Elodie lowered her gaze and took a sip of her sparkling water, looking for all the world as if she were merely listening to some stranger''s romantic anecdotes.


    Esmeralda, upon hearing the truth, let out a cold, mockingugh. "Mr. Silverstein really is quite the gentleman, isn''t he? Getting everyone to y along for just one person."


    Jason, missing the barbed undertone, assumed she was joking. Grinning, he chimed in, "Mr. Silverstein does take good care of Ms. Fielding. Don''t mind us— after all, drinking isn''t exactly healthy. It''s just for tonight, no harm done."


    He continued, "Ms. Fielding is a busy woman. There''s a lot going on at Neural Intelligence, and even though Nexus Analytics is running its own independent project, she still finds the time to lend us technical support. She''s talented and ambitious—no wonder she''s worn herself out. Naturally, Mr. Silverstein is just concerned about her."


    Alexander''s smile was polite but didn''t reach his eyes. "With all this public affection, I wonder why Mr. Silverstein and Ms. Fielding haven''t tied the knot yet?"


    Jasonughed, "When I worked with Ms. Fielding, she mentioned she wants to focus on her career and personal growth for now. I''d bet, when she''s ready for marriage, Mr. Silverstein will be waiting with open arms."


    Elodie listened, detached, as if none of this concerned her. There wasn''t the slightest flicker of emotion on her face.


    Esmeralda, on the other hand, looked like she might be physically ill if this kept up. She cut in abruptly, steering the conversation elsewhere. "So, about this defense contract—I heard Nexus Analytics is going to be involved?"


    Jason seemed to realize something. "Oh, right. Mr. Silverstein''s idea was for Nexus Analytics to support Neural Intelligence and help us clinch the bid. But in terms of actual work, Nexus Analytics won''t be involved in Neural Intelligence''ster stages."


    That made sense to Elodie-after all, VistaLink Technologies was only contributing to the most basic aspects of Neural Intelligence''s tech stack. There was no need to get Nexus Analytics involved any further.


    Yet, listening to Jason, Elodie realized that Jarrod had never intended for Nexus Analytics to really assist from the start. Bringing them in was just to boost the odds of winning the contract?


    If he knew from the beginning that Nexus Analytics wouldn''t be involved in the follow-up, he must''ve guessed that VistaLink Technologies wasn''t going to grant Neural Intelligence ess to any core technology. So if he knew all that-why let things y out this way? What was he really after?


    "Has Mr. Sterling finalized the division of responsibilities with Ms. Fielding?" Jason asked, seizing the moment.


    Alexander replied coolly, "More or less."


    Jason nodded, satisfied. "That''s good. Neural Intelligence has a strong in-house tech team these days. If both sides coborate and bring their strengths to the table, the project will be wless."


    This time, Alexander gave a wry, almost amused shake of his head. "There''s no need for Neural Intelligence to work that hard."


    Jason blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"


    Elodie didn''t mention that VistaLink Technologies was setting up Neural Intelligence for failure. She just said ndly, "Ms. Fielding''s been under the weathertely. We''re just trying to lighten her workload a bit-take some pressure off her shoulders."


    Esmeralda nearly burst outughing; Elodie''s deadpan humor could be lethal. Jason could only stare, utterly lost.


    He was about to ask for rification when Sylvie walked over, likely having overheard Elodie''sst remark. She greeted Jason with a polite nod. "Jason."


    Jason''s train of thought was cut off, and he answered with a smile.


    Sylvie nced at Alexander. Even if he was siding with Elodie for now, she wasn''t about to burn any bridges-his status and influence still mattered, and she believed they might have cause to work together in the future, even if this defense contract hadn''t gone smoothly.


    With practiced grace, she addressed him. "Mr. Sterling."


    She didn''t wait for a response. Turning to leave, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked back at Elodie, her expression icy.


    "One thing, Ms. Thorne. I''m managing Neural Intelligence now. In the future, please don''t call me Ms. Fielding. Address me as President Fielding."