Chapter 290

Alexander’s words caught everyone off guard.

The gentle, sincere look on Sylvie’s face faded, if only a little.

For a moment, she wondered if she’d misheard him.

But Jarrod, standing to the side, was utterly unmoved. He raised his eyes with a lazy indifference, glanced at Elodie, and the depths of his gaze remained calm, an almost imperceptible hint of a smile tracing his lips.

Elodie, too, showed no reaction. Not a flicker of emotion crossed her face at Alexander’s remark.

Jarrod’s gaze lingered for a moment, then drifted away, a quiet amusement glinting in his eyes as if he’d thought of something.

Sylvie pressed her lips together, then spoke, her tone composed and unbothered. “Mr. Sterling, I know this is a difficult request for you.”

She honestly hadn’t expected Alexander to be so unwilling to approach the professor about this, nor for him to come up with such an outlandish excuse.

Bringing Elodie into this just to subtly decline her request?

After a short pause, she replied, magnanimous and not the least bit offended, “I’m being perfectly sincere. I’ll keep trying to get into the professor’s graduate program, so please, Mr. Sterling, let’s not joke about this.”

Her research was firmly rooted in this field. Aside from Alexander-who was one of the rare few with an obvious head start-her own qualifications were near the top of the list.

Even if Elodie had learned a great deal from Alexander, it still wasn’t enough to meet the standards of her thesis. In fact, Elodie was miles behind.

Jarrod didn’t offer any opinion, nor did Alexander’s words seem to surprise him. He simply said, unhurried, “It’s all right, Mr. Sterling. Don’t trouble yourself. We can talk about it later.”

Alexander forced a smile that never reached his eyes, inwardly exasperated.

He really wasn’t joking. Elodie was perfectly capable of giving Sylvie guidance on her thesis-if only Sylvie would believe it. But there was no point in trying to convince people determined not to listen; they already had preconceived notions about Elodie. Sometimes it’s best to leave things unsaid.

Just then, Jason arrived.

After a brief exchange with Jarrod about some work matters, Jarrod glanced at Elodie, then back at Alexander, giving a polite nod. “Mr. Sterling, you and Ms. Thorne go ahead. We’ll catch up next time.”

Sylvie paused for a heartbeat.

She never liked it when Jarrod acknowledged Elodie in these situations. She thought the best approach was simply to ignore her-no need to make a show of manners and civility.

After all, Elodie might get the wrong idea about Jarrod’s feelings.

Elodie didn’t so much as look up. Her cool, serene expression gave nothing away, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Alexander, ever the diplomat, chimed in, “Of course. Take care, Mr. Silverstein.”

Outside, rain had started to fall, the drizzle turning quickly into a steady downpour. Even through the glass, the damp chill seemed to seep in.

Sylvie hesitated, casting a glance at Jarrod as she smiled. “Jarrod, it looks freezing out there, and I didn’t dress warmly enough. Could I borrow your coat?”

Jarrod turned to her without the slightest change in expression and handed over the jacket he’d been holding over his arm.

Sylvie ducked her head with a sweet little smile as she slipped it on.

Elodie could hardly keep herself from noticing the scene, no matter how she tried to tune it out. She watched, expression cool and remote, as Sylvie, now cocooned in Jarrod’s coat, walked out beside him.

So, her suspicions had been right all along. That coat-Jarrod had lent it to Sylvie before, hadn’t he? She was just relieved she’d returned it quickly.

Jason, standing nearby, let out a low whistle. “Never thought I’d see the day. Before Ms. Fielding showed up, Mr. Silverstein barely let any woman near him—

he was all business, never a hint of softness. But now? He’s making exceptions left and right. Even the Neural Intelligence team is abuzz.”