Elodie hadn’t paid much attention to the whole “newlywed home” situation. Now, hearing Sylvie bring it up out of nowhere, she mentally did the math-sure enough, the timing fit.

But still.

Why was Sylvie making a call about this right now?

A flash of dry amusement flickered in Elodie’s eyes. She didn’t need an explanation to guess Sylvie’s intentions.

When Sylvie finished her call and caught sight of Elodie, she scoffed, “Didn’t realize eavesdropping was your thing now.”

Elodie set her own phone down, barely glancing at her. “Feeling proud about secondhand leftovers? Jarrod couldn’t even be bothered to get you something new, but you’re sure good at making do with what’s handed to you.”

Sylvie’s expression darkened instantly.

Elodie didn’t stick around to enjoy it.

She simply turned on her heel and walked away.

Sylvie’s scowl lingered, thoughts churning. The whole Neural Intelligence project was still a thorn in her side, keeping her awake at night.

But right now…

She straightened her back, pushing down the frustration. The first and second rounds of the competition were closed-door, but without Mr. Sterling and his team backing Elodie this time, there was a real chance Elodie wouldn’t make it through -not to mention the make-or-break third round: the live demonstration.

Sylvie just needed to make sure she was the last one standing.

The third round was a major public event. If her algorithm and system won, they’d be officially adopted and put to real-world use.

If her work got chosen, she’d earn a place on the “national team.” What would Elodie or Neural Intelligence matter then?

She’d have so much more-whether that meant stepping into a top research group, or finally earning her ticket into the Silverstein family.

The assessment process was complex, and everyone was isolated during testing. Nobody knew how anyone else was doing, or what their scores were.

If you passed, you’d be notified in a week and go on to the third round-the public finals.

When Elodie saw the test content, even she was surprised; this was top-tier stuff. Three hundred candidates chosen from across the country, but only three would make it through.

She didn’t let herself relax for a moment.

Four hours passed by in a blur.

By the time it ended, it was already midday.

Stepping outside, Elodie spotted Esmeralda waiting for her. Esmeralda’s enthusiastic wave seemed to sweep away some of Elodie’s exhaustion.

“Tired? Alex made a reservation at your favorite place-come on, time to treat yourself!” Esmeralda handed her a steaming cup of hot cocoa the moment she got in the car, hitting the gas like a pro.

She didn’t even bother to ask Elodie how it went.

As far as Esmeralda was concerned, Elodie had it in the bag-making the finals would be a breeze.

Elodie just smiled, turning to look out the window.

That’s when she noticed a Rolls Royce idling across the street-Jarrod’s car, unmistakably, though he wasn’t inside. As she watched, the car pulled away, barely lingering.

So… he hadn’t come to pick up Sylvie?

Elodie frowned, confused, but let the thought drift away. She had better things to focus on.

Sylvie, for her part, didn’t care whether Elodie stayed or left.

She had bigger things to worry about now.

She was out of Neural Intelligence for good-the process had gotten too complicated, and there was no way back in. But she wasn’t about to sit around and do nothing.

After getting in her car, Sylvie thought it through.

She decided to set up a meeting with Watts Aldridge.

Getting kicked off Neural Intelligence

get

with no backup plan wasn’t an option. She’d considered going straight to the Silverstein Group its headquarters, but if she went begging Jarrod for help, it would only give the Silverstein family more ammunition to look down on her.

They’d never let her forget it.

No-better to go directly to Watts.

Eldrion Global was the biggest defense contractor in the country, and she had some history with Watts. With her credentials, getting into their core tech division wouldn’t be a problem. She’d be working on high-level military research in no time.

Sylvie wasted no time.

She set up a meeting with Eldrion Global for three o’clock that afternoon.

The appointment went through easily.

Exactly as she’d expected.