The CEO’s Regret My Ex-Wife is a Tech Goddess novel Chapter 9

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Next to the photo was the name Lily Summers: Senior Engineer, Ph.D. from the United States National Semiconductor Academy, and a core member of the Apex Microelectronics R&D team.

The United States National Semiconductor Academy—the most prestigious, globally recognized institution in the field. The exact place Alaina had been accepted into, only to throw it all away.

She knew Lily studied the same major.

But she never imagined Lily was actually this brilliant.

Just then, Lily walked onto the stage looking sharp and radiant in a sleek, custom-tailored suit.

The audience erupted into spontaneous applause, every eye fixed on her with absolute admiration.

She was stunning, wealthy, and had already achieved massive success in the tech industry at such a young age.

She was completely out of the league of typical, empty-headed socialites.

Under the blinding flashes of the cameras, Lily stood tall and proud, soaking in the praise and validation like an undisputed victor.

Alaina tensed up, her body feeling like it had been encased in cement, trapping her in her seat.

In that devastating moment, she had to admit she was insanely, terrifyingly jealous.

She knew deep down that she had lost again. She had completely thrown away both her career and her love life.

Refusing to break down in public, she forced herself up and practically fled the hall.

She rushed into the restroom, aggressively washing her hands to calm her racing heart. Suddenly, from the other side of the circular mirror arrangement, she heard two familiar male voices.

"I think I just saw Alaina."

"No way. Didn't rumor have it she married a billionaire? Why would she be here?"

"People change, it makes sense. She's gorgeous, so locking herself in a lab all day would be a waste anyway. It's totally normal for a woman to throw it all away for a guy."

"It's just a shame. I honestly thought today's glory was going to belong to a genius like her. She was so fiercely competitive—if she were here today, she'd probably be crying her eyes out."

"Look at the scale of this event. Being a genius doesn't mean anything against this kind of power. Do you know who Lily is? Apex is literally owned by her family's Lockwood Holdings. If I were her, I wouldn't even bother doing the research myself."

"You clearly don't get it. This proves she has the actual skills to back it up. I guarantee you, she's going to be the official CEO of Apex very soon."