It wasn’t until Harrison saw Selene’s face again that he realized her victory in the preliminaries hadn’t been a stroke of luck.
She won first place in the finals, too.
During the challenge round, the contestant ranked twentieth was the first to choose whom to challenge.
The rules were simple: the challenger could pose any problem to their chosen opponent, but they also had to solve it themselves. If the challenged contestant failed to solve the problem, or couldn’t present any effective approach, they were eliminated on the spot.
Contestants ranked twentieth, nineteenth, and eighteenth–all picked Selene as their
target.
Selene solved each of their problems decisively, and one by one, her challengers were sent packing.
Then came the seventeenth, sixteenth, and fifteenth contestants. They, too, chose
Selene.
Watching the relentless barrage of challenges, viewers across the internet began to rally behind her.
“Seriously? Why is everyone picking on Selene? Got something against housewives?”
“This is like the Knights of the Round Table ganging up on Lancelot!”
“My farm just called–they said all your crops have withered!”
Meanwhile, the contestants onstage were oblivious to the flood of comments online. They simply lined up to challenge Selene, and then exited just as quickly.
Since Selene first stepped onto the challenge platform, she hadn’t budged from her
spot.
Harrison stared at her bright, confident face on the big screen, feeling oddly dazed.
Was it just him, or did Selene look even more beautiful up there?
Did she really know all this? She only had a bachelor’s degree. For seven years, she’d been a stay–at–home wife and mother in the Vaughn family. Had she secretly kept up her studies all this time, behind everyone’s backs?
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10:18
A board member finally broke the silence. “Why don’t we just Invite Miss Thompson to be our CTO at Vaughn Enterprises?”
“Miss Thompson has outstanding abilities, plus she’s Mr. Vaughn’s wife. Appointing her as Chief Technology Officer seems like the perfect fit.”
Harrison’s expression darkened. “We’re divorced.”
The board members, however, didn’t seem to think that was a big deal.
“So win her back!”
“Come on, Harrison, with your status and looks, what woman could possibly resist?”
“Women are simple creatures. Say a few sweet words, and she’ll come running back, tail wagging.”
The contestant who ranked second in the finals stepped up to the challenge platform.
He had no choice but to challenge Selene.
Harrison felt his breath catch in his throat.
Was he really going to bring Selene into Vaughn Enterprises?
After seven years as a housewife, would she walk in and instantly become CTO–the lead designer in charge of all major R&D projects? If word got out, wouldn’t people laugh him out of the city?
Harrison turned to Leo.
“Uncle, what do you think? Selene has absolutely no work experience. If we hand her such a huge responsibility right away…”
Before he could finish, Leo spoke up, and Harrison’s words trailed off.
“The real question is whether Vaughn Enterprises can even convince her to join us.” Harrison let out a wry laugh. “You don’t actually think Selene would reject us just to spite me?”
He couldn’t believe it. “Come on, in all of London, what company would offer a stay–at–home mom with zero experience a CTO position?”
The other board members nodded in agreement.
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Chapter 130
One of them added, “Honestly, we’re only comfortable giving her the CTO post because of her connection to Mr. Vaughn.”
“She might be holding a grudge against Harrison, but I’m sure all he has to do is open his mouth and Miss Thompson will come around.”
Their gazes toward Harrison grew almost fatherly, full of encouragement.
Liam, who’d been sitting quietly to the side, stroked his smooth chin and grinned. “Sounds good to me! I approve!”
Harrison drew a long breath, his handsome face clouded with subdued emotion. “Fine. I’ll throw her a bone and see if she’ll take it.”
On the big screen, Selene dispatched the runner–up with ease.
The chairman of the ALI Math Competition Board stood up and, before the entire audience, announced that Selene had won the gold medal.
10.10
