Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 51

"Your ex’s new girlfriend wants to intern with me, too. She’s hoping to compete under my name, and with that kind of backing, the judges would have to show some respect. Even if she does terribly, she’s guaranteed at least a Starlight Award nomination."

Emmy looked down, her voice calm.

"I didn’t come to you for a shiny title or just to win competitions."

She paused. When she looked up again, her eyes were bright and sincere.

"Professor, you know the Dome project. I couldn’t have built it without your teaching, or all the help from my senior classmates. But AI moves so fast now, and the Dome’s hit a wall I just can’t break through. I want to fix it, and I want to do it as soon as possible."

"That’s all it takes to stop you?"

Dominic gave a short, scoffing laugh. He stood, hands behind his back, and searched his bookshelf for a moment. He pulled out a thick book he’d written himself and tossed it into her arms.

"Take it home and read it. Then come back and tell me why you really want me as your mentor. I want your real reason."

Emmy hugged the book and left the manor.

The following week, her life split in two.

Half the time she was at work, putting together the Vista Home bid.

The other half, she was buried in Dominic’s book, which read like some kind of ancient riddle.

James didn’t show up again. Not even once for dinner.

Emmy noticed, of course. She hadn’t explained anything that day, and now things only seemed to be getting worse.

Abriella, though, was like a mother hen. She texted Emmy every day right on time, reminding her to eat. Sometimes, if Emmy was too swamped to reply, Abriella just sent takeout straight to her office.

One night, sitting at her desk with a cup of warm soup Abriella had ordered, Emmy realized the best thing that ever happened to her was meeting a friend like her.

That evening, Emmy was shopping at the grocery store downstairs.

She ate alone so often that cooking felt like too much work. Tonight, she just wanted to try the new instant noodles on the top shelf.

Standing on tiptoe, she reached for the box—almost there.

Emmy hesitated for a second, then put the noodles back and decided to cook at home.

At the register, the cashier leaned in with a grin.

"Girlfriend, who was that hot guy just now?"

"Just my neighbor," Emmy replied, keeping it casual.

"Wow, your neighbor is seriously good-looking! Way better than any celebrity on TV," the cashier gushed, eyes sparkling with envy. "But I noticed he had some blisters on his arm, like burns or something. Poor thing. I wonder what he does for a living…"

Emmy froze for a moment, surprised.

On her way out, she picked up some antiseptic, cotton swabs, and burn cream.

Back home, she quickly made two simple dishes.

After eating a few bites, she packed the rest into a thermal lunchbox, grabbed the bag of medicine, and headed upstairs to knock on James’s door.