If she really acted recklessly—

If she had exposed Mrs. Silverstein’s true identity in front of all those people just now, Sylvie would have been condemned for overstepping her place, and Jarrod probably wouldn’t have let either her or the Thorne family off the hook so easily.

Reason, in the end, always outweighed impulse.

Since they were both here tonight, Elodie still had a chance to speak with Jarrod. She gathered her thoughts and moved with the flow of guests into the main hall. Inside the conference venue, Alexander spotted Elodie at once and waved her

over.

When she reached him, Alexander patted the seat beside him. “Sit here. Let’s see if TerraCore Technologies has made any breakthroughs with their materials today. Not a bad company to keep an eye on.”

Elodie nodded, thoughts swirling. “So, TerraCore Technologies belongs to that Mr. Whitaker, right?”

Naylor was the only child in his family. Though he hadn’t gone into politics, he’d chosen business instead, guided by influential relatives whose names often appeared in national news. He was definitely someone worth considering as a partner.

“Want to go say hello later?” Alexander remembered how, last time at the research park, Naylor seemed to have misunderstood Elodie.

Apparently, Naylor had assumed Elodie wasn’t all that professional.

This time, with her sharp industry insights and her technical grasp of TerraCore’s materials, she’d have a chance to clear things up. Naylor just needed a real conversation with Elodie-then he’d see her in a new light.

Elodie didn’t mind.

She hadn’t taken offense at Naylor’s “scolding” last time, when he accused her of messing with the U.N2 prototypes. In fact, she could understand where he was coming from. The whole episode hadn’t really fazed her.

As she waited to go greet Naylor, Elodie let her gaze wander around the room.

It didn’t take long to spot Jarrod and Sylvie, surrounded by a circle of CEOs and executives, exchanging polite banter.

Elodie began thinking over how she might find a chance to discuss the divorce with Jarrod.

She couldn’t help glancing his way, studying him for a moment longer.

Just then, Naylor was descending the stairs from the second floor. From his vantage point, he could see the entire hall, and he instantly noticed Elodie and Alexander sitting right up front.

He also noticed-

Elodie kept sneaking glances at Jarrod!

Naylor’s handsome features twisted for a second in disbelief and irritation.

Had he underestimated this woman? She was even more persistent than he’d thought.

A few company executives walking with Naylor noticed him stop and followed his gaze. Suddenly, it clicked.

“Mr. Whitaker, do you know that Ms. Thorne?” one asked.

Naylor looked over, surprised. “You know her?”

TerraCore and VistaLink hadn’t worked together yet, and as far as he knew, Elodie was only Alexander’s assistant. How would she know anyone from his company?

Seeing his confusion, Mr. Black immediately chimed in. “We just met, actually. Ran into her downstairs at our building not long ago. Ms. Thorne’s quite the character.”

“Oh?” Naylor raised an eyebrow, amused. “How so?”

Mr. Black grinned. “We were downstairs greeting Mr. Silverstein and Ms. Fielding when Ms. Thorne marched right up and asked to speak privately with Mr. Silverstein. I’m not sure if they’re friends or what, but Ms. Fielding didn’t object, only Mr. Silverstein wasn’t having any of it. He just turned her down and left with Ms. Fielding. To be honest, it looked pretty awkward for Ms. Thorne…”

Naylor hadn’t heard about this.

A frown slowly creased his brow.

He glanced again at Elodie, sitting quietly up front.

So she wasn’t just “sneaking looks”-she was openly making a move?

She’d already tried to approach Jarrod in front of Sylvie, his official girlfriend?

Unbelievable. The nerve!

Good for Jarrod, turning her down flat.

A woman like that only grows bolder when you give her an inch. Give her some attention, and she’ll want to take over the show.