An Explosive Welcome

Julian Croft stood at the front of the conference room, surveying the gathered employees with a confident smile. His hand rested lightly on Elara's shoulder as he prepared to make the introduction.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Elara Vance. She's joining us as our new Head of AI Development," Julian announced, his voice carrying clearly across the room.

Elara smiled politely as curious gazes settled on her. Some faces showed genuine interest, others skepticism, and a few displayed outright hostility.

"Elara was actually one of YodaVision's original founders," Julian continued. "She's returning to lead our most ambitious project to date."

Before Julian could elaborate further, a sharp voice cut through the murmurs.

"Did I hear correctly?" Quentin Yallop strode into the conference room, his expression thunderous. "Vivienne Dubois was fired for her?"

The room fell silent. All eyes darted between Quentin, Julian, and Elara.