Elodie paused, her hand hovering midair as she glanced sideways.

Sylvie strode over, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Do you think this is some kind of toy? You can’t just handle things here without permission. These are the result of years of hard work by our researchers.”

Elodie met her accusatory gaze, acutely aware of the curious, judgmental stares suddenly turning her way.

Only then did her brow knit, ever so slightly.

Grady joined them, his expression darkening. “Unbelievable. Didn’t anyone tell you when you arrived? Everything here is strictly for observation unless you have specific authorization and an expert supervising you.”

How could she be so reckless? So disrespectful!

She was nothing like Sylvie-refined, poised, worldly.

Even Naylor, usually calm, looked unusually grave.

He’d grown up on military bases, raised with an iron sense of discipline, well aware of the strict regulations at the research facility.

U.N2 was military-grade, after all.

If someone clueless triggered the wrong mechanism, the consequences could be catastrophic.

This Elodie did she have no sense of respect or caution at all?

His gaze hardened as he spoke, his words chosen carefully. “Ms. Thorne, even if you’re unfamiliar with the protocols, you should exercise restraint. Ms. Fielding is right; it’s about respect for the developers and an understanding of the work they’ve put in. Since you’re here with Mr. Sterling, I’m simply reminding you out of courtesy-nothing more.”

Even if she wasn’t an expert, Elodie could have at least tried to match Ms. Fielding’s composure.

Naylor had watched U.N2 go from prototype to mass production. The last thing he wanted was for someone ignorant to show it such disregard.

Elodie hadn’t expected to land in such an awkward situation.

Their eyes were heavy with criticism, calling out her “recklessness.”

Yet she felt no anger, no embarrassment.

In some ways, they weren’t wrong. Ordinary people really shouldn’t touch these things.

But… she of all people had a reason to be at ease. She knew the U.N2 inside and out; she’d built it herself.

She answered calmly, “Thank you for the reminder.”

Naylor was taken aback by her composure, her calm and poise never faltering. Most people would’ve wanted to sink through the floor or lashed out defensively by now.

But Elodie was unflappable. Almost serene.

He frowned, wondering if he’d misjudged her.

“She didn’t actually touch anything, so let’s not make this out to be more than it is,” Joseph finally spoke up, unable to watch any longer. He could see the way Sylvie’s presence had made everyone pile on Elodie.

Sylvie shot Joseph a surprised look.

She pressed her lips together, not quite understanding why he was defending Elodie.

Alexander and Patrick arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the exchange, both frowning. Alexander bent to murmur quietly in Elodie’s ear, “You okay?”

He found the whole thing laughable.

This was Elodie’s machine-she’d run the data, overseen every step of the prototype. She’d tested every system, every component, over and over.

If anyone had a right to handle it, it was her. She could have danced on top of it and no one could say a word.

Patrick whistled under his breath. “What a misunderstanding. Too bad your NDA’s still in effect, huh?”

Alexander did a quick calculation. “Shouldn’t be long now, right?”

Elodie shook her head, unbothered. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

She truly didn’t care about something so trivial.

With a core that strong, why let anyone’s misunderstanding shake you?

Alexander grinned, clearly satisfied. “They probably can’t figure you out, so they just don’t bother.”

Elodie didn’t answer, just smiled faintly, unconcerned.

Still, Sylvie’s attitude today had caught her by surprise.

There was a new edge to the way she looked at Elodie-something personal, almost resentful. In the past, Sylvie had barely acknowledged her existence. Elodie wondered if it had something to do with Jarrod’s visit to her family on the anniversary. Maybe, just maybe, that was what had soured Sylvie’s mood.