Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1201

Their team started out with just eight people. Once Emmy joined, that made nine. It wasn’t a huge group, but it wasn’t small either. They lined up and made their way toward the stage, moving with a quiet sense of purpose. The only way there was down a long, crowded aisle.

Of all places, Isabel’s team had ended up sitting right along that path. Her group came in with eleven members, making quite a show of their numbers. As John’s team approached, every single one of Isabel’s people stared them down, eyes wide and hostile, like they were ready to pick a fight. Their looks got downright poisonous when they spotted Emmy in the middle of the group. The jealousy and disbelief practically poured off them.

As Emmy walked by, Laura intentionally turned her head and muttered, just loud enough for Emmy to catch every word. “Please. Acting so proud, but she just tagged along for the win. She really thinks she’s something special?”

Someone next to her jumped right in. “Yeah, I bet she used some shady tactic to get those Harvard guys to add her name to the project.”

“Probably paid for her place, huh?”

“Classic case of riding coattails. She looks impressive, but she’s just a hanger-on.”

“If she’s so talented, why doesn’t she win something on her own? Using men and money isn’t exactly a skill.”

The comments stung, sharp and sour, thick with envy. Isabel sat there and let her team talk, making no attempt to stop them. All she did was glare at Emmy’s back, her face tight with anger. She knew exactly how much weight this award carried. Even if Emmy had found a way to sneak in, her name was on that trophy now, and that meant her resume just got a serious upgrade. From now on, in the tech world, Emmy’s value would only climb. Isabel hated that. How could she not?

She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. There was still the upcoming award for AI prosthetics, which was her team’s main focus. In that area, Isabel felt unbeatable. Let Emmy try all the tricks she wanted, she was still just an outsider who switched fields halfway through. When it came to AI prosthetics, Isabel was sure Emmy would lose. Thinking about that helped, and Isabel managed a cold, thin smile.

Of course, all that trash talk reached John’s team. Harlene’s cheeks turned red with anger and she looked like she was ready to stop and snap back, but Emmy caught her arm and kept her moving. Emmy didn’t even glance to the side.

“Forget them. The louder the barking, the more scared the dog is. We win on stage, not in the gutter.”

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