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Chapter 19
Elodie instinctively tightened her grip on her fork. “No, really, I’m fine. I’ve just been busy-skipping meals, that’s all.”
She’d lost a lot of weight since she got sick. Her appetite was gone, and nothing seemed to stay down, but neither Jarrod nor Ivan had noticed.
Only her grandmother, the one person who truly loved her, had sensed something was wrong right away.
But Elodie couldn’t tell her.
Her grandmother was getting on in years, and after Elodie’s mother passed away, she hadn’t been able to handle any more shocks. Her uncle, Emile Thorne, had been in a care home battling liver cancer for months. If Elodie fell apart, how could either of them cope?
“Elodie, are you unhappy?” Rosemary watched her with concern, picking up on the unease in her demeanor. “Did you and Jarrod argue?”
Why else would Jarrod barely ever come by with her?
Elodie set down her fork and hugged her grandmother tightly. “No, honestly, we’re doing just fine. Don’t worry about me. Next time, I promise, I’ll bring him here myself so he can tell you.”
Just as soon as the divorce was finalized.
Then they could both move on.
For now, Rosemary just kept piling food onto Elodie’s plate, wishing she could somehow make her put on twenty pounds overnight.
Even though the thought of eating made her queasy, Elodie smiled and ate everything her grandmother offered.
Before she left, she wrapped herself in the scarf her grandmother had knitted.
Monday.
Elodie didn’t go to The Silverstein Group. She drove straight to VistaLink Technologies.
Jarrod had approved her resignation, and she’d wrapped up her work. It was time to start a new chapter.
She left the men’s scarf in the car and wore her own up to the office.
Esmeralda and Alexander were waiting for her.
They were the only ones on VistaLink Technologies’ management team. Now that Elodie had invested her technical expertise, she was the third-largest shareholder. But most employees were skeptical about her.
Everyone at VistaLink Technologies had graduated from top universities in the US or Europe.
Elodie’s résumé, by comparison, was far from impressive-her only real work experience was in PR.
And this was a tech company, not a place for show ponies.
“Why didn’t you warn me you only hire people with at least a Master’s?” Elodie said, looking around in surprise after skimming through the company’s roster.
Graduate degrees didn’t seem to count for much here.
Esmeralda waved a hand dismissively. “So what? Put all their degrees together and they still wouldn’t be half as useful as you. You’re VistaLink’s secret weapon!”
Elodie’s U.N2 project from five years ago had already blown the competition away.
“Before you start, maybe I should get you in for an MRI,” Alexander grumbled. “I need to make sure you’re not still lovesick. If you bail halfway through the project, who am I supposed to cry to?”
Elodie just stared at him.
Same old Alexander-blunt as ever.
“Mr. Sterling, there’s someone here to see you,” Alexander’s assistant knocked at the door. “She says she wants to talk to you about U.N2.”
“Who is it?”
“Sylvie Ms. Fielding. She says she’s here on behalf of Mr. Silverstein from The Silverstein Group.”
At the mention of that name, everyone’s face soured except Elodie’s. Especially Esmeralda, who folded her arms and sneered. “And who the hell is she
to represent Jarrod? Tell her to get lost!”
The assistant looked helplessly at Alexander.
Ms. Mercer had a fiery temper, but Mr. Sterling usually kept a cooler head.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed coldly. “Tell her we’re busy with an important guest. She showed up unannounced, and I don’t have time for her.”
The assistant managed a strained smile.
Well, that was even harsher than expected.
They might as well have just said she wasn’t welcome.
Elodie, though, didn’t take it personally. From the moment she’d learned Sylvie worked in the drone industry, she’d known this would happen.
She was used to it now. She wouldn’t let her personal life bleed into her work. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” she said quietly.
Esmeralda rolled her eyes. “I’d give anything to see the look on that vixen’s face the moment she finds out you’re the real developer of U.N2. She’s not even worthy to shine your shoes! And Jarrod he must be blind as a bat!”
Back when Elodie had signed a secret contract with the government, her integrated reconnaissance-and-strike drone had gone into action, and U.N2 was classified. She’d signed a five-year NDA, barring her from revealing her involvement.
Otherwise, that vixen would never have had a shot.
Suddenly, the office door swung open.
A man’s voice, sharp and impatient, rang out: “I want to see just what kind of VIP
thinks they can waste my time!”