As soon as Ryan heard the name, he immediately tensed up. Francesca, seated at the nearby table, also felt a stir of emotions upon hearing the name. When Virginia returned, she explained that the man in the photo was Michael Fuller, the CEO of the ApexMed Group. Although Virginia was just a servant, she could tell from the name that he must be wealthy and influential. It was quite a coincidence that Michael called Addison again today, and Francesca couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. She turned toward Addison, her curiosity piqued. Perhaps her movement was too obvious, as Ryan, seated across from Addison, noticed. His gaze shifted from Addison to Francesca, and their eyes met. Francesca noticed his gaze and inwardly cursed. She quickly looked down and turned away. To cover up her unease, she cleared her throat and picked up a piece of meat, placing it on her son's plate. She stole a glance at Ryan from the corner of her eye. "I told you I don't want this meat! Why are you still putting it on my plate? What are you trying to do?" Her son grew even angrier when he saw the meat again. Francesca didn't pay much attention to her son's complaints, her mind focused on whether Ryan had noticed anything. She heard her son but didn't process his words. Without thinking, she answered, "Okay, okay." "What do you mean 'okay'? Didn't you hear me?" her son asked, frowning. Luckily, Ryan didn't seem to notice Francesca's behavior. He only gave her a quick look before returning his attention to Addison. His mind seemed to be occupied with the phone call from Michael. Relieved that Ryan didn't care, Francesca let out a sigh. However, she couldn't stop wondering who he was and whether he was Addison's lover. Francesca shook her head and corrected the word in her mind. It should be that Addison was his lover. So, was Addison involved with several men? That seemed too immoral. It was hard for Francesca to wrap her mind around it, especially since she'd never imagined Addison to be like that. Francesca glanced at Ryan again, noting that he didn't seem very wealthy. If he were, he wouldn't have brought Addison to a shabby restaurant. Wealthy people would surely go somewhere nicer. She thought Lance and Michael were better choices—at least they were rich, regardless of their temper. She couldn't understand why Addison would be with someone like Ryan. Addison set down her fork and knife, picked up her phone, and asked seriously, "Why are you calling me?" "I told you to contact Ryan directly if anything comes up, didn't I?" She glanced at Ryan, who looked confused. Before she could continue, Michael spoke up, "Dr. Nancy, I know you don't want me to contact you, but there's a serious issue." Michael was usually calm and measured in his speech, yet Addison could hear the urgency in his voice. It was rare for him to sound this anxious, and it made her heart tighten. "What's going on?" she asked, trying to sound calm despite her nerves. "The Fullers' financial chain is in trouble," he said urgently. "Trouble? How can that be?" Addison frowned. "Didn't the Fullers secure funding for this project in advance? Even if the company is struggling, it shouldn't affect this project's money." "We did prepare the funds, which makes it even stranger. It looks like someone intentionally attacked our financial chain, especially in the middle parts. The breaks seem deliberate as if someone targeted the Fullers," Michael explained. It was a bold guess based on his instincts, and he believed it was highly likely that the issue was deliberate. Addison raised an eyebrow. "So, you think someone's targeting the Fullers?" Ryan, sitting across from her, noticed her serious expression and frowned, curious about what Michael had said to make her react like that. Addison thought for a moment, still frowning as she spoke, "If someone did this, they must have known beforehand that the Fullers had set up a funding chain, and they also had to be aware of the Acygine project. "But our project is so secretive. Who would know that the Fullers are working with me on it?" Michael agreed. "That's exactly what I find strange, too." Addison muttered, "Only me and the Fullers know about the Acygine project. No one else could know about it—" Suddenly, a figure crossed her mind—Lance!Lance had visited the Fuller Residence that day, and the way Annie had treated him must have irritated him. With his stubbornness, he likely found a way to get the Fullers to comply. He also knew they were preparing a major project that required a lot of funding. But compared to other projects, the Fullers didn't have much money. So, if Lance wanted to work with the Fullers, he might have tried to block the funding for their project to push them into partnering with the Johnstons instead. That made perfect sense. Only the three of them knew about this project. Since Lance showed up at the Fuller Residence, he was the only one who could have learned about it. With the Johnstons' influence in Halton, if they knew the general point of the Fullers' funding chain, it would be easy to manipulate it. With that realization, Addison said, "It was Lance." She was now completely sure he was behind the scenes. "Lance? He did it?" Michael asked, surprised. "Yes," Addison answered briefly, not having time to explain how she knew it was him. "So, now ... " "Lance possesses numerous connections in Halton. Fixing the financial chain after it was broken isn't just about money," Addison said, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. She could simply offer money, but that wouldn't be enough to solve the problem. What other options were there? Her mind raced with ideas. "How about we meet at Olive Oasis tomorrow to talk things over? This issue won't be easy to resolve."