As for how her earliest code and parts of her technical proposal were leaked…

That needed to be investigated too.

The whole incident between VistaLink Technologies and Neural Intelligence had caused quite a stir. Elodie’s name, in particular, was now known throughout the industry.

When Naylor heard what had happened, he was so shocked he could barely collect himself. He’d just returned from a business trip, only to find himself in the midst of this mess-and, on top of everything, Elodie was now chief engineer of VistaLink Technologies’ flight control system.

So when he met up with Elias for drinks, he still couldn’t wrap his head around it. “Man, how could VistaLink Technologies be so heartless? Something goes wrong, and their solution is to shove a woman out front? What kind of move is that?”

Elias had heard bits and pieces himself. He shot Naylor a sidelong glance. “Didn’t you say you weren’t a fan of Ms. Thorne?”

Naylor smirked. “I’m not. But I like the company’s attitude even less. It’s shameless—when things were going well, Elodie had nothing to do with it, but the second there’s trouble, suddenly she’s the face of it all? I didn’t realize Alexander was such a coward.”

Elias set down his glass, something coming to mind-the tangled relationship between Elodie, Jarrod, and the rest.

“Naylor, you should steer clear of Ms. Fielding from now on.” He left it at that.

Some gossip was better left unsaid, especially when it hadn’t gone public yet. Still, he felt Naylor deserved a heads-up.

“TerraCore Technologies and Neural Intelligence are working together,” Naylor said, confused by the sudden advice. His cousin hardly ever commented on his business-let alone interfered in his social circles.

“Mr. Whitaker.” Someone called out from behind.

Both men turned.

Sylvie had come specifically to find Naylor today. She paused briefly when she saw Elias, then nodded in greeting.

Elias gave her a curt nod in return, his expression unreadable.

“President Fielding, how’s everything going these past couple of days?” Naylor asked. He was genuinely interested-after all, the patent was purchased from VistaLink Technologies at a steep price.

Sylvie looked composed. “My company’s engineer has decided to press charges. I’m helping him navigate the process.”

Then she turned to Naylor, her tone calm and sincere. “Mr. Whitaker, the plagiarism issue with VistaLink Technologies is serious. Have you considered terminating your contract? Neural Intelligence has just developed a new system- at least you wouldn’t have to worry about legal trouble threatening your company.”

As for Nexus Analytics, Jarrod hadn’t taken a stance yet. Sylvie figured he was holding back out of consideration for Henrietta; he wouldn’t push too hard for now. That way, if the old lady asked, Jarrod could give her a reasonable explanation.

Naylor frowned slightly.

He knew VistaLink Technologies was top-tier-even with Neural Intelligence’s new product, it wasn’t on the same level. But the controversy surrounding VistaLink Technologies was a risk; if the company went down, the fallout could be huge.

He hadn’t expected Sylvie to approach him about this.

“President Fielding, I’ll have to think about it,” he replied. Naylor was a shrewd businessman-he wouldn’t make rash decisions, but he also wanted to show Sylvie some courtesy.

Sylvie smiled. “Of course, I understand.”

She was confident Naylor would weigh his options carefully. When the time came, VistaLink Technologies would have their hands even fuller.

She shifted her attention to Elias, who’d been silent the whole time.

“Mr. Warwick. We meet again.” With business over, she greeted him formally.

Elias finally set down his glass, his voice low and calm. “Apologies, I have to head out.”

He clearly wasn’t interested in small talk with Sylvie.

He turned to Naylor. “Come back to the Warwick estate with me. Your grandfather wants to see you.”

Naylor was taken aback by Elias’ abruptness, but at the mention of Raleigh, he finished his drink and nodded to Sylvie. “Ms. Fielding, let’s catch up another time.”

Sylvie watched the two men walk away, feeling a strange sense of unease.

She frowned, not quite understanding.

Elias, it seemed, wasn’t exactly warm toward her.