Divorce Failed My Wife's Secret Identities Shock the World novel Chapter 450

That was an answer Simon absolutely didn't see coming.

His hand froze in mid-air holding the teacup, and he looked at Maeve, his eyes filled with a mix of scrutiny and confusion.

Maeve sat back calmly, her gaze dominant as she met his eyes.

"I want to come in as a researcher. I want to lead my own projects directly."

Being Simon's assistant would be even more of a waste of time than attending college classes.

Maeve wasn't going to do something so meaningless.

Simon was taken aback by her demand.

"With your current qualifications, I'm afraid you couldn't handle the responsibility of leading a project."

Lab C was renowned globally. The absolute bare minimum requirement for their researchers was a Master's degree or a PhD.

Maeve was currently a college sophomore.

Even with her status as a perfect-score valedictorian, walking into a place like Lab C, she'd only be qualified to run errands.

Wanting to jump straight to the top? The little girl was biting off way more than she could chew.

But Maeve smiled, brimming with arrogant confidence.

"I thought Mr. Grover was different from ordinary people. I thought you wouldn't care about things like age, degrees, or experience."

"After all, you founded Lab C single-handedly when you were only nineteen."

"True geniuses shouldn't be boxed in by rigid rules."

"If you're going to use traditional metrics to hire for Lab C, then I agree, we really don't have anything left to discuss."

Maeve stood up, took the cup of tea from Simon's hand, and downed it in one gulp.

"Thanks for the tea. I’ll see myself out."

Her entire performance completely shattered Simon's rhythm.

He was the one who always controlled the board and set the pace.

But right now, Maeve was running the show.

Simon hadn't even realized that he was being completely led by the nose.

"Maeve, wait. I don't understand what you mean."

Halfway to the door, Maeve glanced back at him.

For the very first time, Simon saw Maeve as a complete, formidable equal.

This girl seemed to amaze him at every turn.

"I can give you the opportunity, but on one condition."

Maeve gestured for him to continue. "Name it."

Simon: "If you want to lead projects right off the bat, you have to pass Lab C's ultimate assessment."

"If you pass, you can take your pick of any project currently running at Lab C."

Maeve had been waiting for exactly this.

"Deal!"

It wasn't until the moment they struck the deal that Simon finally realized what had happened.

In this negotiation, Maeve had completely stolen the home-field advantage.

Having the capability to snatch the power right out of his hands...

Simon felt more strongly than ever that conquering Maeve and bringing her to heel was going to be his next great life objective.