Elodie stared at the number flashing on her phone, frowning despite herself.

Changing her number hadn’t helped. Blocking calls was pointless, too. If someone really wanted to reach her, they’d always find a way.

Her phone buzzed insistently.

She finally answered. “What is it?”

Keith, sounding oblivious to her chilly tone, spoke smoothly. “Do you have a moment this evening? Mr. Silverstein asked me to let you know that Nexus Analytics needs an additional signed copy of the equity agreement for the regulators. Would you be able to come by?”

Elodie didn’t even pause as she scrolled through recent drone test reports from VistaLink Technologies. “You can courier the contract to me. I’ll sign and send it back.”

But Keith pressed on. “Mr. Silverstein said this isn’t a trivial matter. If you’re too busy, he’s prepared to track down your grandmother for the signature.”

That made her stop cold.

A chill flickered in her eyes. “Tell him to leave my grandmother out of this. I’ll stop by before noon.”

Keith finally relented. “Understood. I’ll pass that along.”

Elodie hung up.

She would never let Jarrod and his people disturb the Thorne family. The divorce was final-she wanted Jarrod far away from her grandmother and the rest of them.

As for the Nexus Analytics shares, the company was a major player; regulatory changes always took time, and she’d have to cooperate with the process, whether she liked it or not.

She finished her work, then made her way to The Silverstein Group.

The receptionist, likely tipped off in advance, waved her straight to the elevator.

She entered the executive lounge.

Jarrod was already waiting. As she walked in, he looked up. “Have a seat.”

He glanced down at the papers in his hand, then, in his usual cool tone, instructed his assistant, “Bring in some herbal tea.”

Elodie didn’t sit next to him. Instead, she took the single seat across from him. “No tea, thanks. Just hand me the contract.”

Seeing her all business, Jarrod closed the file and slid it across the table to her. “Some departments need an extra copy. After submission, approval should come through in a couple of weeks.”

She glanced over the document-it was the same equity agreement as last time, no changes. She signed her name without hesitation.

She snapped the cap back on her pen and stood.

“Have lunch with me?” Jarrod checked his watch, then looked at her.

Elodie turned to him. “If you’re planning to talk about Neural Intelligence wanting VistaLink Technologies’ patents, don’t bother.”

No point dancing around the subject; she cut him off before he could start.

After Sylvie ran into a wall this morning, Jarrod inviting her to lunch was hardly a coincidence. She didn’t believe there was any lingering goodwill between them that would merit a friendly meal.

He studied her for a moment, recognizing the sharpness in her gaze. Then, with a faint, unhurried smile, he replied, “I won’t interfere with VistaLink Technologies’ decisions, and I won’t lobby for Neural Intelligence. You don’t have to worry.”

“There’s no personal leverage left with me, Mr. Silverstein,” she reminded him coolly.

Her words rang with finality. Jarrod looked at her for a long moment, but didn’t argue.

He didn’t try to circle back. Instead, he looked up. “VistaLink Technologies has been making waves lately. Seems you’ve got some real talent on your team.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, just gave a faint, knowing smile. “I’m not here to convince you about the Neural Intelligence patent license. But I do want to discuss Nexus Analytics acquiring VistaLink’s flight control system patent. It’s worth considering.”

Elodie wasn’t surprised.

Nexus Analytics was a top-tier company in the industry; of course, they’d be interested in every critical development.

She had shares in Nexus Analytics, which meant she’d profit from Jarrod’s patent fee, and she’d also see a dividend from Nexus Analytics itself.

But she just slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door, leaving him with a single sentence. “Have your people schedule a formal meeting with VistaLink Technologies if you’re interested.”

She wouldn’t grant Jarrod any shortcuts. Their personal history meant nothing

now.

If she guessed right, Jarrod’s real goal today was the flight control system patent. Still, he’d summoned her to The Silverstein Group for the discussion-he definitely had an agenda.

She had no problem selling the patent to Nexus Analytics; it would benefit her, and Nexus had always been a trusted partner. But these days, plenty of companies were knocking on her door, hoping to negotiate a deal. Even if she met with each one in turn, Jarrod’s request would have to wait its place in line. If he was hoping to skip ahead, he was out of luck.