All things considered, Erik thought there was no chance for things to go sideways now, so he agreed with Doreen "Actually, you're right. Celebration is in order."
He smiled widely, then went on "Doctor Naggar, Miss Valders... I'm inviting you both for a small party at the Corvin Estate, in three hours from now. I'll send word to the rest of the project's team to come as well." Certainly, there had been a few complications... and the project was far from finality. But, it was an unexpected and most valuable breakthrough and Erik wanted the team to mark the moment.
As Valders accepted the invitation, Erik gave her a smirk and commented "Well then, feel free to go home and get ready. I'll sort things here before I leave." She smiled and thanked him for the offer, then picked up her things and went on her way. Erik went to one of the consoles and started tapping buttons, the equipment slowly folding into rectangular form for transport. While he was at it, he glanced at Doreen and added "If you want, you could do the same, doctor. I'll be done here in an hour or so anyway... After that, I can pick you up on my way to the Estate."
He let out a small chuckle as he continued "As for dinner, I'm sure my kitchen is equipped with everything you might need." A bit of an arrogant afterthought. He didn't mean it as such, of course, but he was always a bit proud of his work's results... and his automated home was one such result. He kept working in an orderly fashion on setting up the equipment for transport.
