Chapter 533
He had never guarded himself against her-not even a little.
And now, after everything she’d been through.
Maurice was still confiding in her with total trust, and Jarrod was willing to give her
his passcode so she could reach him in an emergency.
Nothing had changed-not in the slightest.
Sylvie stopped glancing back at the courtyard and turned to leave.
When Elodie received the email confirming her application had been accepted, she was in the middle of reviewing other Nexus Analytics investment projects.
She’d decided to leave no stone unturned-every detail, inside and out, would be thoroughly checked.
The email instructed her to arrive at a specific venue at a set time for the first and second rounds of testing. The location was highly secure; the first round would cut the group down to one hundred, the second to thirty, and in the end, only three would remain.
The standards were brutal.
It was nothing short of hellish.
After more than a week of intense preparation and focus, she was ready.
Today, she would take the combined first and second rounds—a highly specialized assessment covering communications algorithms, aerodynamics, aircraft design, and more. Participants were divided into groups, each tested in isolation, the process strict and uncompromising.
The third round, only then, would be held on the public stage.
This venue was government-owned. Security was tight.
She had to go through several checkpoints.
Elodie hadn’t asked Alexander or anyone else to drop her off today.
She knew it would take a while, and she preferred to make her own way home when it was over.
She got out at the designated drop-off spot.
As she turned, she spotted a Bentley parked by the curb.
Sylvie stepped out of Jarrod’s car. She seemed to be in high spirits, showing no sign of nerves. Jarrod followed, and said something to her that made Sylvie laugh softly.
When Sylvie turned, she caught sight of Elodie standing nearby.
Instantly, Sylvie’s expression cooled. After the incident with Neural Intelligence, a fleeting shadow crossed her eyes.
She was surprised for only a split second, but quickly pieced it together. Though she had Jarrod’s support, Elodie wasn’t lacking connections either-Mr. Sterling, for instance, could easily smooth things over for her in this circle.
Elodie’s position wasn’t guaranteed.
Sylvie looked away, raising her eyes to Jarrod As she turned, her heet twisted on uneven pavement and she stumbled, instinctively grabbing Jarrod’s sleeve. Her back bumped into his chest.
Jarrod lowered his gaze to her.
Sylvie gave a sheepish apology. “Sorry, twisted my ankle.”
Jarrod’s expression remained calm. “It’s fine. Let’s go in.”
Just then, Elodie needed to take a shuttle to the security checkpoint As she boarded, she caught a glimpse-Sylvie and Jarrod, her back pressed against his chest, almost in an embrace.
Sylvie turned, her lips curved in a blissful smile.
Their eyes met-Sylvie’s gaze was cold, sharp, but laced with an inscrutable amusement.
Something Elodie had almost never seen from her before.
Elodie didn’t spare her a second glance.
Jarrod waited until Sylvie had gone inside, then leaned against the car, his eyes following the shuttle as it pulled away with Elodie on board.
The test itself was complicated, each candidate isolated from the others.
No one knew anyone else’s status or scores.
When Elodie cleared security and entered, Sylvie followed close behind.
They had to surrender their phones at the last checkpoint.
While waiting to hand over her phone, Elodie turned a corner down a mandatory hallway—just as Sylvie’s voice drifted over.
“I visited the house yesterday—the renovation’s done. It looks completely new. They used only non-toxic materials, so you can move in any time.”