In that moment, Elodie understood-Jarrod was talking about VistaLink

Technologies switching team members.

There was nothing in his voice or expression that hinted at annoyance. He was as detached as ever, cool and unreadable.

But that sentence.

Was he here to interrogate her?

Or just being sarcastic?

She hesitated, her steps slowing, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort to dissect his intentions. Without a word, she kept walking.

Jarrod probably didn’t notice her reaction. He slipped his lighter back into his pocket, then turned to her again. “The decision to replace someone was that your suggestion?”

Of course.

Elodie stopped and angled her head toward him, her tone flat. “If you’re dissatisfied, Mr. Silverstein, there’s no obligation to work with us.”

She didn’t bother to explain further. There was no point in launching into a drawn- out debate over Sylvie’s departure from the project. It was meaningless.

Jarrod looked her up and down, his gaze steady. Elodie seemed utterly unfazed, as if the entire matter was insignificant, barely worth mentioning.

After a moment, he chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in the sound.

His lips curled with a hint of irony, and his eyes were as clear and impenetrable as ever. “So ‘not working together’ is the harshest thing you can come up with?”

Elodie’s brow furrowed. Something about his words made her uneasy-so casual, as if he didn’t take her seriously at all.

Yet Jarrod showed no intention of arguing about VistaLink Technologies’ decision. With a dismissive glance at Elodie, he stepped past her and slipped into the private dining room where Selma and Sylvie were waiting.

From inside, she could just make out Sylvie’s gentle voice: “Jarrod, my mom rarely gets a day off from the hospital. Thank you for making time to have dinner with us.”

No wonder Sylvie seemed so cheerful about leaving the project-Jarrod must have already soothed her feelings.

Of course, Jarrod’s reaction took Elodie by surprise. She had expected him to lose his temper; after all, VistaLink Technologies hadn’t exactly given much room for negotiation. Sylvie had always been the golden child, never meeting any real obstacles. And Jarrod had always treated her with a kind of careful affection.

Was he really just going to let this go?

Elodie didn’t dwell on it. She headed off to the table she’d reserved with Esmeralda. Whatever Jarrod decided to do next was his business. There was no reason to waste her energy worrying about it.

She never mentioned the whole encounter to Esmeralda, choosing to forget it entirely.

It was only after dinner that they returned to VistaLink Technologies.

Just as they reached the lobby, Elodie’s phone buzzed with a message from

Galen in the tech department: “El, we have visitors. Mr. Sterling isn’t back yet. When can you and Ms. Mercer get here?”

Elodie and Esmeralda exchanged a puzzled look before heading up in the elevator.

Inside the conference room, they found Grady and Naylor lounging on the sofas.

Esmeralda’s expression instantly frosted over. “What are you doing here? You must have too much free time.”

Grady shot his sister a disgruntled look. “Dad sent me. He wants to discuss continued collaboration with VistaLink Technologies. Esmeralda, don’t forget your own last name.”

Giving her the cold shoulder just because of an outsider—was that any way to treat her own brother?

Esmeralda ignored him, turning instead to the relaxed figure of Naylor. “Mr. Whitaker, and what brings you here today?”

Naylor’s gaze flickered past Elodie before he replied, “I spoke with Mr. Sterling yesterday. I think it’s worth having a deeper conversation. Ms. Mercer, you know as well as anyone that TerraCore Technologies has real strength in advanced materials. We can offer more freedom for innovative work. Any idea when Mr. Sterling will be back?”

He’d gone home yesterday. His father had told him that VistaLink Technologies must have some top talent on board-either Alexander himself or someone equally impressive—and the higher-ups were paying close attention. The company was even a government priority.

A win-win solution would obviously be best.

Still, he knew VistaLink Technologies had a reputation for being a bit arrogant. Swapping Sylvie out so abruptly didn’t sit quite right with him, either.