Elodie couldn’t care less about Sylvie’s attitude.

She didn’t even spare her a glance.

Now that Neural Intelligence had scrambled to connect with TerraCore Technologies, their partnership might have looked like a victory on the surface, but it was nothing compared to what it meant to have full control over their own technology. At best, they’d managed to stay afloat in the tech tidal wave-hardly a true win, and there wasn’t much profit in it for them.

All they’d done was buy themselves some time before being swept away entirely.

It remained to be seen whether the team Jarrod had sent over would be able to develop anything groundbreaking.

But Elodie wasn’t worried.

She knew exactly how advanced her own flight control system was. Even if Jarrod pumped Neural Intelligence full of fresh ideas and new blood, the chances of them coming up with something entirely original-something that could actually rival her work—within the next two years were slim to none.

Jarrod’s involvement might speed up the competition, but that was it.

Later that morning, Elodie spoke with her doctor and arranged to postpone her chemotherapy for a while. She’d been running herself ragged lately, and her body simply couldn’t handle the side effects right now.

The doctor agreed that it would be best if she took some time to recover, and suggested she try a different targeted treatment when she was ready.

With that settled, Elodie checked the time.

A few days earlier, Watts had reached out to set up a lunch meeting with her. She’d scheduled it for today.

Eldrion Global wanted to get a deeper understanding of VistaLink Technologies, but Alexander’s schedule was packed. So Elodie decided to bring Esmeralda along—after all, Esmeralda was one of VistaLink’s senior managers, and it made sense for her to hear Watts’ thoughts firsthand.

Watts had picked a stylish European bistro for their meeting.

When Elodie and Esmeralda arrived at the private dining room, Watts was already on his feet to greet them. But there was someone else waiting inside a woman with a striking, commanding presence and sharp, beautiful eyes.

“Mr. Aldridge, this is Ms. Mercer, my colleague from VistaLink Technologies. She’ll be joining us for the discussion, if that’s all right?” Elodie said warmly to Watts.

He shrugged easily. “Of course, I don’t mind at all.”

“And may I ask who this is?” Elodie turned to the other woman.

The woman rose, her gaze calm and seasoned, tempered by years of experience. She extended a hand to Elodie. “You must be Ms. Thorne from VistaLink Technologies. I’m Louisa Barnes, from Eldrion Global.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Elodie’s eyes.

Louisa-President Barnes.

The legendary woman at the helm of Eldrion Global.

She was nearly fifty now, but you’d never know it; there wasn’t a trace of age or weariness on her face.

It wasn’t easy to score a meeting with Louisa Barnes.

Even Esmeralda looked astonished, but quickly recovered and offered a greeting. “President Barnes, it’s an honor. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Louisa smiled, gesturing for everyone to sit. There was an unmistakable confidence in her manner. “No need to be formal. I’ve been quite impressed by your company’s recent achievements, and I wanted to hear your thoughts directly.”

Watts gave the signal for the food to be served, then turned to Elodie, his tone softening. “President Barnes is very interested in your latest flight control system, Ms. Thorne. She’d like to hear more about it from you personally.”

Elodie nodded.

She admired Louisa Barnes’s decisiveness and candor, and began to explain their technology in detail.

Watts stayed quiet as she spoke.

While they waited for the food, he quietly poured hot water into their cups and set out the utensils for Elodie and Esmeralda, careful not to disrupt Elodie’s train of thought.

With just three women in the room, he made sure to treat both guests with equal courtesy-out of both good manners and a sense of fairness. There was no need to single anyone out or create unnecessary tension.

As Elodie spoke with confidence and clarity, a smile curled at the edge of Louisa’s lips, and a glint of genuine appreciation appeared in her eyes.

Finally, Louisa asked, “So, this system-was it developed by the entire VistaLink Technologies team, or was it more of an individual effort? Or perhaps… does your company have a brilliant engineer working behind the scenes who’s yet to step into the spotlight?”