Anyone in her ce would have struggled with what happenedtely.


    That said, Sylvie was undeniably capable-both in her technical expertise and herposure under pressure.


    "The Neural Intelligence concept is quite mature, and it has a clear advantage in navigation systems," Alexander remarked, turning to Elodie.


    Elodie nodded in agreement.


    Everyone involved with Neural Intelligence was a heavyweight in the field-no one second-rate could have gotten this far, let alonended a spot on this project.


    Of course, it didn''t hurt that Jarrod pulled a few strings, either.


    When Sylvie finished her presentation, several people in the room looked


    genuinely impressed.


    Professional strengths aside, she clearly had a technical edge.


    Next up was VistaLink Technologies.


    Alexander gave Elodie a gentle nudge. "Your turn."


    Elodie didn''t hesitate. Instead of reading from her prepared notes, she opened herptop and spoke from the ideas she''d just jotted down her thoughts organized and articte.


    Even Naylor couldn''t help but turn to look at her.


    When she spoke, the data seemed toe alive; every point she made was unexpectedly sharp and insightful.


    He couldn''t resist sending a quick message to Elias:


    Hey, I''m with Elodie now. She''s way more impressive than I expected!


    Seriously, her knowledge of materials science puts me to shame.


    Honestly, she shines even brighter as herself than as Mrs. Silverstein. I think she''s got some of the same qualities you have.


    Elias, of course, didn''t reply.


    Naylor didn''t mind; he just needed to express his astonishment.


    Elodie had taken the time to fully understand what the military needed, so everything she discussed struck right at the core of their concerns.


    Even Harper, the lead official at the head of the table, looked a bit surprised.


    "Ms. Thorne''s ideas are certainly... unconventional," Harper admitted, almost in


    awe.


    Sylvie nced over coolly. "The


    vision is good, but the feasibility is clearlycking. If subsequent experiments fail, implementing this would require a huge investment of manpower and resources. As for the propulsion system proposal, it''s simply not viable-too many potential pitfalls."


    She didn''t call Elodie out by name, but her words dismissed Elodie''s concept with casual ease.


    It wasn''t personal-Sylvie was just being blunt. But how could Elodiee up with such unrealistic ideas? There was no hard evidence to back them up.


    Just empty, idealistic talk.


    Some in the room agreed with Sylvie. With their experience, they could see the risks—unless there was a breakthrough in data or algorithms, it was just too much of a gamble.


    As Sylvie spoke, a few people nodded, ncing between the two women. In this area, Sylvie definitely seemed to have the upper hand-more pragmatic, more incisive.


    Elodie, however, met her gaze calmly and shot back, "If you find it risky and unworkable, Ms. Fielding, maybe it''s time you pushed yourself a bit harder." That... caught everyone off guard.


    Sylvie''s stare turned icy. "I''m simply speaking from a practical


    standpoint. Everyone here can judge the merit of Ms. Thorne''s proposal. I''d appreciate it if you kept your personal feelings in check


    Alexander actually chuckled.


    So Sylvie could question others, but Elodie wasn''t allowed to push back?


    Of course Elodie saw right through her. With all the recent drama, Sylvie was seizing this moment to assert her expertise-publicly shooting downlodie''s n, thinly veiling her mockery to make a point about their supposed gap in ability.


    Yn


    But-


    Elodie''s voice was cool as steel. "If my ideas are so flimsy, maybe my 469 score


    should have woken you up by now."