139 Whispers of Jealousy’s Sting
139 Whispers of Jealousy’s Sting
“Did you know I have full access to Damien’s office at Thorne Industries?” Vivienne continued, changing tactics. “I’ve seen the proposals YodaVision submitted. Very thorough.”
Julian’s expression cooled noticeably. “Is that so?”
Vivienne’s smile tightened marginally at the mention of Elara. “Of course. Though I understand you’ve developed quite a following in the industry yourself.”
Jorge nodded slowly, his gaze calculating as he observed Elara’s professional demeanor. “Indeed it has.”
Jorge leaned forward slightly. “When you were talking with Croft. She came over right after and gave you quite a look.”
“Julian,” she said warmly, ignoring Elara completely. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the neural network approach you mentioned earlier.”
Outside the conference room, Elara continued working, oblivious to the whispers and misinterpretations that would soon threaten her hard–won professional reputation.
“What do you mean?” Vivienne asked, her voice carefully neutral.
Vivienne sighed dramatically. “Elara has always been… sensitive. Especially when it comes to men she’s interested in.”
“Oh, she’s very good at maintaining appearances,” Vivienne said smoothly. “It’s what
she does.”
Vivienne stepped closer, lowering her voice. “I was thinking something more one–on–one. Your expertise is exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Xavier glanced up from his tablet. “I couldn’t help noticing… what was that about with
-Ms. Vance earlier?”
Julian scrolled through the data, nodding. “This is excellent. If we implement these changes across all modules, we’ll exceed the project requirements significantly.”
“Well,” Xavier said finally, “this project just got a lot more interesting than I expected.”
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Julian’s interest visibly diminished. “I see. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check on our progress with Elara.”
From across the room, Jorge approached them, offering his hand to Julian. “Mr. Croft, I wanted to properly introduce myself. Jorge Mendez, Head of Security Architecture at CodeFlux.”
Elara nodded, pulling up another screen of data. “I’ve mapped out the critical junctures here.”
“Yes,” Vivienne smiled sweetly. “Damien has no secrets from me. I often review
materials with him.”
“And gave you that cold look…” Jorge continued.
Julian leaned closer, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Good catch. The neural
pathway reconfiguration makes much more sense now.”
“She was jealous,” Xavier concluded, his eyes widening slightly. “She thought you were making a move on Croft.”
Jorge sat back, processing this new information. “I had no idea. She seemed so professional earlier.”
“We should review the integration timeline,” he said, his voice all business now. “The security protocols need to align precisely with our core architecture.”
Julian straightened, shaking the offered hand. “Good to meet you. Your reputation precedes you.”
Julian maintained his professional demeanor. “Thank you. It’s been a team effort, with Elara’s innovations leading the way.”
Jorge frowned, looking through the glass partition at where Elara and Julian were still working together. “But isn’t she married to Damien Thorne?”
Across the room, Vivienne stood watching them, her expression unreadable. After a moment, she turned to Jorge and Xavier, engaging them in conversation while occasionally glancing toward Julian and Elara.
“Interested in?” Xavier repeated, eyebrows rising. “You mean she and Croft are…?”
Julian nodded politely. “Certainly. Our teams should collaborate closely on this
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project.”
Elara remained engrossed in her work, fingers flying across her tablet as she refined the algorithm. The cafeteria lunch had been a tense affair, with Jorge and Xavier attempting awkward small talk while Vivienne kept throwing glances her way. Now back in the project room, Elara welcomed the distraction of complex code.
“The neural pathway adjustments increased efficiency by twelve percent,” she continued smoothly. “Better than we projected.”
“I found it fascinating,” Vivienne continued, her voice carrying a hint of admiration that made Elara’s fingers pause imperceptibly on her tablet. “Perhaps we could discuss it further? I have some ideas that might complement your approach.”
“Need anything else?” Jorge asked as Vivienne entered.
Jorge and Xavier exchanged quick glances, clearly noting Vivienne’s interested tone.
Julian made his way back to Elara, who had witnessed the exchange while pretending
to be absorbed in her work.
Through the glass, they watched as Elara pointed something out to Julian on the screen, their heads close together, completely absorbed in their work.
“For now,” Vivienne murmured, just loud enough for them to hear.
Julian turned slightly. “Yes?”
Vivienne watched their interaction for another moment before turning away with a barely perceptible huff. She walked toward a small conference room at the back of the workspace where Jorge and Xavier were reviewing documents.
“I’ve been looking into YodaVision’s work for some time,” Vivienne added, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Your company’s growth has been impressive.”
Xavier joined them, his demeanor more respectful than it had been earlier. “Your CUAP algorithm is revolutionary. We’re honored to be working alongside YodaVision.”
“Did she?” Vivienne’s tone was innocent, but a small, satisfied smile played at her lips.
“These integration points need additional security layers,” she muttered to herself, making another annotation.
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Elara angled the tablet toward him. “I’ve isolated that processing lag. We need to restructure this section.”
Vivienne shrugged delicately. “I couldn’t possibly comment on my sister’s personal
affairs.”
They fell into their familiar rhythm of collaboration, heads bent close together over the tablet, discussing technical details with the easy shorthand of longtime colleagues.
Xavier nodded, looking thoughtful. “It seemed… territorial. Like she didn’t appreciate you chatting with him.”
Twenty minutes later, Elara approached Julian with a stack of reports. “I’ve compiled the data from yesterday’s test. The results are promising.”
As she handed him the tablet, she noticed Vivienne watching them intently, her gaze cold and assessing. Elara met her half–sister’s stare directly, returning an equally frigid glance before turning back to Julian.
Neither man noticed the satisfied gleam in Vivienne’s eyes as she watched her
half–sister, completely unaware that her innocent interaction with Julian had just been twisted into something far more damaging.
“So when she interrupted your conversation with Croft…” Xavier began.
The door swung open. Julian walked in, his tall frame commanding attention as he entered. He nodded to the InnovaTech staff before making his way toward Elara.
Elara noticed the dramatic shift in their attitude now that they knew her credentials. She kept her face neutral, continuing her work while Julian engaged them in conversation about coding architecture.
The door opened again, and Vivienne entered. Her gaze immediately locked on their small group. She smoothed her perfectly tailored blazer and approached them with confident strides.
She shook her head, settling into a chair across from them. “Just taking a break from all
the technical discussions.”
“Any progress?” he asked, setting his coffee down.
The two men exchanged meaningful glances.
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Vivienne took a sip of water, neither confirming nor denying their assumption. “Elara has always been… possessive of what she considers hers.
He stepped away, leaving Vivienne standing with Jorge and Xavier, who were watching the interaction with obvious interest.
“Julian Croft is her business partner,” Jorge said slowly. “But that looked personal.”
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