Page 8 of Her Billionaire Bossholes

JACKSON

"Hi," I greet Charlie with a friendly smile, unable to help but notice her appearance once again. The way she carries herself and her undeniable beauty leave me momentarily mesmerized.

I quickly gather myself, reminding myself to maintain professionalism and focus on the task at hand.

"Hello, Mr. Harris," she returns formally. "Shall we?"

"After you," I say with a charming smile, gesturing for her to go in ahead of me.

My eyes immediately land on her cute, round ass as she strides forward. With a body like that, she definitely works for her figure. As we walk, I realize that this hire is either going to be the best or worst choice BioCore has made.

"My area of expertise is regenerative medicine," I tell her as we walk. "I'll try not to bore you with the details, but essentially this is where we experiment with engineering tissue and self-healing."

Her eyes scan the space. "Sounds complicated. And expensive."

I chuckle, leading her toward a wall of safety glass to look in on a group of my chemists. "Yes and yes. We have sponsors and several private donors who help us keep up with the latest technology and methods."

"So what's your role here?" she asks, continuing her stroll.

"I'm one of the senior scientists," I reply. "I focus on tissue engineering and gene editing."

"And what kind of results have you seen so far?"

"We've had some promising results with bone and muscle regeneration," I explain proudly. "We're still working on perfecting the process, but we're confident that we can make some real progress in the coming years."

She nods, her eyes still fixed on the different groups of people working diligently in their lab coats. "Impressive," she comments. "So what kind of things does your research help with?"

I listen to her question but can't help my gaze from traveling down to her chest.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" I ask, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she repeats her question, and I try to shake off my inappropriate staring. It's hopeless. I can feel her gaze on me, it's like her eyes are raking over my body, inspecting every inch of me. It makes me feel exposed but in a good way. I clear my throat to shift my thoughts from those dangerous waters.

"Well," I begin with a sigh. "Some of it is average, but most of it is controversial. People like progress, they like innovation, but they don't like to hear about how we get there."

Charlie nods. "I see. And would you say it's the same for the other sections of BioCore?"

"Of course," I say with a nod. "For every supporter, there is someone who wants to close us down."

Charlie nods and for a moment, there's silence between us. I can't help but wonder what she's thinking about. Her face is unreadable, but her eyes are focused on me like she's seeing me for the first time. My heart starts to race, and I can feel a sense of nervousness in my chest.

"Mr. Harris," Charlie says, breaking the silence. "I have something I want to bring up with you."

My heart jumps into my throat. "Sure, what is it?"

"If you've been aware of the controversy of this field, and I assume you've been aware of it from the start?" She pauses there, waiting for my curt nod of confirmation. "Well, why haven't you already taken precautions with your protection? Controversy is a breeding ground for violence." She looks up at me with those utterly enchanting eyes. "I assume the man who jumped on stage wasn't one of your supporters."

The memory of that moment sends shivers down my spine, but despite it all, I can still feel a chuckle bubbling in my chest. "Many of our fans have done the same thing, you know. Attending our events and pushing security to their limits so they can get closer."

And as much as there have been negative situations involving BioCore's research over the years, we've also received plenty of support from people who believe in what we do here at BioCore: pushing beyond boundaries to develop cutting-edge treatments and cures to benefit humanity as a whole.

Fan passion often surpasses fear or opposition; they come together and fight for something larger than themselves while taking steps into unknown waters with little backing them other than sheer courage alone. We wouldn't be here without them.

Charlie doesn't join me in my lighthearted comment. "With all due respect, sir, that's all the more reason you should have hired someone sooner."

I blink a few times, taken aback by her frankness. We both know that the guys and I had been warned of the potential backlash against our research and capabilities but it was easier not to think about it than to take real action. Even now, having a bodyguard feels like more of a nuisance than anything. Especially when she insists on bringing up topics like this.

I let out a sigh and look away. "Caleb, Leo, and I didn't feel that we were in a position to need one. Still don't, really." I admit in a grumble, "But the board insisted after this last debacle."

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