Chapter 2The Core Developer's Counterattack

The company was on the eighteenth floor. When I stepped out of the elevator, the girls at the front desk all stared at me.

I could feel their eyes lingering on my lower abdomen.

Seven days postpartum, my stomach hadn't completely shrunk back yet.

Even a loose coat couldn't hide it.

"Fiona? What are you doing here?" Lily from the front desk hurried over, lowering her voice. "Aren't you on maternity leave?"

I offered a tight smile. "Meeting."

Her expression shifted, looking like she wanted to say something but held back.

I didn't ask. I walked straight toward the conference room.

As I passed Chloe's cubicle, she was muttering to herself, staring at her screen. When she saw me, she practically jumped out of her chair.

"Fiona! You're here!"

她 hurried over, reaching out to support me.

I took a step sideways, avoiding her hand.

"I'm fine. I can walk."

Chloe's hand hung frozen in the air. For a split second, she looked awkward, but quickly recovered her bright smile.

"Fiona, you haven't recovered yet. You just sit during the meeting. You don't need to say anything; I'll handle the presentation."

Her tone was so incredibly natural.

As if she truly was the project lead.

As if I was just a supporting character here to applaud her.

I looked at her, suddenly remembering something.

"Chloe, did you read the technical documentation the investors sent last week? They have questions about the precision of the recommendation algorithm."

Chloe froze. "Ah... I looked at it, but it was too technical. I didn't really understand..."

"If you didn't understand it, how do you plan to explain it?"

She blinked, her smile sickeningly sweet. "Fiona, that's why you're here! You're the core developer, you understand the technical stuff best."

I nodded and said nothing more.

When I walked into the conference room, David was already sitting at the head of the table.

Seeing me, he stood up, plastering a fake smile on his face.

"Fiona's here! How are you feeling? Hanging in there?"

I gripped the back of a chair and slowly lowered myself down.

"I'm managing."

David nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. "The investors arrive at ten, we have half an hour. Just rest for now. You won't need to present later; let Chloe do the talking. Just sit there and look supportive."

I looked up at him.

"David, I haven't seen the latest version of the project materials. Could you send me a copy?"

He paused, exchanging a quick look with Chloe.

"Materials? What materials?"

"The version of the project proposal, PowerPoint, and technical documentation the investors will be reviewing."

Silence fell over the conference room for several agonizing seconds.

David let out a dry, forced laugh. "Fiona, you just had a baby. Why stress yourself out with all this information? Just focus on resting."

I didn't back down.

"David, I am the core developer. If I can't even see the presentation materials, how am I supposed to answer the investors' questions?"

His smile stiffened instantly.

Chloe chimed in from the side, "Fiona, I made the PowerPoint. It's mostly based on your previous proposal, I just added some visual effects—"

"Send it to me."

My tone was perfectly calm, but leaving absolutely zero room for argument.

Chloe glanced at David, who waved his hand dismissively. "Just send it, send it."

Two minutes later, the PowerPoint arrived in my inbox.

I opened it and stared at the very first slide.

Project Name: SmartSelect Recommendation System

Project Lead: Chloe

Core Developer: Fiona

I scrolled down.

The technical architecture diagram. I drew that.

The algorithm flowchart. I created that.

The model parameter table. I tuned those.

Yet, in the bottom corner of every single slide was a tiny, watermark-like signature: Chloe.

I skipped to the final slide.

The acknowledgment page read: Thank you to all team members for their hard work, with special thanks to Manager David Reynolds for his careful guidance.

My name appeared somewhere in the middle of a long list of names.

Right behind Chloe's.

I closed my laptop and took a deep, shaky breath.

My C-section incision was throbbing violently.