Chapter 333
Elodie hadn’t spent an extraordinary amount of time preparing for these exams, but she’d been thorough enough—reviewing everything that needed reviewing and making sure she had all her bases covered.
For her, it was almost effortless.
She and Sylvie were in the same program, taking the test in the same room.
Elodie finished early, standing up to turn in her paper a full thirty minutes before
time was up.
Sylvie, of course, noticed.
She glanced over, shaking her head as if she’d seen this coming.
The first subject that day was a core requirement for their major.
Elodie handing in her paper early? To Sylvie, it could only mean she’d given up— either she couldn’t answer the questions or simply didn’t care enough to try.
No point in wasting time, Sylvie thought. Elodie shouldn’t have bothered showing up at all if this was how she was going to act.
There was something about Elodie’s attitude that Sylvie just couldn’t understand. Why try to show off for no reason?
Sylvie pressed her lips together in silent disapproval, feeling more certain than ever about her low expectations for Elodie.
When Elodie walked out, Esmeralda was already waiting just outside the door. Seeing Elodie stroll out with that calm, unbothered air, Esmeralda grinned and called out, “Come on! Lunch is on me today-something fancy!”
Elodie didn’t spare a thought for Sylvie’s reactions.
She relaxed, heading off with Esmeralda and the others for a celebratory meal.
The following days passed in a blur of exams, one after the other.
Her interview went smoothly, too.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the results.
It would take a week or two before the scores were posted.
Elodie wasn’t anxious. In fact, she was grateful her health hadn’t failed her at this crucial moment, allowing her to finish her exams without any mishaps.
Her main project, the disaster response system, was still ongoing-since it was a long-term commitment, she’d handed off her other immediate tasks for Alexander to lead.
With some free time, Elodie began laying the groundwork for her new clean energy initiative.
But then, when Alexander returned from a client meeting, he brought unexpected
news.
“Neural Intelligence is looking into clean energy too,” he said, tapping a folder on the table. “They’ve already met with Mr. Ableson, and their plans line up with ours. No surprise there. Jarrod’s got plenty of connections-he’ll make sure they get a smooth start.”
With Jarrod backing Neural Intelligence, there was no shortage of resources or talent, and they’d have no trouble making progress.
Elodie nodded thoughtfully.
She’d heard rumors: Jarrod had recruited top engineers from around the globe, and with such a stellar team, their projects were bound to be impressive.
Word on the street was that more and more people were seeking out Neural Intelligence for collaboration lately.
“Well, we’ll just have to see who does it better,” Elodie said, closing her notebook. Her tone was calm, but there was a sharpness to her gaze.
Alexander studied her for a moment, then broke into a grin. “You’re still the same Elodie—always up for a challenge and never one to back down.”
He couldn’t help feeling a little fired up himself, curious to see what Elodie would come up with next.
At two in the afternoon, Alexander got a call—an unusual one.
He mentioned it to Elodie. “Come with me to meet a guest in a bit.”
“Who is it?” she asked, puzzled.
He checked the time. “Watts. He called to say he’s interested in discussing a potential partnership in clean energy. Wants to meet with us first.”
Elodie didn’t know much about Watts-she’d only met him twice, in passing.
Still, she remembered him as a surprisingly steady presence for someone his age, not the sort to rub people the wrong way.
When she and Alexander arrived at the conference room, Watts was already there waiting.
He sat at ease, long-legged and relaxed, with the look of a runway model who’d wandered into a boardroom. There was a bright, infectious energy about him that was hard to ignore.