This situation? She couldn’t care less.

Naylor watched Sylvie’s profile for a moment, taking in the poised, intelligent confidence she radiated. It only made some of the folks at VistaLink Technologies seem even more reactionary by comparison. He figured Sylvie and the woman behind the U.N2 project were cut from the same cloth.

Joseph took in the scene, choosing not to say anything further. Instead, he opened WhatsApp and, almost out of habit, scrolled down until he found Elodie’s chat. He thought about reaching out but hesitated-it felt too abrupt. After considering for a moment, he messaged a different contact: [I gave your details to a friend last time. Did you ever reply to them?]

There was a long pause before Elias Warwick finally responded: [You mean the one with the username “El”? I declined. Things have been busy lately. Are you two close?]

Joseph frowned ever so slightly, keeping his expression neutral. Since Elias had already refused, there was no point in asking Elodie for more details. Then Elias added: [Should I try to reschedule? But honestly, after I turned them down, they didn’t push. Handled it with class.]

Joseph absently rubbed the edge of his phone, guessing Elodie must have other plans. He replied: [Let’s leave it for now.]

The next morning, VistaLink Technologies received a reply from Nexus Analytics. Sylvie would step back from the project, and Jason’s team would be taking over.

Jason and his people had spent most of the night drafting new proposals to address the issues raised yesterday. Even Alexander was surprised. “Honestly, with how protective your ex-husband is of Sylvie, I figured he’d rather end the partnership than let anything happen to her.”

Elodie didn’t have much of a reaction. She answered pragmatically, “When it comes to work, Jarrod’s always been levelheaded. He knows as well as anyone how valuable this project is for VistaLink Technologies in the long run.”

Alexander handed Elodie a glass of water. “Gotta admit, Sylvie’s smart. This is the most dignified way out. Better to step down yourself than be forced out.”

Elodie’s message in the group chat yesterday had been a genuine opportunity to smooth things over. Since the other side hadn’t shown much intent to resolve things sincerely, she’d simply dealt with them in a rational, decisive way. VistaLink Technologies wasn’t short on partners and there was no need to waste time trying to force a match that wasn’t going to work.

He’d always known Elodie’s character-graceful, but absolutely clear-eyed and direct when it came to big decisions. If there was a chance to be given, she would give it. But sometimes, being firm really did get things done faster than expected.

Just after ten, Elodie and Esmeralda met with several executives from clean energy startups to discuss the integration of high-energy, wide-temperature lithium batteries with drone technology. When lunchtime rolled around, they decided to try a new restaurant nearby that they’d both been wanting to visit.

Esmeralda went in ahead to order while Elodie parked the car and made her way inside. As she walked past one of the private dining rooms, she caught sight of Sylvie and Selma inside, laughing and chatting. Both looked in high spirits-Sylvie in particular seemed unaffected by the recent shakeup, if anything, she looked even more relaxed and cheerful.

Elodie averted her gaze and continued down the hallway. As she turned a corner, she found Jarrod standing outside, casually smoking. It was clear he was there to join Sylvie and Selma for lunch. Jarrod noticed her too, and this time, he didn’t pretend she wasn’t there. He turned to face her, meeting her eyes with a calm, almost indifferent look.

Since Sylvie’s replacement, Jarrod hadn’t said a word about VistaLink Technologies, acting as though nothing had happened. So now, running into him unexpectedly, Elodie saw no reason to say anything either. She didn’t slow her pace or acknowledge him in any way.

Jarrod, of course, picked up on her mood. As she drew near, he pinched out his cigarette with deliberate slowness and smirked, “Not often I see you lose your temper.”