Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1180

John grinned. “Skydiving, bungee jumping, wingsuit flying, even deep sea diving… those are the real ways to wake up your hippocampus.”

“You should give it a shot,” he added. “After a few close calls, maybe that black box in your mind will finally open up.”

Emmy listened, feeling her heart race a little faster. “Alright.” Her gaze was steady, not a hint of doubt. “The gala’s over soon, and I’m heading to a resort with a ton of extreme sports. I’ll try them all.”

Harlene raised her eyebrows and shot Emmy a teasing smile, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “So, does that mean I get to come with you?”

“Of course. Harlene, you too, John. I want everyone there. I’ll show you around the company, and we can get the project rolling at the same time.”

John cleared his throat. “Uh, Lin, our old project’s finished. You don’t need to call me team leader anymore. Just call me John.”

Harlene giggled. “Exactly. Pretty soon we’ll be calling Lin the boss. If you keep calling him team leader, he might start docking your pay.”

Emmy laughed, and just like that, the tension in the room faded away. “Deal. First names from now on. Let’s keep it casual.” She grabbed her tablet, pulled up a document, and handed it to John. “Here, John. This is the new research direction my mentor and I came up with. Have a look.”

John took the tablet and glanced at the title.

[Research on the Foundation of Human and AI Symbiosis.]

“Human and AI symbiosis?” He looked up, surprised, then scrolled through the draft. The more he read, the more impressed he looked.

“Lin, this is a fantastic idea. You’re basically redefining humanity’s future here. If you can even get a prototype of this foundation built, it’ll shake up all of Silicon Valley. Honestly, I think we’d have a real shot at the Turing Award.”

John’s approval made Emmy’s heart feel lighter. “Then it’s settled. I’ll send it to the professor tomorrow.”

…

The three of them spent the whole day camped out in the little living room, bouncing ideas off each other and getting completely caught up in the excitement. It wasn’t until late at night, after seeing John and Harlene out, that Emmy realized her throat was dry.

She poured herself a glass of warm water, then wandered over to the big window and stared out at the city lights. She dialed James.

It was only a few days ago that things had felt awkward, after everyone turned down Emmy’s offer. But now, all that weirdness had faded. The team greeted her with easy smiles, everyone buzzing about the gala. The energy in the van was warm and inviting.

Emmy couldn’t stop smiling. She loved this kind of vibe. No hidden agendas, no backstabbing. Just a group of people chasing the same dream.

After checking into the conference hotel, they dropped off their bags and went out for dinner together. On the way back, the group joked around, laughing and shoving each other lightly in the hallway.

They were just crossing the long corridor when another group came toward them. Someone spotted Emmy, and suddenly a sharp, mocking voice rang out.

“Well, look who it is. Emmy, everyone knows you lost to Ms. Summer. I can’t believe you even have the nerve to show up at a global event like this. That’s just embarrassing.”

Emmy had been talking to John, but she stopped and looked up. When she saw who was leading the group, she froze.

It was her.