Joseph understood Elodie’s unspoken meaning almost immediately.

The reason The Delacroix Group secured the patent so smoothly had nothing to do with VistaLink Technologies doing him any favors. It was simply because he’d once helped Elodie. After this, though, there’d be no more goodwill.

He looked at her calm, composed face, fully aware that her recent politeness wasn’t genuine friendship. He took a long moment before nodding. “I understand.”

He’d known from the very beginning that Elodie would never see him as anything more than a business associate. Being Jarrod’s friend, what did he really expect? The truth was, even if something ever did happen between him and Elodie, he doubted he could handle it. He’d known Jarrod for more than a decade-there was no way he’d throw away that friendship, nor would he risk burning bridges with The Silverstein Group.

Yet people always hope for the impossible, convincing themselves they can somehow have it all, even when they know better. In circles like theirs, where everyone was raised to prioritize personal gain and elite advantage, who really risked everything for love? Who would jeopardize their standing or throw away a comfortable future for a woman?

He admired remarkable women, but Elodie was his friend’s wife. That was the line. He would never cross it.

And, of course, he knew he’d never been among Elodie’s options anyway.

Joseph stood, fixing his gaze on her. He extended his hand. “Ms. Thorne, thank you for giving The Delacroix Group this opportunity.”

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Elodie shook his hand lightly. “No need to thank me, Joseph. Just returning the favor.”

He felt the softness of her hand, gave it a subtle squeeze, then let go, having made his choice. “If Freya ever runs into trouble, would it be alright for her to reach out to you?”

Elodie actually had a soft spot for Freya. She nodded. “Of course.”

Joseph didn’t say more, nor did he linger. He left VistaLink Technologies and returned to where he belonged.

Once Joseph had gone, Elodie’s phone chimed.

She glanced down. It was a message from Watts Aldridge—the first he’d ever sent since they’d added each other as contacts.

Watts: [Good afternoon, Ms. Thorne. This is Watts Aldridge. Congratulations to VistaLink Technologies on your milestone achievement. I was wondering if you’d be available sometime soon-I’d like to invite you to lunch on behalf of Eldrion Global to discuss your system’s patents and your plans for the future. Would that be convenient for you?]

Eldrion Global was a major defense contractor.

Elodie didn’t hesitate. She replied: [Certainly, Mr. Aldridge. Just let me know the date.]

Alexander stopped by her office midway through the afternoon with a quick update. “The Harcourt Group and TerraGreen Solutions both requested meetings for today. Malcom Harcourt and his son Ivan aren’t even really in this industry- they’re just trying to cash in on the latest trend. Now they want a piece of the action.”

Elodie didn’t look up from her work. “Turn them down.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Already did. Just thought I’d let you know after the fact.”

Not a single decent person in the Harcourt clan, anyway.

Elodie didn’t comment.

Alexander continued, “By the way, Sylvie called me twice today. I didn’t answer. Looks like Neural Intelligence is finally getting desperate.”

Elodie got up to pour herself a glass of water before responding. “They missed the window. Now that they’re at a disadvantage, it’ll be tough for them to recover.

If she calls again, just decline her directly. We’re giving Neural Intelligence no opportunities.”

Sylvie was already in enough of a mess.

Alexander chuckled. “I’m honestly curious. Without our flight control system, let’s

see if Neural Intelligence can even come close to catching up.”

“Has Jarrod tried to talk to you on Sylvie’s behalf?” he asked.

Elodie shook her head. “He knows exactly how this ends. He won’t.”