No wonder Sylvie could only swallow her pride and take the hit.
Elodie made a trip back to VistaLink Technologies.
There were a few major projects running at the company right now; she’d be handling the core segments herself, while the departments took care of the rest. She was determined not to run herself into the ground this time.
That afternoon, some good news arrived.
Her paper had been published online.
This time, it happened even faster than before.
A huge weight seemed to lift from Elodie's chest—one major goal finally within reach.
Next up was preparing for the print edition, which would give her work both authority and a certain collectible value.
The following day, Elodie received a call from Charlie Sterling.
“Your paper’s out. Verdant University just purchased the database access, so their students will be able to download and read it. The university’s anniversary celebration is the day after tomorrow. The school would like to invite you to attend and give a talk to the students as the author of the paper. Do you have time?”
Elodie understood what an honor this was.
Verdant University was one of the country’s top institutions, and its reputation was second to none.
“Of course. I’d be delighted.”
Charlie sounded upbeat, even pausing to offer rare praise. “You did well this time. Didn’t embarrass me. There’ll be a lot of big names from academia and beyond at the anniversary. It’s a fantastic chance for you—make sure you’re ready.”
“I will.”
When the call ended, Elodie felt a strange ache in her chest—a mix of pride and something almost bittersweet.
After all her relentless effort, she was finally piecing herself back together from the fragments of her past.
In her spare moments, she started working on her speech, making sure every detail was precise.
After taking her medication, Elodie planned to keep writing for a while, but her phone buzzed a few times.
She checked the group chat with Esmeralda and Alexander Sterling.
Esmeralda: [Are you kidding me? Jarrod took Sylvie on a romantic getaway for two?]
Before Elodie could reply, Alexander chimed in from his dinner party: [Classic Casio-and-Rolex-type guy.]
Elodie: “...”
It took her a moment, but then she couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head.
She set her phone aside and headed for the shower.
—
There was a one-hour time difference between Hokkaido and back home.
Sylvie, wearing a pale yellow bikini, soaked in the natural hot spring for a while before climbing out and loosely wrapping herself in a towel. She headed upstairs, deep in thought.
Reaching the door, she knocked lightly.
A moment later, Jarrod opened it. He wore a crisp white shirt and black slacks; a headset was hooked over one ear as he listened to a report from the home office. Sleek, frameless glasses rested on his nose, his gaze lowered as he took in the woman standing before him.
Sylvie looked up and gave him a playful smile. “Jarrod, are you done working?”
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