Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1167

James paused for a moment, thinking it over before he asked, “Are they all PhD students?”

“Yeah,” Emmy replied, her voice full of pride. “They’re all neuroscience PhD candidates at Harvard. Seriously, every one of them is brilliant. When I joined their research group, I was honestly in awe for weeks. The level of thinking, the way ideas spark off each other, it’s addictive. Each of them is a genius in their own right.”

James looked curious. “So, what’s your relationship with them like?”

Emmy considered it, then answered honestly, “Pretty good. They really take care of me. I joined as a junior, and for a long time, they didn’t even know anything about my background. But they were always friendly, never arrogant or hung up on seniority. Anytime I got stuck, they’d patiently explain things and help me work through my questions.”

Her voice softened as she remembered, a grateful warmth coming through. “There was a point when our lab almost ran out of funding. The project was about to be shut down. I put in some of my own money to keep it afloat. I didn’t do it for recognition. I just thought it’d be such a waste if we had to stop. After we succeeded, they all insisted my name should go on the paper. If it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t have gotten my fast-track spot in the PhD program.”

James listened, and his tone turned respectful. “Getting into a PhD program and sticking with it takes real talent. People like that deserve respect, both for who they are and what they can do.”

But then he changed gears, a little skepticism in his voice. “Still, recruiting them isn’t going to be as easy as you think. These are top-tier people. Every big tech company wants them. And a lot of researchers are pretty independent. They might not want to give up that freedom to work for a company.”

Emmy didn’t agree. She lifted her chin, confident enough that he could feel it even in the dark. “I think I can do it. They’re easygoing, and we really click. Just last month, they all had tickets booked to Hawaii. But when I needed help getting the experiment done, they canceled their vacations and pulled all-nighters with me. That meant so much to me. It’s why I’m sure I can convince them to come to Janus Sphere Technologies.”

Seeing her so sure of herself, James suddenly felt like teasing her. “If you’re that confident, how about a bet?”

Emmy perked up. “What kind of bet?”

“If you can recruit half your lab,” James said, sounding magnanimous, “I’ll do whatever you want. Company stuff, family stuff, even in the bedroom… you call the shots.”

The thought of her leaving made James pull her closer, holding her tight. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent, his voice low and muffled. “Once Will gets moved to a regular room, I’m heading back to the Capital for a bit. Then I’ll fly to the resort for the grand opening and wait for you there.”

Back to the Capital? Emmy suddenly pictured two sweet little faces in her mind. Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you going back to the Capital?”

James didn’t answer right away. In the dark, his eyes turned serious, complicated. His silence only made her more sure of what she was thinking. A sharp ache twisted in her chest. She wanted to see them too. She’d even bought a bunch of toys and gifts for the kids back in Boston, but…

Emmy pressed a hand to her chest, taking a few steadying breaths. James noticed something was off right away. He reached out, gently touching her face, his voice full of concern.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”