Sylvie’s pupils contracted sharply.

She remembered something she’d once said to Elodie at a celebration party—a

line that now came back to slap her in the face, hard.

She felt as if invisible hands were squeezing her throat, making it nearly

impossible to breathe.

Instinctively, she reached out for something, anything, to steady herself. Her eyes landed on Jarrod.

But Jarrod’s gaze was already fixed on Elodie.

He stood, pushing his chair back. “Since Ms. Thorne has made her decision, and Sylvie is at fault, there’s really nothing more to say. Let’s end it here.”

His words hit Sylvie like a punch to the chest.

She wanted to protest, but she couldn’t.

Elodie had achieved exactly what she wanted.

There was no point wasting any more energy on this. The proxy agreement with Jarrod had been unexpected, but now that she had this knife, why not use it?

Selma and Sylvie, mother and daughter-after so many years of leeching off her mother’s work, was it any wonder things ended this way?

Why should the wicked ever get a happy ending?

Besides, everything she’d done today was by the book.

All she could say was-

“She brought this on herself. Nobody forced her hand.”

With that, Elodie turned and headed for the door. Maurice watched it all unfold.

It was the first time he’d seen Elodie so cold and unyielding. Still, he couldn’t help glancing at Jarrod, trying to suppress his own shock.

Sylvie’s breath hitched as she stared at Elodie’s retreating back. Years of carefully cultivated pride crumbled in an instant, replaced by a surge of barely contained fury.

Her face was ashen, her steps urgent, heels clicking as she strode forward.

She seized Elodie by the wrist, yanking her back with a force born of desperation.

Her other hand shot up, ready to strike Elodie across the face.

Alexander, who had been standing by Elodie’s side, reacted instantly. His expression darkened as he intercepted Sylvie’s arm, shoving her away with a steely glare. “You think you have the right to lay a hand on her?”

“If you can’t handle the consequences, you shouldn’t have done it. Who else do

you have to blame? You’re pathetic, Sylvie.”

The force of Alexander’s shove nearly knocked Sylvie off-balance.

But she was beyond reason now; no one could expect rationality in a moment like this.

“Oh, so it’s not Elodie who’s vicious? Elodie, aren’t you afraid karma will bite back?” Sylvie’s fists clenched as her world collapsed around her.

She and her mother-Elodie had crushed them, piece by piece, with her own hands.

Elodie looked at Sylvie’s unraveling composure and could only think: utterly irrational.

“Then tell me, isn’t this outcome exactly the payback you and your mother deserve?” Elodie’s voice was icy. “Congratulations to you both. You’ve ended up with nothing.”

Sylvie went paper pale.

Elodie didn’t spare her another glance. She walked out, leaving the chaos behind.

As Jason passed Jarrod, he paused. “Mr. Silverstein, should I…?”

Jarrod, whose expression had been rigid, finally relaxed enough to look at him. “Yes, go ahead. Nexus Analytics will need to handle the rest.”

With that, Jason left.

The room erupted into a new wave of turmoil.

Most of the executives glanced at Jarrod, but no one dared question the outcome. After all, it had been Jarrod who’d sent them here in the first place-a decision that now seemed more calculated than ever.

Sylvie stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.

In a single night, she had been expelled from Neural Intelligence.

Her position as a shareholder was gone.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally turned to look at Jarrod.

He walked over, his gaze dropping to her hands. “How much did you get for your shares?”

The question made Sylvie’s throat go dry.

Suddenly, she realized—no one had forced her into this. She’d chosen to sell her shares. She’d chosen to misappropriate the dividends. That was how she’d ended up here.

Maurice came over as well, glancing briefly at Jarrod before speaking. “Look, Nexus Analytics is just one of Jarrod’s companies. Having a proxy agreement isn’t unusual. It’s also the only one specializing in defense technology—makes perfect sense to invest in Neural Intelligence. As for the compensation to the art institution, you should’ve just talked to Jarrod directly. There was no need to try to handle it all on your own.”