Six Years Later, He's My Boss

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Klaus's expression didn't change, but something in his posture relaxed almost as he seemed a bit relieved that she had taken the bait. She did not know if that was a good thing yet.

"Good. Conference Room B is three doors down on the left. I'll see you there in thirty minutes."

He turned and walked out, leaving Ambelyn alone with the file and a mounting sense of either opportunity or disaster—she wasn't sure which.

She found an empty office and closed the door, spreading the contents of the file across the desk, trying to arrange it in a way that she would tackle it one by one, absolving the important things and discarding the irrelevant ones.

Then she dove in, her mind shifting into the focused mode she remembered from college, when she'd had to absorb massive amounts of information quickly for presentations and exams.

The AI division was impressive—cutting-edge technology for predictive business analytics, with applications across multiple industries. The financial projections were strong, though she noticed some gaps in the market penetration estimates that would probably raise red flags for experienced investors.

She made notes in the margins, cross-referencing information, building a mental framework for her presentation. She had to be confident but not oversell. Had to acknowledge risks while emphasizing opportunities that would allow the investors get the bait. Had to make six wealthy strangers believe that this company—that Klaus—was worth their investment.

Twenty-eight minutes later, she straightened her jacket, grabbed the file, and headed for Conference Room B.

The room was larger than she'd expected, with a massive table and high-backed leather chairs. Six people were already seated—four men and two women, all dressed in expensive business attire that screamed old money and serious influence.

And at the head of the table, watching her with those inscrutable dark eyes, sat Klaus.

But it was the two seats at the far end that made Ambelyn's blood run cold.

Thomas sat there with a satisfied smirk on his face. Veronica beside him, her expression one of malicious delight.

Her ex-husband was one of the investors.

Ambelyn froze in the doorway, her carefully constructed composure cracking. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way Klaus could have known—could have arranged this deliberately.

Klaus's expression gave nothing away as he stood. "Gentlemen, ladies, may I introduce Ambelyn Moreau, my new executive assistant. She'll be walking you through the details of our AI division investment opportunity."

My new executive assistant. The words hung in the air like a declaration. He hadn't said candidate or applicant. He'd stated it as fact, claiming her for his company before she'd even proven herself.

Thomas's smirk faltered, clearly he wasn't expecting that, probably thought that Amberlyn was here to ask if they needed snacks. Veronica's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Ambelyn forced herself to move forward despite the glares that she was receiving from her ex husband mistress, as she set down the file on the presentation podium, and went ahead to pull up the slides on the large screen. Her hands were shaking but she clasped them together, willing the trembling to stop.

"Thank you for meeting with us today," she began, her voice steadier than she'd expected, and loud enough to be heard by everyone in this room gaining their attention at once.

"I know your time is valuable, so I'll be direct about what we're offering and why Thorne Industries represents a unique investment opportunity in the AI sector."

She launched into the presentation, clicking through slides that illustrated market trends, technology specifications, and projected returns. She'd absorbed the material quickly but thoroughly, and now it flowed from her with surprising confidence.

She talked about the competitive landscape, acknowledging other players in the AI field but highlighting Thorne Industries' proprietary algorithms and superior processing speeds. She addressed potential risks—market saturation, regulatory challenges, technology obsolescence—but framed each one with corresponding mitigation strategies.

The investors leaned forward, engaged despite themselves. One of the older men asked about customer acquisition costs.

Ambelyn pulled up a slide she'd noticed earlier, walking him through the detailed breakdown and explaining how the numbers compared favorably to industry standards.

A woman with glasses questioned the scalability of the technology. Ambelyn acknowledged the concern, then explained the architecture that would allow for exponential growth without proportional increases in infrastructure costs.

Back and forth it went, questions and answers, challenges and responses that she found herself tackling with ease, not faltering one bit, giving the investors ammunition to pull from this project.

Ambelyn found herself falling into a rhythm, her anxiety was reducing as her mind engaged fully with the material. This was what she was good at—synthesis, analysis, clear communication. This was why she'd excelled in college, why she'd been a top student despite everything else falling apart around her.

Through it all, Thomas sat with his arms crossed, his expression growing darker. Veronica whispered something to him that he ignored, his attention fixed on Ambelyn with what looked like furious disbelief.

Finally, after forty-five minutes that felt both endless and too short, Ambelyn concluded with a summary slide showing projected five-year returns.

"Thorne Industries isn't asking you to take a leap of faith," she said, meeting each investor's eyes in turn. "We're offering you a carefully calculated investment in technology that's already proven its value. The question isn't whether this will succeed—it's whether you want to be part of that success. Thank you for your time."

She stepped back from the podium, her heart pounding. For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then one of the older men—distinguished, with silver hair and sharp eyes—began to clap. The others joined in, a smattering of genuine appreciative applause.

"Impressive," the silver-haired man said. "Very impressive indeed. Mr. Thorne, you've clearly hired well."

"Thank you, Mr. Ashford," Klaus replied smoothly. "Ms. Moreau is an exceptional asset to our team."

"I disagree."

Thomas's voice cut through the positive atmosphere like a knife. Everyone turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry?" Klaus's tone remained polite but had cooled noticeably.

"I said I disagree," Thomas repeated, standing slowly from the chair as he seemed intent on making a spectacule right here. "This presentation was slick, I'll grant you that. But it was also manipulative. Those market projections are overly optimistic. The risk mitigation strategies are underdeveloped. And frankly, I question the judgment of a CEO who would rely on such an inexperienced assistant for a presentation of this magnitude."

Veronica nodded vigorously beside him. "I have to agree with Thomas. The whole thing felt amateurish. We're talking about millions of dollars here. Surely you have more qualified people who could have handled this presentation?"

Ambelyn felt her face flush with humiliation. She'd known Thomas would try to sabotage her, but having it happen so publicly, so viciously, made her want to sink through the floor.

"I see," Klaus said quietly. There was something dangerous in his voice now, something that made even Thomas hesitate. "And which specific projections did you find overly optimistic, Mr. Blackwood?"