Elodie never expected her grandmother to know about this already. She was baffled. “Jarrod agreed to it too?”

“Of course he did. I suggested it would he dare refuse me?”

Elodie frowned and fell silent for a moment.

She truly hadn’t thought things would get so grandiose.

And Jarrod actually went along with it.

Wasn’t he worried something might slip and their past would come to light?

“Grandma, really, there’s no need to go through all this trouble. It’s just a small thing.” Elodie rubbed her temples, her mind racing for a way to politely decline.

“Nonsense, what trouble is it for me? I’ve already put down a $100,000 deposit and picked the weekend so it won’t interfere with anyone’s schedule. Don’t be so formal with me. I’ll let you know the details when the time comes.”

Her grandmother knew her well-she didn’t give Elodie any opening to refuse and briskly ended the call.

Elodie stared at her phone, speechless.

She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

How did news of this even reach her grandmother’s ears?

And why go to such lengths to throw her a huge celebration?

She really wanted to ask Jarrod why he hadn’t tried to stop his grandmother, but with the woman’s obvious excitement, it was clear she wouldn’t be talked out of it.

Thinking it over, Elodie realized there was nothing she could do.

Since Jarrod hadn’t made any moves to stop it, he must be confident nothing would go wrong at the celebration.

News that Elodie had outscored Sylvie by almost forty points had reached Selma as well.

It took no time at all for the gossip to travel.

Within VistaLink Technologies, Ms. Thorne’s record-breaking score had already become the stuff of legend.

Sylvie hadn’t gone into any detail with her mother, but Selma couldn’t sit still. She called in sick at the hospital and made her way straight to Neural Intelligence.

Everyone knew she was Sylvie’s mother and treated her with the utmost respect, escorting her upstairs.

When Sylvie saw her mother, she immediately guessed why she’d come. Her head was pounding, her face still pale. “Mom, your health isn’t great. You really shouldn’t be running around like this.”

Selma’s brow furrowed with frustration.

“What’s going on with Elodie? How could she possibly have that kind of ability? There’s no way she scored higher than you. I bet she cozied up to Alexander and got the exam answers ahead of time!” Selma’s anger flared, her voice rising as she vented her suspicions.

Sylvie frowned, keeping her tone level. “That’s impossible. It’s highly illegal. Even

if Alexander had such an idea, the board would never allow it.”

Selma let out a bitter laugh. “You’re still too naive!”

Sylvie didn’t respond.

Since yesterday, she’d thought of countless reasons why Elodie might have scored so high.

But none of them really held up.

“Mom, please don’t go around making claims you can’t back up. Last time you said the board favored me, and look how that turned out for my reputation.” Sylvie’s mood was bleak. “And as for what you just said, let’s keep that between us. Don’t let it slip where others can hear.”

Selma huffed. “Who knew Elodie was hiding something? She’s cunning, that one.” So young, and already so scheming?

Sylvie took a deep breath.

She was about to say something when her assistant knocked on the door. “President Fielding, someone just delivered an invitation for you.”

Sylvie replied, “Bring it here.”

“What kind of invitation?” Selma, who’d spent her younger years flitting through high society, perked up with curiosity.

The assistant handed over the envelope, looking a bit puzzled. “The messenger said it’s a special invitation from Henrietta, asking you to attend the Silverstein family’s celebration for their future granddaughter-in-law.”