She graduated at the top of her class.

Had it been otherwise-if she’d really gone ahead and married Jarrod Mr. Charlie Sterling might not have gotten so angry he needed blood pressure medication.

But truthfully, back in her college days, the Harcourt family couldn’t have cared less, and after she married into the Silverstein family, they never paid much attention either. All they ever seemed to know was that she, like her uncle Emile, had studied physics.

A field, in their eyes, of little value to the family business.

Once she was married, her worth seemed to boil down to just one thing: when she’d finally provide an heir for the Silversteins.

And eventually, even that was subject to review-her intelligence had to be “qualified” before she could be trusted with the task of carrying on the family line.

Freya was genuinely stunned.

From her perspective, physics was already one of the toughest majors out there. And Elodie had taken on another at the same time?

She couldn’t help herself. “And the other one-?”

“There’s a lot to consider,” Elodie replied, skipping Freya’s unfinished question. “Given your health, I’d honestly recommend you focus on computer science.”

She spoke with focus, laying out the pros and cons, and explaining the different factors that came with each path.

Freya found herself drawn in, listening more and more intently.

Her admiration grew, fierce and bright.

They talked until the conversation had run its course.

That’s when Joseph arrived. He noticed how animated Freya and Elodie were― his lips curled into a slight smile before he stepped over.

“Ms. Thorne.” He took a seat beside Freya.

Elodie acknowledged him with a polite nod.

“There are still some things I need to take care of at VistaLink Technologies, so I should be heading back,” Elodie said. She had covered everything she wanted to tell Freya; the rest was up to her.

Joseph pressed his lips together, then slid a small, elegantly wrapped box toward her. “I heard your birthday was the day before yesterday. I know I’m a little late, but-happy birthday.”

Elodie paused, eyeing him with a flicker of suspicion.

Joseph met her cool, puzzled gaze, his heart skipping a beat. He kept his composure. “Freya and I picked this out together. I noticed you haven’t been feeling well, so we had a custom aromatherapy candle made. It’s supposed to help with sleep-very calming.”

Elodie’s polite refusal caught in her throat. She glanced at Freya.

The younger girl nodded instantly, her voice sweet and earnest. “Please take it, Elodie. It’s not just a birthday gift-I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk with me today.”

That cleared things up for Elodie.

It was Freya’s idea.

She didn’t refuse again. “Thank you.”

Joseph saw her reaction-no trace of annoyance or rejection-and the tightness in his chest finally eased.

After Elodie left, Freya shot her brother an exasperated look. “You went to all that trouble to get Elodie a present, and you had to drag me into it. What, were you worried she’d refuse if it was just from you?”

Joseph slowly pulled his gaze away, ignoring her jab.

He got straight to the point. “So, what did Elodie talk to you about?”

That was all Freya needed-she launched excitedly into a detailed retelling, from start to finish.

Joseph’s easy expression grew steadily more serious, even shocked.

A double major?

What else had Elodie studied?

And her advice to Freya was spot-on-thoughtful, thorough, and perfectly tailored

to the field of aerospace engineering.

No wonder Haywood couldn’t stop singing her praises…

With knowledge and insight like this, there was no way she was just someone’s assistant.

Especially since, as far as Joseph knew, a physics background was ideal for UAV development.

A sudden realization struck him: the project at VistaLink Technologies-the one where Elodie was listed as the lead…