When they arrived at the hospital, Joseph parked the car and went to check on Elodie. She’d managed to doze off for a bit, but lately, even in sleep, her brow remained unconsciously furrowed, as if she couldn’t escape some lingering worry.

He paused in the doorway, hesitating.

Instead of waking her right away, he stood silent.

Elodie’s sleep was light, and she stirred awake just moments after the car stopped moving.

She glanced at the time, her expression already cool and composed. “Thank you,” she said, her tone polite but distant.

She opened the door and stepped out.

Joseph nodded, watching as Elodie disappeared into the building.

When she emerged with her medication, she was surprised to find Joseph’s car still waiting at the curb.

She frowned slightly.

Joseph rolled down the window and offered a simple explanation, “I canceled my other plans, so I thought I’d give you a ride back to the hotel.”

He’d considered getting out to open the door for her, but on second thought, he figured Elodie would only feel awkward if he did.

So he stayed put.

Elodie hesitated for a moment, but since he’d waited just for her, refusing him now would have seemed needlessly formal.

She got in and murmured another quiet thank you.

Joseph smiled faintly. “No problem. Buckle up. If you’re tired, get some rest-I’II wake you when we’re there.”

Elodie nodded, but she didn’t sleep. She and Joseph didn’t have much to talk about anyway. Instead, she pulled out her phone and reviewed the notes she’d made earlier, summarizing the day’s work at the research facility.

Joseph glanced over unintentionally.

He caught a glimpse of the technical jargon on her screen.

A flicker of doubt passed through his eyes.

Since when did Elodie’s job at VistaLink Technologies require such advanced work? Had Alexander been tutoring her? Maybe she was even more capable than he’d realized…

The thought brought a fleeting, subtle smile to his lips.

Back at the hotel, Elodie received a message from Alexander, reminding her to stop by the restaurant for a casual debrief after the site visit.

Joseph got a text from Sylvie as well, letting him know that Maurice had just flown in for a visit and was waiting for him.

The two of them got out of the car, one after the other.

In the side lobby, Sylvie stepped out of the elevator just as Joseph and Elodie walked past outside, one behind the other.

She froze, frowning as she looked again, unable to process what she was seeing.

“What is it?” Jarrod stopped beside her, his gaze calm and unreadable.

Snapping back to reality, Sylvie looked outside again, but Joseph and Elodie were already gone.

“Did you just see…” she started to ask.

Jarrod glanced out the window, his tone indifferent. “See what?”

Sylvie pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Nothing. Must’ve been my imagination.”

How could Joseph be spending time with Elodie? He was always so dismissive of her.

Jarrod didn’t press for details. He simply looked away, lost in thought, and continued toward the restaurant.

When Elodie arrived, she found Alexander chatting with the others. Charlie was deep in discussion with a few engineers, reviewing the findings from the day’s inspection.

Alexander waved her over and handed her a glass of juice. “Did you get your meds?”

Elodie nodded.

She glanced to the side and spotted Maurice, who had come after all, chatting with Naylor.

When Joseph entered, Maurice called out to him cheerfully.

A few moments later, Jarrod and Sylvie arrived and joined the group.

Elodie paid little attention to the others. She focused on organizing her technical notes and drafting a summary of what she’d learned from the visit. The discussions about flight systems and engines for the facility’s transport planes were still ongoing, and she found the insights invaluable.

As she scrolled through her document, a clearer direction began to emerge for her upcoming research paper.

Charlie, ever the mentor, suggested a few books. “You’ll find these helpful. The academic editions are hard to come by these days, but they’re worth it.”

Elodie paused at the titles, but quickly let the thought go.

Sylvie’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Those books? I just got my hands on them— Jarrod tracked them down for me.”

Maurice couldn’t resist teasing, “Jarrod sure goes the extra mile for you. Always looking out for the big picture, huh?”

Naylor watched the exchange, realizing their relationship was closer than he’d imagined.

Joseph, meanwhile, cast a complicated look at Elodie. She hadn’t even glanced up, absorbed in her own work, as if Jarrod meant nothing to her at all.

He dropped his gaze, took a sip of his drink, and for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, felt oddly relieved.

Elodie recognized the books Sylvie mentioned-they were the very ones Jarrod had picked up for her at the old house a few days ago. But she felt no surprise, and certainly no jealousy.

Although Sylvie’s application for Charlie’s research program had been turned down, she didn’t seem to mind. She simply kept seeking out Charlie’s advice, eager to learn from him whenever she could.