Elodie finally withdrew her gaze, her expression calm once more. “Let’s not think about it anymore.”

Alexander glanced at her, puzzled. “Why not?”

“This building’s deed is in Jarrod’s name.”

At that, a flicker of irritation crossed Alexander’s face. “Capitalism at its finest.”

Across from them, Mr. Ableson had clearly picked up on their conversation about the office building. His expression shifted, a hint of intrigue in his eyes. “You two don’t know, do you?”

Elodie looked up, eyebrow arched.

Mr. Ableson nodded toward the glass tower across the street. “A new company’s moving in over there.”

He elaborated, “You’ve heard of Sylvie, right? The one who’s been in the tabloids for dating Mr. Silverstein from The Silverstein Group? She didn’t join that firm- instead, she’s opening her own drone company. That entire building is her official address. News just broke today. The company’s called Neural Intelligence.”

Alexander’s face changed instantly.

Sylvie hadn’t joined The Silverstein Group? She was going solo?

Elodie’s brows knitted together. “When did this happen?”

“News went public this morning,” Mr. Ableson replied, “though they’re still in the setup phase. Papers say it’s registered already. But look at that building-seven full floors. That’s not small potatoes.”

Not small at all, in fact. It was downright audacious.

Opening a company of that scale took layers of approvals—and just the funding alone would run into the hundreds of millions.

Elodie was certain: Sylvie couldn’t possibly have that kind of capital on her own.

A hush fell over her.

That building was Jarrod’s private property.

And Sylvie’s new company was moving in right there.

Suddenly, Elodie remembered what Sylvie had said to Keith on the phone last night. It all clicked.

So… last night, had Jarrod been helping Sylvie set up her business?

She’d assumed Jarrod would simply slot Sylvie into The Silverstein Group, personally ensuring her rise through the ranks.

She never imagined Sylvie would launch her own company.

Alexander’s expression darkened as well. Judging by the scale, this new company was no small fry.

If he was right…

“Frankly, Mr. Sterling, you’d better keep your eyes open,” Mr. Ableson said quietly. “That company’s size alone puts it in direct competition with VistaLink Technologies. And with Mr. Silverstein’s connections, they’ll be a serious contender on future projects.”

He’d voiced exactly what Alexander was thinking.

VistaLink Technologies was riding high at the moment, but if Neural Intelligence’s strategy took off, they’d become a major local rival.

Elodie’s gaze dropped, suspicion flickering in her eyes.

Was Sylvie’s sudden move a reaction to being kicked off the Nexus Analytics project? Did Jarrod see that as an affront to Sylvie’s reputation-and his own interests?

Was this his way of making sure no one else could decide Sylvie’s fate, by going toe-to-toe with VistaLink Technologies through business competition?

A crease formed between Elodie’s brows as she quickly pieced together the underlying motive.

No wonder Jarrod hadn’t made a move after what happened with Sylvie. She’d even wondered if his silence was a warning sign.

Now, the answer was staring her in the face.

Jarrod was retaliating for VistaLink Technologies’ decision to cast Sylvie out.

Was this… his way of backing her up?

Even Alexander, usually the master of keeping up appearances, couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “He isn’t funding her, is he? If that’s the case, you should just sue him already. The divorce isn’t final-you could still go after joint assets.”

Elodie’s face was blank, unreadable.

Now she finally understood why Jarrod had insisted on that agreement-no matter what happened, she couldn’t reveal their connection.

Let alone take him to court.

Lost in thought, she was startled by the sudden ring of her phone.

It was a call from Keith.

Elodie excused herself with a nod to Mr. Ableson and stood to answer.

On the other end, Jarrod’s deep voice rumbled through the line. “It’s me.”