Chapter 20 She Still Can't Let Him Go Clara couldn't even be bothered to spare him another glance . She turned and walked away . At this point , what meaning did " true feelings " still hold ? " Ms. Carter ! Ms. Carter ! " A young tech employee came running toward her , panting . " The SkyVault System data keeps glitching ! Every minute the system's down, the company is losing millions ! Director Songfield needs you there right now ! " Clara nodded firmly . " Got it . I'll be there immediately . " She strode off with the staffer . Julian quickened his pace to follow right behind her . Inside the Tech Department , the atmosphere was heavy . On the central screen , the performance curve of the SkyVault System plummeted straight downward , making everyone's heart skip A group of engineers crowded around the main console , fingers flying across keyboards with loud clacks - yet nothing worked . " Vice Director White , this won't do ! The core database is about to completely lock up ! " one of the lead engineers shouted in panic . Bianca's brows knitted tightly . " I've already tried every repair protocol , but the system has deep - level encryption . The moment I attempt a data rollback , it triggers even stronger countermeasures . " At her words , the engineers exchanged worried looks , each seeing the same deadlock reflected in the other's eyes . Just then , Clara entered the Tech Department , led in by a junior staffer . Julian followed close behind , his gaze immediately seeking out Bianca . The moment Bianca spotted Clara , she hurried forward , voice hurried yet soft : "Clara , thank goodness you're here ! I tried fixing the system , but some of the core modules ... it looks like you set up special safeguards that block me from bypassing them . " The already - frustrated engineers now looked at Clara with complicated expressions , Julian's expression darkened . He moved to Bianca's side , but his words lashed out at Clara : " This system is too critical - how could you set arbitrary safeguards ? Disable them right now and fix this mess ! " Clara curled her lips , but instead of rushing , she folded her arms slowly across her chest . " Mr. Carter , I've already been dismissed from Starry Group . I'm no longer a member of the Tech Department. I'm afraid I have no authority to intervene here . " Her gaze then cut toward Bianca , sharp as glass . " And besides - Vice Director White is an MIT prodigy , isn't she ? Surely such a trivial problem shouldn't be too hard for her ? " " Clara ! " Julian's brows furrowed into a deep crease . " This isn't the time for childish tantrums ! " 11:58 Chapter 20 She Still Can't Let Him Go Yet strangely enough , the frustration that had been gnawing at him because of her indifference ... eased the moment he saw her standing there . sharp - tongued and unyielding . This head - on defiance , this refusal to yield - was nothing more than her way of covering up the humiliation and unwillingness of being " abandoned . " And the more she acted like this , the more it proved ... she still couldn't let him go . With that thought , Julian exhaled a helpless sigh . At that moment , a warm yet strained voice broke through the tension : " Clara , I know you're upset . But right now , the system is in crisis - if this failure continues , the company's entire business could collapse . Could you ... please help us through this first ?" It was Director Miles Songfield of the Tech Department , a man nearing fifty with the quiet steadiness of a lifelong programmer , Clara had always respected him deeply . Back when she was just a freshman intern at Starry , it was Director Songfield who guided her step by step . Later , when she officially joined , he became her most dependable deputy . When the department's previous directors and deputies had left for other firms , Clara was promoted to Director , and she, in turn , elevated Songfield to Deputy Director . Even half a year ago , when she stepped down from the directorship to prepare for her wedding , she made sure Songfield succeeded her as Director . Looking at him now , the ice in her gaze thawed just slightly . " Director Songfield , you know the SkyVault System was my creation . It's like my child . " " I was afraid my child might suffer out there in the wind and rain , so I wrapped it in layers of protection . Was that wrong ? " " And now , the child is sick . Some people can't remove those layers of protection , so they turn around and blame me for putting them there in the first place ? That's laughable . " ( 0 ) ( 0 ) Pule you