Elias paused, realizing he hadn''t properly thanked Elodie yet.


    He scrolled through his contacts for a while before finally finding her and sending


    a quick message:


    -[Thank you.]


    He didn''t wait to see if Elodie would reply.


    Looking up, he met Naylor''s gaze.


    Naylor had just turned around, giving Elias a once-over with a frown. "Who brought you out earlier?"


    Right to the point.


    Elias tapped the back of his phone with his thumb, watching him. "You know her."


    Naylor looked skeptical.


    But before he could press for more details, Elias''s phone rang. It was his father, Klein Whitaker.


    Elias gestured for Naylor to take the call and moved aside.


    Naylor answered. Klein''s voice came briskly: "I want you at next week''s tech conference. Track the policy updates. There''s someone I want you to meet."


    Naylor rubbed his brow, clearly uninterested. "We''ll see."


    Klein cut him off sharply. "This one''s different. Juste and get to know him." He hung up before Naylor could refuse.


    Naylor lost interest in probing Elias for more details about today.


    Instead, he floored the elerator and drove Elias home.


    Elodie spent the next three days holed up, researching disaster relief technology.


    Somewhere in between, she received a reply from Dr. Latham.


    He said Elias had been working closely with him on treatment and surgical ns, and he''d keep her posted once things were settled.


    Elodie hadn''t expected Elias to be so efficient-he wasn''t halfhearted about any of it.


    One less thing to worry about.


    She felt lighter, and when she finally had a free moment, her phone rang. It was Charlie Sterling.


    Some of her mentor''s former students were visiting, and Charlie invited her over to join their technical exchange.


    Elodie was delighted.


    She headed straight to the Sterling estate.


    Mr. Charlie Sterling''s former students were now prominent figures in their field- many were Elodie''s seniors.


    They dove into an in-depth discussion about trends in alternative energy.


    By the time they finished, it was almost two in the morning.


    Alexander had returned that day too. He suggested, "The little guest room you used to stay in is still there. It''ste-just crash here tonight. I''ll have the housekeeper get it ready."


    Back in her grad school days, when she and Alexander were burning the midnight oil on research, his father had set up a room for her so she could rest whenever she needed.


    He''d always treated her like a daughter.


    She hadn''t expected the room to still be waiting for her.


    A gentle warmth filled her chest, and she couldn''t help butugh. "Thanks. I''ll take you up on that."


    Alexander flicked her forehead. "Since when are you so polite? Go get some sleep. The conference is tomorrow. The attendee list is out-we''ll go together with the old man."


    The other mentors were staying in the guest wing as well.


    Elodie asked, "Is Esmeraldaing?"


    Alexander thought of Esmeralda''s restless, rebellious spirit and shook his head, grinning. "Forcing her to a formal event like this is pure torture for her."


    Elodie chuckled.


    She massaged her temples, finally letting herself rx.


    This conference was a major event focused on the defense industry, and every bigpany was vying for a spot.


    The higher-ups would be evaluating whichpanies were suitable, and whether any real technological innovation was happening.


    The next morning.


    Elodie drove home to change, picking out a neat, cream-colored suit-formal and elegant.


    At eight-thirty, Alexander swung by to pick her up.


    Her apartment was right on the way to the conference center.


    Charlie rode along with them.


    When they arrived, Alexander hopped out first and hurried to open Elodie''s door. She stepped out and waited politely while Charlie got out too.


    From a distance, someone watched this little scene unfold.