The moment Elodie saw Jarrod, she slipped her phone away, her eyes placid. “It’s nothing,” she said quietly.

Without another word, she brushed past him and walked away, her response strictly polite-no more, no less.

Jarrod watched her retreat, an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes.

Not far off, Alexander and Mr. Patrick were wrapping up their conversation.

Elodie offered no further comment. At this point, to keep refusing would only make her look ungrateful. In this business, if you want to last, you need to play your cards right with everyone.

The next day, Elodie and Alexander gathered the team for a targeted meeting. “Nexus Analytics is one of the best in the aerospace industry,” Alexander began, “Their military, commercial, and unmanned aircraft are all top-tier. TerraGreen Solutions is the up-and-comer, but when it comes to reliability, Nexus Analytics definitely has the edge.”

Elodie scanned the performance analyses for both companies. Finally, she spoke, matter-of-fact, “Let’s go with Nexus Analytics. Our project has high technical requirements—we need to minimize production risks.”

She made the call without hesitation. Elodie always separated business from personal matters; right now, Nexus Analytics was the clear choice for Eldermere.

Sourcing a manufacturer out of state would only drive up costs and make oversight a nightmare.

“Alright, I’ll inform Nexus Analytics,” Alexander concluded.

He stood and walked over to her. “And Mr. Harcourt? Should I turn him down?”

Elodie nodded. “Yes, please.”

Alexander sighed, “I still don’t get why Sylvie’s so fixated on this project. She’s tried every angle to get involved. Jarrod’s got more tricks up his sleeve than anyone, and Mr. Patrick can’t keep turning him down without causing problems. Some things, you just have to let slide.”

They all knew Nexus Analytics was the best choice for aircraft manufacturing. On the surface, it looked like they’d simply picked Nexus Analytics over TerraGreen Solutions.

In reality, the choice of manufacturer was a concession to Jarrod, done to satisfy Sylvie’s ambitions.

Even if Nexus Analytics was the optimal partner for VistaLink Technologies, there was something about the whole situation that felt off.

Elodie, however, seemed unfazed. She smiled faintly, “As long as Sylvie stays out of the R&D team, I can live with it.”

Alexander agreed, “True enough.”

Things had been hectic lately, but now that the funding was nearly in place and the manufacturer confirmed, Elodie took two days off to recharge.

On the third day, Elodie was notified that the full payment for her new home had gone through. Once she confirmed the transfer, she headed straight to VistaLink Technologies.

The project was officially underway.

Word spread quickly about VistaLink Technologies’ sudden flurry of activity. Rumors about the influx of funding made the rounds almost immediately. It had only been a few days since they started seeking investors, and no one seemed to know which company had put up such a large sum.

Jarrod was in a meeting when he heard the news. He glanced at the group chat, where Maurice was practically spamming the thread in disbelief.

[No way. Who actually invested?]

— [I knew it! The other day on the course, neither of them mentioned a word about funding. Did they really pull it off?]

[VistaLink Technologies hasn’t said a thing about their backer. It’s insane!]

Sylvie chimed in: [Are we sure this is legit?]

Joseph replied: [Yeah, even the government’s caught wind. VistaLink Technologies actually has the funds.]

Maurice pressed: [Jarrod, do you know what’s going on with your ex-wife’s side?]

Jarrod exited the chat and checked VistaLink Technologies’ official statement. Five hundred million, deal closed.

A slow, ambiguous smile tugged at his lips as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Meanwhile, across town, Grady Mercer was having dinner at home when the news reached him. He was stunned as well-he’d been convinced Alexander wouldn’t pull the funding together and would have to come begging for an investment.

In the end, they’d handled everything quietly, without a single misstep.