felt far too ambitious.
Almost impossible.
The moment Oliver heard her explanation, he was convinced.
“You make a good point.”
He nodded repeatedly. “Medicine, pharmacology, artificial intelligence, and the Aetheris Medical AI system? Just finding people who can understand each other’s work would be a challenge. They’d probably spend more time arguing than developing anything.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it. I’m not investing.”
“I’ll just tell my grandfather I looked into it and decided against it.”
If the project failed, he could proudly tell the old man he had avoided wasting money.
Maybe he’d even earn some praise for being cautious.
Only then did Samantha smile in satisfaction.
“It’s good that you’re willing to listen to advice.”
Oliver had always trusted her judgment.
After all, she had once saved his grandfather’s life.
That favor carried a lot of weight.
Ryan slipped his phone back into his pocket and finally looked up.
“Have you reviewed the project’s feasibility report and completed a risk assessment?”
Those were basic requirements before making any investment decision.
Data was always more reliable than speculation.
Oliver shrugged. “I was planning to get some insider information from Rose, but she’s acting like she doesn’t know me.”
He chuckled. “Besides, if Samantha already says the project isn’t feasible, why bother? It doesn’t matter whether I invest or not.”
He simply didn’t believe G.S. could pull it off.
If they somehow succeeded, the technology would completely transform the industry.
It would become a foundational patent worth tens of billions of dollars.
He didn’t believe G.S. possessed that level of capability.
Frankly, he’d rather invest in Samantha’s future smart-triage robot project.
At least that sounded realistic.
Ryan didn’t comment further.
He merely stated a fact. “G.S. has already raised two hundred million dollars in its first funding round.”
“There are quite a few investors involved.”
Both Oliver and Samantha looked surprised.
Two hundred million?
That was far beyond their expectations.
Ryan glanced down to answer a work message.
“Word has already spread that Aster will personally oversee the project.”
“Many investors are participating specifically because of her reputation.”
The smile disappeared from Oliver’s face.
He suddenly found himself reconsidering everything.
Had he misjudged the situation?
A flash of surprise crossed Samantha’s eyes as well.
Then she remembered something.
Rose was currently working at G.S.
Could Caleb be keeping Rose on the project simply to take advantage of the attention surrounding Aster?
*****
By the time Rose arrived at the Clinical Center, the documentary crew was still setting up equipment.
Filming would continue for another three days.
Fortunately, they had been remarkably unobtrusive.
Most of the footage was being captured through fixed cameras or remote recording equipment.
At times, it barely felt as though a film crew was present at all.
Rose spent several hours overseeing the clinical trial.
During that time, she received a call from Leo.
He had already returned to New York.
And—
“Mr. Knight from Kingswell contacted me.”
“He wants to arrange a meeting.”
Rose immediately understood Ryan’s intentions.
After Samantha and Mike had caused such a scene in Leo’s office—and destroyed several valuable items—Ryan was likely acting as an intermediary to smooth things over.
“Do whatever you think is appropriate.”
Leo laughed. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”
“Why don’t you just use your influence and tell me directly not to give them any face?”
Rose peered through the high-resolution microscope at the specimen before answering casually.
“Oh, in that case, you can beat them up for me and make them apologize on their knees.”
Leo: “...”
“How did your ego suddenly get so out of control?”
Rose laughed.
She had no intention of involving herself in the matter.
Her schedule was already packed.
As for how Leo handled it, that was entirely his decision.
He had his own way of navigating social and professional relationships.
By evening, Rose was still reviewing the day’s laboratory data.
Then she received an urgent call from the clinical research ward requesting her assistance.
She headed over immediately.
Mike had developed edema due to abnormal vital signs.
Since he was one of her assigned patients, she had no choice but to handle the situation personally.
After reviewing his condition and adjusting his treatment plan, she left.
She paid no attention to the chubby boy’s complaints and grumbling.
By the time she finished working, it was nearly eight o’clock at night.
Phase One of the clinical trial was approaching completion.
For the first time, the project was beginning to show real promise.
Rose rubbed the back of her neck as she walked down the corridor.
She was finally ready to clock out and go home.
Just as she reached the end of the hallway—
Rapid footsteps echoed behind her.
Before she could react, someone grabbed her arm.
The next second, she was slammed hard against the wall.
