Elodie barely gave Lucinda''s drama a second thought.


    She never believed Lucinda was truly on her side. To Elodie, it was obvious: Lucinda had pinned her hopes on Sylvie, but recent events hadn''t gone as Lucinda expected, and now she was just being more cautious about her alliances.


    Monday morning.


    Elodie and Alexander had just wrapped up a business meeting near the Global Trade za. They were heading toward their car when Elodie spotted Sylvie across the street, stepping out in stilettos after parking her own car. Sylvie looked much better than she had thest time Elodie saw her.


    The moment Sylvie caught sight of Elodie, her gaze went icy cold. She lingered for a heartbeat, lips twisting into a frosty sneer that was impossible to miss. Without a word, Sylvie turned on her heel and strode into the office building opposite.


    Elodie watched her disappear inside, suspicion flickering in her eyes.


    There was something different about Sylvie''s reaction today. In the past, Sylvie would have dismissed her with a haughty air, pretending Elodie didn''t exist. Now, there was something sharper, more deliberate a pointed hostility lurking beneath the surface.


    Elodie mused to herself: it was clear Sylvie''s attitude had shifted. People only start showing their true colors when they sense trouble closing in.


    "Looks like Sylvie''s sorted out her problems," Alexandermented, ncing over as they got into the car. "Word is she''s already paid off the penalty to the art institute."


    Alexander was well-connected and always had an ear to the ground.


    Elodie wasn''t surprised. When the whole mess came up, she''d already suspected Jarrod might step in to help. Neural Intelligence had taken a huge hit from the recent leak and copyright scandal-Sylvie and her team probably had to dig deep into their own pockets.


    But this dispute with the art institute wasn''t technically Neural


    Intelligence''s responsibility. Col. nee


    up


    ith five million dors on their


    would have been a stretch.


    That the problem had been solved so quickly left only one exnation: Jarrod must have intervened. Elodie couldn''t think of any other likely scenario.


    "Sylvie''s got a good head on her


    shoulders," she said evenly. "Even et


    after everything blew up, she


    Intelligence running


    That takes grit."


    Alexander nodded in agreement. "Anyone else would''ve crumbled under that kind of pressure."


    "But if she didn''t have someone backing her up, it''d be a very different story," Alexander added with a faint, almost mocking smile.


    Elodie understood perfectly and said nothing more.


    Meanwhile, after wrapping up her business, Sylvie headed straight back to the hospital.


    Selma had only just heard that Sylvie managed to settle the default penalty with the Faust Foundation.


    "Did Jarrod help you out?" Selma asked, clearly surprised. If it wasn''t Jarrod, there was no way it would have been settled so quickly.


    Sylvie paused, slicing an apple with practiced indifference. "Don''t worry. I''ve got it handled," she replied, giving nothing away.


    As for Lucinda''s visit...


    Selma already knew about it, and


    she''d given the situation some careful thought. Her face set in a grim line, she said quietly, “You need to understand something. If MRS. Silverstein really had the finabsay over Jarrod, she wouldn''t havee to you in the first ce. My guess is, Mrs. Silverstein and Jarrod have already had a falling out-she couldn''t get what she wanted from him. I''d wager Jarrod''s already gone out of his way to protect you. So you don''t need to bring it up with him now. When the timees, just tell him you''re ready to return the house. He''ll understand, and he''ll handle Mrs. Silverstein for you."