Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1174

Everyone froze, then turned to look at her, a little confused.

She walked over and stood next to John, facing the whole group.

“I have something I want to share with everyone,” she said. “And honestly, I’d love to hear what you all think.”

Harlene raised her eyebrows, a hint of a smile on her lips. “What’s up, Lin? You look so serious.”

Emmy let her gaze drift from face to face, taking them all in. Every single one of them was at the top of their game.

She didn’t hesitate anymore. “I want Janus Sphere Technologies to fully acquire the brain-computer interface project group. We’ll take on the whole thing, no strings attached.”

“And I sincerely want to invite all of you to join Janus Sphere Technologies after graduation. You’d be our core R and D team.”

She lifted a finger, ticking off her promises. “First, Janus Sphere Technologies will fund every step of the project from now on.”

“Second, each of you will get a senior technical expert’s package right from the start.”

“Third…” Emmy smiled, her eyes lighting up as she revealed what she hoped would be irresistible, “at Janus Sphere Technologies, there’s none of that complicated office drama. No outsiders telling you how to do your work. All you need to worry about is your research.”

“I’ll make sure you have access to the best supercomputing center in the world, and the freest, most supportive research environment you can imagine.”

“If you want to bring your families, I’ll handle all the visas, housing, even your kids’ schooling.”

She tilted her head, her pretty eyes shining with ambition. “So, what do you think? Are you interested in creating a new era with me?”

Emmy finished, looking at the group with hope written all over her face.

She’d expected cheers, maybe some high fives or excited shouts. After all, this was an offer that could turn heads anywhere in the world.

John was the first to react. He practically bounced on his toes. “Hey! Guys! Senior expert salary! Visas for your whole family! This is unreal!”

“Someone tell Lin how insane this is! I want to scream just thinking about it!”

But there were no cheers, no laughter.

The room seemed to freeze over. Where there had been easy chatter and energy, now there was only a heavy, awkward silence.

Someone stared down at their shoes. Another fiddled with their scarf, pretending to fix it. A few just looked anywhere except at Emmy or John.

Emmy felt her heart drop. All that hope and excitement faded in an instant, replaced by a cold pit in her stomach.

She could tell right away this wasn’t the silence of people stunned by good fortune.

She kept her smile in place and tried again. “Is there something on your minds?”

Next to that, Janus Sphere Technologies, brand new and unproven, felt small, no matter how amazing the offer was.

John opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

When the last person finished, the big break room went silent again. You could hear every breath, every tiny shift in someone’s chair.

It was the kind of silence that made you want to disappear.

The smile faded from Emmy’s lips, little by little.

It was only then that she realized just how much she’d overestimated herself.

No wonder James had dared her to make this pitch.

She wasn’t going to poach even half of them. At this point, it looked like she’d be lucky to get anyone at all.

That crash from hope to disappointment left her feeling hollow.

But she took a steadying breath and tried one last time, her voice just a bit softer.

“Really… is there no way you could reconsider? We can talk about the terms…”