Five Years Wasted Now They Beg Her Back novel Chapter 372

She turned to face the judges.

“Esteemed experts, if you don’t believe me, you can have Ms. Cross run her simulation program right now. I guarantee that when the simulation temperature is set to 155.5 degrees, the entire system will crash immediately.”

“You’re full of it!” Amelia panicked, her usual elegance completely gone.

“Ms. Cross, since Ms. Hart has raised a concern, please proceed with a live demonstration,” Mr. Halstead said, pushing up his glasses. As a man with a technical background, he valued data integrity above all else.

Amelia was trapped.

She looked to her technical team for help, but they were just as clueless—they had simply taken the core data and hadn't had time to conduct in-depth tests.

Under Mr. Halstead’s watchful gaze, Amelia, with a trembling hand, clicked to run the simulation.

The temperature value began to climb.

140… 150… 155…

The moment the number jumped to 155.5, the large screen flickered, and a giant red warning box popped up: [SYSTEM ERROR]. Then, the entire presentation software crashed, and the screen went blue.

The room erupted in chaos.

“How could this happen…” Amelia collapsed onto the floor in disbelief.

“Because I’m the one who wrote that bug.”

Grace walked onto the stage, pulled out Amelia’s flash drive, and inserted her own.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what Ms. Cross just showed you was actually a ‘trap’ version I discarded a week ago. The Clarke family’s real technology is right here.”

The screen lit up.

A brand-new interface, smooth schematics, and astonishing parameters.

“The Clarke family’s System Emberlight not only completely solves the thermal runaway problem, but…”

Amelia looked at the dazzling Grace on stage and felt her world crumble. She had not only lost the project, but also her reputation and her dignity.

“Ms. Cross,” Grace said after finishing her presentation, looking at the pale-faced Amelia. “Do you remember our bet?”

Amelia bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but refused to speak.

“A bet’s a bet,” Damien interjected coldly. “Or would you prefer the Cross Group to disappear tomorrow?”

Under Damien’s terrifying pressure, Amelia lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m sorry… I am a thief.”

“Louder. Did you lose your voice?” Damien pressed relentlessly.

Amelia squeezed her eyes shut and screamed hysterically, “I am a thief! I am a thief! I am a thief!”

After shouting, she covered her face and fled the conference hall, her escape punctuated by the endless flashing of cameras.