Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 484

The whole auditorium went dead silent.

People blinked, sure they’d just heard wrong.

Free?

Everyone knew that any AI system on this stage was hot property—something the biggest tech companies would kill to get their hands on, with millions or even billions in potential profit behind it. Even the systems the judges trashed usually had companies lining up backstage, ready to throw money at the creator.

But Emmy—just because she’d shown up late—was about to give away months of hard work for nothing?

In that instant, all those complaints about her attitude and showing up late vanished. Now everyone just stared at her in shock and, honestly, a little awe.

What kind of confidence did it take to do that?

Even the judges, who had started to look bored and impatient, suddenly perked up. Their eyes lit with interest.

With all eyes on her, Emmy set down the mic. Calm and totally focused, she opened her secure case, pulled out a laptop, and started setting up.

She didn’t plug her system into the official hardware like the others. Instead, she waited patiently for someone to bring her drone.

According to the competition rules, every finalist had to submit their hardware info a month in advance, so the organizers could have the right gear ready—especially helpful for contestants who couldn’t afford expensive tech.

But Emmy didn’t need any favors. She had money, and the fire department had given her everything she needed for free anyway. Still, to avoid blowing Evelina’s cover, Emmy had listed the exact same robot model as Evelina on the registration form.

So, following the paperwork, the staff had rolled out a shiny new robot onto the stage.

The audience lost it.

“No way! Isn’t that the same robot Evelina used? Don’t tell me Emmy made an AI butler too!”

“Even if she did, Evelina already wowed everyone. Emmy can’t possibly top that!”

“Who cares? Did you not hear her? Free. For. Life! Even a mediocre system would have companies fighting over it if it’s free!”

As the buzz grew louder, Evelina—just off a phone call—looked up at the screen. The panic in her eyes vanished, replaced by a victorious, smug smile.

“Judges, you have to be fair! You can’t let a thief steal Evelina’s spotlight!”

Emmy listened to the wild accusations, raising an eyebrow. Honestly, it was almost funny.

Evelina really couldn’t wait, could she? Did she actually think Emmy was about to show off another AI butler and wanted to strike first?

Of course, that accusation set the whole place off.

“I knew it! How does some nobody make it to the finals of an international competition? She must’ve stolen Evelina’s work!”

“No wonder she was all generous, saying it was free forever—she’s just trying to win favor with stolen tech. So shameless!”

“Exactly! She knows she can’t sell this thing, so she’s giving it away for free and pretending to be some kind of hero. What a scam!”

“The judges have to investigate! If she gets away with this, why would anyone bother inventing something new ever again?”