Chapter 537
They were bound to discover a few dark horses.
Now, all that was left was to wait for further notice.
That afternoon, Elodie received a message from Patricia.
[It’s my birthday this Saturday! I’ve booked a yacht for the day. Come join us for the party—and feel free to bring Esmeralda. If Mr. Sterling is free, he’s welcome too.]
Elodie thought about her plans for Saturday.
Nothing special was on her calendar.
She figured Patricia’s invitation was something she couldn’t easily turn down- after all, they’d been “comrades-in-arms” of sorts.
After a moment, Elodie replied: [Sounds great. I’ll let them know.]
Just then, Alexander came by with a revised tech proposal. Elodie took the chance to ask, “Want to come along?”
Alexander didn’t even look up. “You girls go ahead. I’d just be out of place.” “Besides, I barely know her.”
Elodie gave him an amused look. “You’d know her better if you actually showed up. She invited you, you know.”
Finally, Alexander set down his pen, tapped the desk, and gave her a wry half- smile. “That was just being polite. If she really wanted me there, she’d have told me directly. Anyway, you all have fun. And you don’t drink too much.”
With a breezy wave, he turned and disappeared back into his office.
Elodie could only shrug.
She headed out to Nexus Analytics to deal with the equity transfer paperwork.
She’d already notified Sylvie’s team; they needed to sign some documents as well.
Elodie had no intention of Sylvie personally. She organized the files in her office, planning to swing by the Nexus Analytics plant to check up on the project progress.
Lately, VistaLink Technologies had launched several collaborations with Nexus Analytics. With Nexus handling manufacturing, things had been running both smoothly and efficiently.
Except-
Right as she was about to step into the elevator, she found Sylvie already inside, apparently waiting for it to move.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to thicken with tension.
Elodie lifted her lashes slightly, but without hesitation, stepped in.
She knew perfectly well that Sylvie now saw her as nothing short of an enemy.
Sylvie probably wished she could tear her apart-but outwardly, she still kept up her proud façade.
The floor numbers ticked downward.
Suddenly, Sylvie broke the silence. “Let me give you a word of advice.”
Elodie arched an eyebrow, catching Sylvie’s reflection in the mirrored elevator wall.
Sylvie met her gaze in the glass, her
expression icy. “Watch out for
Patricia. You’ve gone to great lengths to get to this point with me-ldon’t need to spell out what you’re after. But Patricia isn’t like you or me. She’s the kind of woman who has everything handed to her. Aren’t you worried Jarrod might fall for someone like her?”
For a moment, Elodie wondered if she’d misheard.
Her eyes filled with confusion.
n’
But Sylvie pressed on before Elodie could respond, her voice still cold, pride bristling: “You don’t have her cunning, her connections, or her family background. Becoming friends with her-aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it, Elodie? Think carefully.”
Sylvie had made up her mind.
She was convinced Elodie’s only goal in all this was Jarrod; that Elodie simply couldn’t let go, and that Patricia was helping Elodie just to spite her.
But what if she could plant a seed of doubt in Elodie’s mind-use what mattered most to her, Jarrod and drive a wedge between the two women?
Female friendships, after all, were as fragile as soap bubbles-one touch, and they’d burst.
And if Patricia and Elodie turned against each other, would Patricia still bother to stand up for Elodie? Let Elodie do the dirty work, make the enemies, while Sylvie reaped the rewards.
Then, when it was time to join the “national team,” everything would fall neatly into place.
Just then, the elevator reached their floor. The doors slid open.
Without another word, Sylvie swept past Elodie and strode out, face like stone.
Elodie watched her go for a moment, then let out a small, baffled laugh, shaking her head.
So that’s it-Sylvie must have lost out to Patricia again.