How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

"If you hadn't been caught up by Elodie's slander back then... Maybe Nexus Analytics wouldn't have ended up in her hands. Or maybe, you could've used Nexus Analytics for your own ends. After all, Nexus Analytics and Neural Intelligence are so closely tied, but now..."

He shook his head, letting the thought trail off.

And nearly coming to blows with Elodie-

That, too.

The words shattered the half-formed thoughts swirling in Sylvie's mind, leaving her numb and lost in anxious reflection.

What if...

What if she hadn't gone head-to-head with VistaLink Technologies and Elodie over the flight control system all those months ago? Would everything be differentnoveldrama

now?

She knew better than anyone how Nexus Analytics landed in Elodie's hands.

If she hadn't tried to protect herself, Elodie never would've had the chance to take advantage of the situation.

It was all out in the open-everyone knew what had happened. Everyone understood exactly how it was resolved: Nexus Analytics traded for her freedom from liability.

So now...

Was the problem still her?

A pounding headache threatened to split Sylvie's skull. She felt dazed, as if none of this could possibly be real.

How did things end up like this?

"We'll talk later," Jarrod said, glancing down at his watch. "Let's get you home first."

Sylvie had forgotten how to respond. She was still reeling from being pushed out

of Neural Intelligence's board-still unable to process it.

The company car drove her back, a hollow shell, lost in her own thoughts.

In the end, she didn't even make it to lunch.

Maurice looked over at Jarrod, hesitating for a moment. "So... what's your next move?"

It was the sort of question with a hundred possible answers.

Jarrod only cast him a sidelong glance, slipping his hand into his pocket as he strolled toward the car parked by the curb. "We'll do what has to be done."

With the Neural Intelligence ordeal behind her, Elodie spent the drive home gazing out the window, deep in thought.

She made another trip to Nexus Analytics, meticulously organizing and reviewing every contract and file.

"What's Jarrod playing at?"

Alexander muttered, massaging bis

temples in bewilderment. "How

could he overlook such a massive

liability? Was it deliberate, or gust careless?"

Elodie's eyes lingered on the nominee agreement.

"If Sylvie had played her cards right and kept her head down, none of this would've touched her. Even if Neural Intelligence was effectively controlled by Nexus Analytics, the shares were still legally hers No one could force her to sell or siphon off dividends. If she needed cash, she could've just sold her house."

Elodie's gaze fixed on Jarrod's signature at the bottom of the document-bold,

decisive, almost carved into the page.

Jarrod couldn't have overlooked the nominee agreement. If he'd really wanted to protect Sylvie, he

should've dealt with it before vel

handing over Nexus Analytics.

And then there was Jason he was on the management team, yet he had no idea

the investment in Neural Intelligence had come through Nexus Analytics.

What about the other shareholders? How many of them knew?

Alexander seemed to be pondering the same. For as long as they'd known Jarrod, this sort of oversight was unlike him.

Elodie stared at Jarrod's signature for a long time, then pressed her fingers to her brow.

Still, recent events had finally given her a sense of vindication. Each time, it had been her hand delivering justice.

It made her feel lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from her chest.

There was still the matter of the forced transfer of shares to settle.

She wouldn't give Sylvie or her mother the slightest chance to wriggle free. Elodie worked late into the evening at Nexus Analytics, tying up loose ends. Alexander headed back to VistaLink Technologies first, wanting to discuss the situation with Esmeralda.

When Elodie finally finished and left the building, she stepped out into the deepening dusk.

A black Rolls-Royce gleamed under the streetlights, parked just outside.

Jarrod leaned casually against the hood, his tall frame cast in sharp silhouette.

At the sound of her footsteps, he turned to look at her.