Chapter 222
Sienna knew how protective Johnny had been of Elodie.
At the year-end party, he’d stood up for her when people were treating her coldly. He’d defended her without hesitation.
And now it seemed like they were on the verge of falling out?
Sienna paused, genuinely surprised.
But then again p>
Maybe it wasn’t that surprising.
She’d always known Elodie could never keep Johnny under control for long. This day was bound to come eventually.
She smiled faintly. “I see. I’ll find some time to submit my resume and give it a try p>
Levi grinned and glanced over at Dante, who had been mostly quiet throughout the conversation.
“At Bellini Tech, Dante set up a whole special project just for you. And now you’re just gonna up and leave p>
Dante, who was calmly picking up food for Liora, didn’t even look fazed.
“It’s fine,” he said simply.
Sienna’s heart warmed.
Of course he’d say that.
Because no matter what she decided to do, Dante always supported her. Without hesitation. Without making things difficult.
She glanced at him, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
Harry, meanwhile, had been very quiet.
He’d been swamped since New Year’s Eve and hadn’t had a chance to meet up with Elodie at all.
Hearing Levi and Sienna talk, he lowered his head and didn’t join in.
But his mind was working.
Elodie and Johnny were both students of Professor Nolan. The recent projects from CUAP and Cole had both been led by Elodie. Her position at Cole was solid. Unshakable.
To her, titles and formal positions probably didn’t matter much.
But if Elodie wasn’t aiming for a management role, it probably meant she had other plans in mind.
Harry’s brows furrowed slightly as he thought it over.
Elodie’s POV
Since the end of last year, I’d already made up my mind.
I wanted to focus more on research. On the work itself. Not the corporate politics or the endless meetings or managing people who didn’t really need managing.
Johnny and I had talked it through, and we’d agreed, that we’d hand over the day-to-day management of Cole to people who were actually suited for that kind of thing.
After the New Year, Johnny had started reaching out to a few candidates. He’d almost found the right people.
The expansion was still underway, but we were getting there.
As for my latest research, I’d sent the finalized content to Professor Nolan three days ago.
Now I was just waiting for his reply.
Just as I was thinking about it, my phone buzzed.
A message from Nolan.
[Come over tonight p>
After work, Johnny and I drove over to Nolan’s villa.
When we arrived, Nolan was on the phone, his brow furrowed as he spoke in clipped, tense sentences. The moment he saw us, he wrapped up the call and sat down across from us.
“I’ve looked over your research,” he said, his tone calm but serious. “There are a few people who want to meet you. We’ll set up introductions when the time is right p>
I nodded. “Okay p>
My research had been approved as a national internal project, which meant things were about to get a lot more formal. A lot more complicated.
Nolan went over the relevant details with me, timelines, protocols, confidentiality agreements. Then Johnny and I asked him a few more questions, and by the time we left, it was late.
The next morning, I was back at the office, reviewing resumes that HR had filtered for the technical department.
I’d been going through them for about an hour when I suddenly stopped.
Johnny, who was sitting nearby, noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong p>
I didn’t say anything right away. Just stared at the name on the screen.
Then I said quietly, “It’s Sienna’s resume p>
Johnny raised an eyebrow, then let out a short, amused laugh. “She actually applied here? Wow. She really doesn’t give up, does she p>
I didn’t respond. Just slid the resume over to him without a word.
Johnny glanced at it briefly, then tossed it aside like it was nothing.
He was leaving for a business trip that afternoon. Before he left, he turned to me and said, “The forum the day after tomorrow, I’m leaving it to you p>
I nodded. “No problem p>
The forum he was talking about was a government-business event organized by the city. Only about thirty companies had been invited, and Cole was one of them.
Two Days Later.
I arrived at the venue early, dressed professionally, my materials tucked neatly into my bag.
As I stepped out of the car, I spotted someone familiar.
I paused for just a second, then quickly looked away and headed up the stairs into the lobby.
I didn’t look back.
But I felt someone’s eyes on me.
Inside the meeting room, each seat had a nameplate in front of it with the corresponding company name.
By the time I walked in, most of the seats were still empty. I found mine easily, ‘Cole Technologies’, and sat down, pulling out my notes and setting my phone on the table.
A few minutes later, I heard footsteps behind me.
I didn’t turn around. I just kept my eyes on my notes.
But I heard voices.
“Mr. Hardin p>
“Mr. Wilson. It’s been a while p>
“Indeed p>
I stiffened.
I knew that voice.
Dante.
I kept my eyes down, my face calm, my hands steady as I flipped through my notes like I hadn’t heard a thing.
But my heart was pounding.
I heard them walk further into the room, their conversation casual and polite.
And then I felt the sudden shift in the air.
I didn’t need to look up to know.
Dante had seen me.
I heard his footsteps slow. I heard the brief pause in his conversation with Rex.
Then I heard Rex’s voice, quieter now, tinged with surprise.
“Mr. Wilson… isn’t that your seat p>
I finally looked up.
And sure enough, there it was.
The nameplate right next to mine.
‘Wilson Corporation p>
My stomach dropped.