Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 31

He finally looked up, meeting her gaze head-on for the first time. His eyes were razor sharp, cold enough to cut right through her.

“The Dome’s user privacy framework? Not exactly winning any awards in the industry.”

His voice was icy, laced with scrutiny and the kind of pressure that made lesser people crumble.

Emmy forced herself to steady her nerves, refusing to look away. “That was a business compromise, not a technology problem. If I were running Vista Corporation’s project, I’d use federated learning and differential privacy. That way, we’d guarantee absolute data security without sacrificing user experience.”

His eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. “Talk is cheap.”

“Then let me prove it. Give me a shot and I’ll let the proposal speak for itself.”

Emmy held his gaze, calm and unflinching.

After a tense pause, he finally looked away. He lounged back into the sofa like he couldn’t care less, letting out a low, noncommittal hum.

The director from Vista Corporation jumped in quickly. “Ms. Lincoln, if you could send us your proposal as soon as possible, we’ll review it and get back to you.”

“Thank you, James. Thank you, Director.”

Emmy nodded politely, keeping her cool as she turned and walked out.

As soon as the door shut behind her, her assistant nearly exploded, dropping her voice to an excited whisper.

“Ms. Lincoln, you were incredible! You really pulled it off! I was shaking out there—I thought we were going to get kicked out for sure!”

Her assistant’s eyes sparkled with pure admiration.

Emmy let out a slow breath, finally letting herself relax.

But just as she looked up, her eyes locked with a stormy pair across the hallway.

Dean was standing not far away, champagne in hand, staring at her like he could set the whole room on fire with his glare.

His expression was pitch black, anger simmering just beneath the surface.

Emmy paused for half a second, then lifted her chin at him, almost daring him to say something.

Without another glance, she turned and walked away.

Evelina came up beside Dean, her voice soft. “Dean, Emmy just got the chance to bid on Vista Home. Maybe she really can save Forward Technology.”

Dean let out a cold, dismissive laugh, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“Getting a shot at the bid doesn’t mean she’ll win the contract.”

“Your cousin? He looks exactly like that James from Nelson Corporation.”

Abriella had just taken a sip of Coke and immediately sprayed it everywhere.

Her eyes went huge. “Wait, what? You met Mr. Nelson?”

Emmy nodded. “Yeah. He’s got this scary vibe, but I actually got the Vista Home bid thanks to him.”

Abriella’s mouth twitched like she was trying not to grin.

“So did you tell my cousin?”

“Yeah.” Emmy leaned her chin on her hand. “He said other people have noticed the resemblance too.”

Abriella snapped her fingers. “See? Told you. Everyone says that!”

She scooted closer, waggling her eyebrows. “But forget that—what’s going on between you and my cousin? Any kissing? Hugging? Maybe something more?”

The relaxed look on Emmy’s face faded.

She went quiet for a moment, then met Abriella’s gaze, suddenly serious. “Abriella, I need to tell you the truth.”