Elodie nodded.

She turned and noticed that the judges were already seated.

Besides Charlie, several others looked familiar-industry heavyweights, all of them.

The venue was massive, perfectly suited for a technology showcase.

Spectators were gradually filling the seats.

As Elodie headed over, she spotted Jarrod, who had personally escorted Sylvie.

Sylvie’s expression darkened when she saw Watts and Elodie paired together. She didn’t bother with a greeting, just turned to Jarrod and said, “Go on up, Jarrod. I’m fine here, you don’t need to worry.”

Jarrod gave a brief nod.

Elodie barely glanced his way, instead turning to discuss strategy with Watts.

Sylvie cast a wary look at Watts-she respected his skills. But the fact that he seemed interested in Elodie…

A hint of mockery curled at Sylvie’s lips.

Elodie was more resourceful than she’d expected. She hadn’t delivered much in terms of results, but she’d managed to snag the attention of a man. No wonder Jarrod had lost interest.

Sylvie brushed past Elodie with a cold glance and returned to her own team.

Jarrod made his way back to his seat, next to Maurice and Selma.

Joseph Delacroix had been called away on business and wouldn’t make it today. He’d only be here for the big event two days later.

Maurice was practically floored by the scale of today’s competition.

“They’re really pulling out all the stops,” he muttered, impressed by the sheer investment and high standards.

Apart from the organizers, the audience was a mix of industry insiders and investors from various sectors.

Alexander was seated not far away.

He had no interest in empty small talk. His eyes were fixed on the stage.

The competition began.

The first challenge was a live drone stability test under emergency conditions.

For Elodie, it was hardly a challenge-she adjusted parameters on the fly, hitting the perfect mark with ease.

Her hair had slipped loose, tumbling down her neck.

Watts glanced over, stepped up behind her, and without touching her skin, gently gathered her hair and swept it over her shoulder, holding it in place. “Keep going,” he murmured.

Elodie was absorbed in her work, barely registering what had happened.

But the gesture did not go unnoticed by the audience.

Maurice shot up from his seat.

ket

“What’s Mr. Aldridge doing?” he grumbled, frowning. “Isn’t that look in his

yes a bit too obvious? Her

hu’s right here, for heaven’s

Jarrod watched, but said nothing.

Selma chuckled softly. “Ms. Thorne certainly knows how to get along with people.

Her connections are… surprisingly good.”

Her words carried just enough edge to be heard by Alexander.

He finally turned around. “Well, Miss Selma, you’re here too. After that plagiarism scandal, aren’t you your presence will drag down Ms. Fielding’s reputation?”

Selma’s face tightened, stung by the direct jab.

Alexander let out a cold laugh.

He had no trouble catching the insinuation in Selma’s comment about Elodie.

He tilted his head, grinning. “If Ms. Fielding’s results aren’t as good as Elodie’s today, I suppose that means she’ lacking in both charm and ability.”

Selma’s frown deepened.

“How ridiculous,” she muttered. “Elodie, of all people?”

But after two grueling hours, the first round ended.

The detailed scores for each team were posted.

When Sylvie saw Elodie’s team at the top of the rankings, her face fell.

Every metric showed a clear gap between her team and Elodie’s.

She didn’t recover until she stepped off the stage.

Jarrod’s seat was near the judges’ table.

She took a steadying breath and approached him.

“Jarrod, look at the averages—there’s a clear discrepancy between the groups.”

Elodie was just riding on Watts’s coattails; that’s the only reason her scores were so high.

This way of assigning teams was completely unfair!

She knew Watts was in a league of his own, and even that Lily girl had returned from Harvard.

With both of them on Elodie’s team, it was basically two against one!