He arched an eyebrow. “This is Mr. Hilliard, our top engineer at VistaLink Technologies. From now on, let’s stay in touch about any technical matters.”

Hilliard looked genuinely surprised, then couldn’t help but gush, “Well, that’s just excellent. VistaLink Technologies really is full of hidden talent-remarkable, truly remarkable.”

Today’s bidding event was quite the spectacle.

A subtle smile traced Elodie’s lips.

The bidding officially began.

The process was anything but simple: first came the unsealing and public reading

of the bids, then a comprehensive review by the panel of judges, and finally, the announcement of the winner.

VistaLink Technologies came out on top.

Elodie finally let herself relax, the tension easing from her chest.

This collaboration with the military was a pivotal opportunity. It would propel VistaLink Technologies to a whole new level and cement their standing at home.

She had always thought she’d wait for her confidentiality agreement to expire before leading VistaLink Technologies into this arena. After all, under Esmeralda’s investment and Alexander’s leadership, the company had barely been in business for four years, and Elodie herself had joined not long ago. In the domestic industry, they weren’t exactly a leading giant. There were always limits-on who they could choose and who would choose them.

But now, without having to wait passively for her confidentiality agreement to end, they’d secured this invaluable partnership with the military.

In this era where tech giants competed fiercely to fuel the nation’s rise, being a dark horse and winning such a bid was a rare head start.

Once the project was complete, they’d finally join the industry’s top echelon.

And from then on, there’d be no more limits on what or whom they could choose.

Alexander couldn’t help but let out a breath. “We pulled it off.”

He glanced at Elodie, nostalgia in his voice. “If you’d joined Esmeralda and me back in the day, maybe VistaLink Technologies would’ve already conquered the world by now.”

Still, better late than never.

With Elodie steering the project to success, they’d soon be making headlines across the globe.

The bidding event wrapped up.

Alexander arranged to meet Jarrod and the team at a nearby café.

Once Jarrod and Sylvie arrived, Jarrod shot Elodie a look. “Congratulations.”

Elodie kept her head down, eyes on the contract, and didn’t reply.

Alexander gave a low chuckle. “Mr. Silverstein, let’s go through the contract details. We hope you’ll pay special attention to the breach clauses-neither side wants to be held back, after all.”

He glanced at Sylvie as he spoke.

Sylvie glanced at the freshly printed project allocation contract on the table. Her brows furrowed as she read.

“Mr. Sterling, with this allocation, VistaLink Technologies is only giving Neural Intelligence the testing and basic tech work. Isn’t that a little monopolistic?” she asked sharply. “The previous agreement clearly said both sides would contribute their core strengths and integrate the results!”

It should have been a fair, collaborative effort. Now, VistaLink Technologies was shutting them out.

Before agreeing to the joint bid, they had signed a clear agreement, outlining responsibilities and a roadmap: VistaLink Technologies would take the lead, but both companies would focus on their specialties and merge their R&D.

Normally, that meant the lead company would steer the overall direction, but both would have meaningful roles.

But now, after winning the bid, the technical allocation left Neural Intelligence with just a marginal, supporting role. It was as if the high-end drone had already been designed and built, and all they were allowed to do was tighten a few bolts at the end-just so their name could appear in the credits.

How was this any different from being VistaLink Technologies’ assistant?

To Sylvie, it felt like a slap in the face.

True collaboration would have meant Neural Intelligence sharing the technical spotlight when the project was done. If VistaLink Technologies refused to compromise, Neural Intelligence would be nothing more than a minor support. And that made all the difference.

Elodie closed the contract and looked up, her voice cool and uncompromising. “It’s Neural Intelligence that needs us, Ms. Fielding. Do you understand your position here? Or are you planning to drag out the timeline again, like you did with Nexus Analytics the last time we handed you authority?”

“You mentioned both parties bringing their technical expertise to the table. The agreement did say we’d collaborate, true, but I’m afraid VistaLink Technologies doesn’t have any technical weaknesses. We’re fully equipped to handle every aspect, so there’s no question of strengths or shortcomings. If you’re this dissatisfied, as the contract states, you’re welcome to assume full responsibility and walk away.”