Chapter 64: Her Shining Moment

Morgan stood confidently at the center of the stage as the massive LED screen behind him illuminated the hall with vibrant graphs, projections, and streams of data related to Project KitKat.

The presentation was highly technical. Charts shifted seamlessly across the screen. Market projections climbed upward. Performance metrics flashed one after another.

To people like Martin and Charlotte, the presentation was nothing short of boring. Their polite smiles barely concealed their boredom.

But for the CEOs, investors, technology executives, and industry experts gathered in the hall, Morgan’s words were pure gold.

The audience hung onto every statistic. Every forecast. Every innovation.

Some discreetly raised their phones beneath the tables to capture photos of the slides.

Others secretly recorded portions of the presentation.

Most notably, representatives from rival companies watched with sharp eyes, greed and admiration hidden behind professional smiles.

Project KitKat was revolutionary. And everyone in the room knew it.

At the VIP table, Isobel was equally captivated. Not because the presentation was new to her but because she knew every single detail by heart.

She had spent the last three nights working on those graphs. She had analyzed every trend, reviewed every projection, verified every line of data.

The presentation wasn’t simply Morgan’s. It was hers too.

As Morgan spoke, Isobel became completely immersed.

The world around her faded away. The whispers. The applause. The people seated beside her.

Everything disappeared.

Her eyes remained fixed on the stage. On the presentation. On the dream she had helped bring to life.

Because of that, she never noticed the heated gaze fixed on her from the man seated beside her.

Kristoff’s eyes had drifted toward her long ago.

Instead of listening to the presentation, he found himself watching her.

Watching the way her eyes sparkled whenever Morgan discussed a breakthrough.

Watching the excitement she tried to contain whenever a slide she had worked on appeared.

The admiration on her face made something dark twist inside his chest.

Nor did Isobel notice the malicious look Charlotte occasionally directed toward her.

Charlotte’s smile remained perfectly elegant on the surface.

But beneath it lurked resentment. Because despite being seated beside Kristoff, his attention was elsewhere.

On another woman. On Isobel...

And she wasn’t just any other woman. She slept on his bed for several months.

At that realization, Charlotte’s fingers tightened around the stem of her wine glass that contained no wine but just water.

She had the urge to splash her the water, but she controlled her raging emotion. It wasn’t the right place.

Meanwhile, on stage, Morgan approached the final portion of his keynote speech. The hall remained silent.

Every person present was captivated.

Then, just before concluding, Morgan paused. His gaze swept across the audience.

It landed on Isobel.

The corners of his lips lifted. Pride shone openly in his eyes. The kind of pride a mentor felt toward someone who had exceeded every expectation.

A slide appeared behind him.

The words displayed on the giant screen made the audience curious.

THE MIND BEHIND PROJECT KITKAT

Morgan smiled.

"There is someone I’d like all of you to meet."

The audience stirred. Many leaned forward in anticipation.

Morgan continued.

"The person I’m about to introduce is the reason Project KitKat exists today."

A wave of whispers spread through the hall. Even rival executives exchanged curious glances.

Who could possibly be the genius behind Aioryx’s most revolutionary project?

Morgan’s gaze never left Isobel.

"Everyone..."

His voice echoed clearly through the hall.

"Please welcome Miss Isobel Lancey—the creator of Project KitKat and the Manager of Aioryx Research and Development."

For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then the hall exploded.

Thunderous applause erupted from every corner. Executives rose from their seats. Investors applauded enthusiastically. Even rival companies couldn’t hide their astonishment.

All eyes turned toward Isobel.

But one person was affected more than anyone else.

Kristoff froze. Completely.

The applause seemed distant. The noise muted. His mind latched onto only one phrase.

The creator of Project KitKat.

Impossible!

He knew exactly what Project KitKat was.

A month ago, he had practically harassed Morgan to grant Dalton Technologies early access to the beta version of the robotic puppy.

He had recognized its potential immediately. The software was powerful enough to transform entire industries, not because it was developed for babies but because of the algorithm used behind it.

And now he was being told that the woman he once dismissed...the woman he thought needed saving...

had created it.

Shock swept through him. Followed by disbelief. Then admiration.

At the center of the attention, Isobel slowly rose from her seat.

On the outside, she appeared calm and composed. Professional and confident.

But inside, she was falling apart. Butterflies fluttered wildly in her stomach.

Her palms turned damp. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Hundreds of eyes were staring at her. Judging her. Evaluating her.

Her knees trembled.

For a terrifying moment, she feared they would give out beneath her.

She took a step forward. Then another.

Her heel caught slightly against the carpet.

A tiny stumble. Barely noticeable. But not to Kristoff.

Despite the shock still gripping him, he saw it instantly. His body reacted before his mind could. He almost stood from his seat. Almost crossed the distance between them. Almost reached out to steady her.

Just as he had done countless times in the past in that villa.

But then he felt a hand settle possessively around his arm.

Charlotte.

The touch snapped him back to reality. His jaw tightened. And he remained seated.

On stage, Morgan noticed the stumble too.

Without hesitation, he stepped down from the platform.

The audience watched in surprise as the CEO of Aioryx descended the stairs and walked directly toward Isobel.

When he reached her, he gently took her clammy hand and guided it to his arm. His voice lowered so only she could hear.

"You can do this, Isobel."

She looked up nervously.

Morgan smiled.

"You’ve practiced this speech in front of the babies dozens of times."

A laugh escaped her lips. It was small, soft and and genuine.

Morgan chuckled.

"So just pretend everyone here is a baby."

The absurdity of the suggestion eased the knot in her chest. Her nerves loosened. The fear began to fade.

Still holding onto his arm, she drew a steady breath.

The trembling in her legs slowly disappeared. Her shoulders straightened. Her chin lifted.

And with every step toward the stage, her confidence returned.

By the time she reached the spotlight, she was no longer the frightened woman battling stage fright.

She was the creator of Project KitKat.

And for the first time that evening, the entire world was about to see her shine.