Even though Elodie sometimes found VistaLink Technologies’ hiring decisions baffling, she couldn’t deny the talent of their other engineers. Any one of them plucked at random would be remarkable in their field.

She gathered her notes, not bothering to check what was happening with Sylvie across the room. Rising from her seat, Elodie headed for the door.

As she passed Jarrod’s desk, he swiveled in his chair, lifting his eyes to her. “Feeling any better?”

His first words were a show of concern-at least on the surface-but his tone was as cool and unreadable as ever.

Elodie paused, her gaze chilly as she looked at him. “You want to ask about what I said to Sylvie, right? No need to beat around the bush.”

Jarrod tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the desk, neither confirming nor denying, just holding her in his steady gaze.

She disliked everything about this situation—especially Jarrod’s ambiguous stance. It was obvious he was taking Sylvie’s side, disrupting the peace she so valued.

“Don’t worry,” Elodie replied, her voice turning even colder. “I don’t have the time to care right now. But I can’t guarantee that’ll always be the case.”

As long as Sylvie didn’t bother her, she wouldn’t retaliate. Elodie was confident Jarrod would understand her meaning.

Finally, Jarrod stood. He was tall enough that he had to lower his gaze to study her face, a faint, indifferent smile tugging at his lips. “Getting a bit feisty, aren’t you?”

After a brief pause, he added, “Have it your way.”

His smile was impossible to read-neither warm nor cold. To Elodie, it seemed to carry a silent challenge: Go ahead, try me.

It was nearly noon, and she and Alexander were already planning to head out for lunch. As they made their way downstairs, Jarrod and Sylvie joined them. Outside, they spotted Maurice by his car, waiting by the curb.

Maurice’s eyes flicked over to Elodie, and he grinned. “Mr. Sterling, Ms. Thorne, care to join us for lunch? I’ve made plans with a few friends today.”

Elodie shot him a cool look. “Sure. Where to?”

Maurice’s smile froze awkwardly, his expression faltering. He was genuinely surprised. Elodie used to respond gently, always saying something like, “It’s fine, have fun.” Now she was pushing back?

She didn’t wait for his answer, just turned and walked toward the car.

Alexander, ever the diplomat, smiled and said, “We’ll let you all enjoy yourselves. Wouldn’t want to make Ms. Fielding uncomfortable-after all, we almost lost the company.”

With that pointed remark, he turned and followed Elodie.

Sylvie frowned slightly. She knew Alexander was referring to Elodie’s earlier comment about taking the company back in court. Since when did Alexander start making jokes like that?

Maurice, for his part, didn’t seem to get the subtext. Jarrod didn’t offer any explanation either, and after they got in the car, Sylvie turned to Maurice.

“Are you free on Friday?” she asked. “Come to my mother’s art show. It’s her first exhibition since returning to the country-it’s a big deal for her. She’s in good spirits, her health is improving, and Jarrod’s helped us out a lot. We’d love for you to be there.”

Maurice blinked in surprise. “It’s all set up already?”

Sylvie smiled, sending a gentle look Jarrod’s way. “Almost. Like I said, Jarrod’s been a huge help. We’re hoping for a good turnout—it’ll mean a lot to her.”

Maurice immediately perked up. “In that case, we should invite some high-profile guests, get the word out!”

Sylvie nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. I know a few people-I’ll send out some invites.”

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Since coming back and working with Jarrod, she’d met plenty of art world insiders.

After firing off a few invitations, she paused over a few more names-Naylor, Grady Mercer, Joseph… and, most recently, Watts, who’d just added her.

She considered for a moment, then selected all of them, composed the invitation message, and hit send.