The room erupted into polite applause as Lucy stood and prepared to take the stage.
She wore a white blazer over a high-collared shirt, paired with a black skirt.
Her goggles were still rested atop her blonde hair, which had been styled into a neat bun.
While she walked toward the podium, whispers moved through the crowd.
"She's so young."
"How old is she?"
"Eighteen, I heard."
"Eighteen? And she's the Lead Engineer?"
The murmurs were a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
Lucy Hargreeves was indeed young, far younger than anyone expected for such a role.
But for some in the crowd, particularly the journalists seated in the press section, this was fascinating.
One reporter, a woman with a pen already moving across her notepad, scribbled down a draft headline: Lucy Hargreeves: Following in the Footsteps of her Father, the Phenomenon Isaac Hargreeves?
Lucy reached the podium and offered a small, gracious nod to Valerie, who stepped aside with a smile.
