Chapter 677

Lilly blinked.

This was called asserting dominance. She understood that!

Lilly tilted her head and asked, “Uncle Max, is this what Daddy means by ‘throwing one’s weight around,’ right?”

She did not know what her father was up to. He kept talking to Anthony recently as if he was moving houses.

But before they came here, her father had mentioned that they would assert dominance over Max.

Her father also mentioned that he would make a grand entrance to show them who had Max’s back.

Lilly felt a bit of anticipation, but not too much, because she had a feeling that these fools might not know her dad…

Max took Lilly and sat down on the sofa.

Mr. Martin and Mr. Young exchanged glances.

Mr. Young asked, “Max, I called you here to ask, have you thought about our suggestion from two days ago?”

Max replied coldly, “I don’t want a hundred million dollars.”

Mr. Martin’s heart sank upon hearing Mr. Young’s question.

Mr. Martin secretly grew angry. It seemed like he did not know what he was getting himself into.

However, what Max said next left them stunned once again.

Max continued, “I can give you a virtual assistant, but it won’t be Stacy. She has been with me for too long, so there’s no room for negotiation.”

Mr. Martin narrowed his eyes slightly and tentatively asked, “Did you make another virtual assistant?”

Max nodded and said, “As I was researching Stacy, I created several prototypes. I have three virtual assistants—one is similar to Stacy, another has an ancient setting but lacks sufficient intelligence, and the remaining one is in the form of a child. It’s still under development, but its intelligence level is comparable to that of a normal child.”

Mr. Martin and Mr. Young were left shocked.

They were amazed by the fact that Max had not just one, but three hidden virtual assistants. They had already considered him skilled in creating virtual assistants, but this revelation showed that he had even more to offer. If he was willing to bring out three assistants, it meant he must have others as well.

Having three virtual assistants was already impressive, and if it was true, they knew they stood to make a substantial profit. Increasing the price to 200 million dollars seemed like a plausible option now.

Lilly sat quietly on the side, observing the greed in the adults’ eyes. However, she remembered what Uncle Max told her—to simply sit there and not intervene. She would only make a move when the ghost was revealed.

So Lilly obediently remained seated. She noticed the candy on the table in front of the sofa, which was always prepared for her when she visited Uncle Max’s company. Instinctively, she reached out to grab one but then hesitated. These candies were provided by the fools. What if they were poisoned? What if eating them would make her dumb?

She withdrew her hand, deciding not to take the candy.

Mr. Martin and Mr. Young observed this scene, and their worries suddenly dissipated. They had initially been concerned about Max’s background, but seeing this child—who had not been exposed to the world was hesitant to take a candy, only to withdraw her hand, showed their misjudgment. It was a characteristic of someone from a small town who had yet to experience the larger world.

Consequently, they regained confidence that they were able to take advantage of Max’s virtual assistant. Unbeknownst to them, they were stepping right into a trap because of greed.

Mr. Young directly asked, “So, what are your conditions if you give us the three virtual assistants?”

Max responded, “First of all, I designed my house according to my preferences. I can’t give you the actual house, but I can provide you with the design of the futuristic house.”

He knew that they would not understand the intricacies of the designs, but it was a way for him to assert his ownership over his creations. They were overestimating themselves in his eyes.

Mr. Martin considered the proposal and agreed, thinking that it was just a house and held no significance for Max anymore.

A smirk flashed across Max’s eyes, realizing that Mr. Martin still saw his house as if it were already theirs.

“Secondly,” Max continued, “I need you to grant me access permissions. If you take everything away from me, I want to make a copy of all the data on the lithography machine and keep it for myself.”

Max’s mistake was that he placed too much trust in the laboratory. The director had been good to him, but after over 20 years of research, they still had not achieved any breakthroughs. Moreover, Max knew that there were other research institutes studying lithography machines as well.

When he joined the research institute, funding was already scarce, and technology groups had come in as joint ventures. Over the years, a substantial amount of research material had accumulated. Max had not made copies or stored them for himself mainly due to the massive amount of memory required, which would need a facility as large as a research institute to store everything.

However, he had been in contact with his brother for the past few days…

Anthony told him that Crawford Holdings had allocated a floor for him to store his equipment.

That was it!

Who else could have such a bold brother? Max did!

Mr. Martin and Mr. Young were unaware of these developments, so they looked perplexed. Mr. Martin questioned, “You want to make copies of everything… Isn’t that unreasonable?”

Lilly, who had been quietly observing with her head down, suddenly spoke up in a curious tone, “Why is it unreasonable? It’s not yours!”

Mr. Martin cast another glance at Lilly, finding comfort in the fact that if she were just an ordinary child, unfamiliar with the ways of the world, a child with a powerful background would never interrupt adult conversations. This realization provided them with additional reassurance.

Mr. Martin stubbornly insisted, “We find it unfair, so there’s no point in discussing this condition!”

In his mind, the items in the laboratory were invaluable and could not be equated to monetary value.

Thus, Max’s request to make copies seemed like a blatant attempt to steal from them.

With a cold and unyielding expression, Max firmly held his ground. He crossed his arms and stated, “What’s unfair about it? You swooped in halfway through the research that we had conducted for over 20 years. If anyone is being unfair, it’s you!”

“You paid a meager amount and laid claim to everything that the research institute had tirelessly pursued. It takes a special kind of audacity to believe you’re in the right.”

Lilly chimed in, “That’s right! You should reflect on your audacity! Grade A audacity and grade C audacity too! Top-notch audacity!”

Uneducated as she was, she did not possess the same level of understanding as Josh, who excelled in various subjects and grasped the essence of the matter.

Mr. Martin, visibly displeased, retorted, “That’s an ugly way to put it. We’re working together for the development of our country and the comfort of humanity!”

Mr. Young nodded in agreement and added, “Moreover, our group’s investment in the laboratory and the talent we’ve brought in demonstrate our commitment. It’s not fair to claim that we are seizing control. We have collaborated and contributed to the advancement of the lithography machine project.”

Max did not wish to continue arguing with them on this matter. He knew that shameless individuals often cloaked their actions in high-sounding justifications.

Lilly sighed softly, even though she did not fully comprehend the situation. She could sense the sheer audacity and shamelessness emanating from them.