Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 481

Teresa’s eyes, after the first shock, turned cold and sharp.

Plagiarism.

This was outright theft—her and Emmy’s hard work, being paraded around like someone else’s achievement.

Fury shot through her, but she forced herself to stay calm.

No rush.

She and Emmy had already patented their entire core system. The notary was right here, and all the major news outlets were streaming this live.

An AI system couldn’t be patented twice.

Evelina wasn’t getting away with it today.

She’d be exposed and her name would be linked to this shame forever.

Meanwhile, at the judges’ table, Andrew’s usually calm face darkened fast.

DUO.

That name hit him like a jolt, unlocking memories he’d kept tucked away for over twenty years.

He remembered those nights with Teresa—endless hours at the library and in the lab, sketching out their dream, piece by piece.

That system was their “child.”

No matter how much time had passed or how the outside looked, he could recognize its soul in a second.

“Hold on a minute.”

Andrew spoke almost automatically, cutting off Evelina’s presentation as he grabbed the mic.

Every eye in the room snapped to him.

Evelina’s smile froze for a second. When she saw it was Andrew, a wave of irritation crashed over her.

Why did everyone connected to Emmy always seem to have it out for her?

“Ms. White, can I ask you something?” Andrew’s voice was steady, his gaze unwavering. “Are you sure you developed this system completely on your own? No… influence or borrowing from anyone else’s work?”

Evelina’s heart skipped a beat, but her smile didn’t budge. “Of course I made it myself. Not sure what you’re getting at, Mr. Aldridge.”

Andrew frowned, deep in thought.

One of the other judges tried to lighten things up with a little laugh. “Hey, Andrew, don’t be so serious. This AI system is amazing. Sure, the robot is expensive, but we’re judging the software, not the hardware. This girl’s system is flawless. Don’t scare off the next genius.”

But Andrew couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

It was just too strong.

He leaned back and whispered something to his assistant, who nodded and hurried off.

Up on stage, the host started signaling the judges to show their scores.

“Ten!”

“Nine point eight!”

Evelina felt her breath catch, anger burning in her chest. She wanted to snap back at Andrew right then.

But before she could say a word, the big screen behind her flashed with the final score.

“Highest score, ten, and lowest, zero, are dropped. Contestant Evelina: final score—nine point eight.”

The room exploded with applause.

Nine point eight.

That was practically legendary.

Evelina’s anger vanished, replaced by pure, giddy triumph.

So what if she got a zero? It didn’t touch her win.

She shot Andrew a look, full of contempt, like she was saying, “You’re ancient—your stubbornness means nothing.”

Just then, staff came onstage to clear away the robot.

Evelina dipped her head, turned, and walked off, surrounded by cheers.

Back at the judges’ table, another judge leaned over and lowered his voice.

“Andrew, that was pretty harsh.”

“We’re judging the AI, not the robot’s moves. No need to nitpick.”

He glanced at Evelina, shaking his head. “I’d bet anything—she’s walking away with the gold.”