61 Unseen Elara, Praised Vivienne
Vivienne Dubois leaned closer to Lennox as they sat at the tech expo dinner, her eyes flicking toward the far end of the table where Elara Vance sat.
“I’m surprised she even showed up, Vivienne remarked quietly. “But with Damien here, she wouldn’t dare cause a scene.”
Lennox nodded, adjusting her elegant blazer. “She knows better than to o jeopardize Julian’s business opportunities.”
What they failed to notice was how deeply engaged Elara was in conversation with Bryson Leonard, a brilliant systems engineer she’d met earlier at the expo. Unlike the strained politeness she’d maintained throughout the day, her expression now showed genuine interest.
“Your approach to quantum processing is fascinating,” Elara said, her voice animated despite keeping it low. “I’ve been working on similar integration issues with our emotional recognition algorithms.”
Bryson’s eyes lit up. “The recursive functions you mentioned earlier could solve the latency problems we’ve been facing”
“xactly,” Elara replied, sketching a quick diagram on her napkin. “If you adjust the feedback loops here and here, the system becomes self–correcting”
Across the table, Vivienne tossed her glossy dark hair over her shoulder, drawing the attention of several executives nearby. She smiled at their admiring glances before turning back to Lennox.
“What do you suppose she’s discussing so intensely with Bryson?” Vivienne asked, her tone suggesting she already knew the answer.
Lennox glanced over disinterestedly. “Probably just asking technical questions. You know how these companies work–always fishing for insider information.”
The conversation around them shifted as Marcus Weber, CEO of a prominent venture capital firm, addressed Bryson.
“Leonard, are you going to grace us with that famous scotch of yours after dinner?” he called out jovially.
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61 Unseen Elara Praised Vivienne
Bryson looked up from his conversation with Elara, grinning. “Only If you promise not to talk about your golf handicap all night again.”
The table crupted in laughter, temporarily drawing everyone into a single conversation. Elara sat back, her moment of connection broken as the attention shifted toward the more established figures in the room.
“Speaking of technical brilliance,” Charles Paxon said, “Vivienne’s presentation on automated transportation systems today was remarkable. The neural network application you’ve developed could revolutionize the entire industry.”
Vivienne accepted the praise with a practiced modest smile. “Thank you, Charles. It’s been a labor of love.”
“And a labor of extraordinary talent,” added Damien Thorne, his deep voice commanding attention as always. His hand rested casually on the back of Vivienne’s chair. “Her work is years ahead of our competitors.”
Elara kept her expression neutral as she reached for her water glass. She took a small sip, using the moment to compose herself.
“With Thorne Industries‘ backing and your brilliance, Vivienne, I expect we’ll see your systems implemented nationwide within five years, Charles continued.
Vivienne’s smile widened. “Damien has been instrumental in accelerating our timeline. His vision for integration with existing infrastructure solved problems we’d been struggling with for months.”
Around the table, heads nodded appreciatively. The waitstaff began serving the main course, momentarily interrupting the conversation with the clatter of plates and murmured acknowledgments.
Damien glanced at Vivienne’s plate, then signaled a waiter. “She prefers her salmon. medium–rare, not well–done.”
“Of course, sir,” the waiter said immediately, whisking the plate away.
Vivienne touched Damien’s arm appreciatively. When the correct dish arrived moments later, she made a show of serving Damien first, selecting the best portions and arranging them carefully on his plate before serving herself.
“Always taking care of each other,” Marcus commented with approval. “That’s what
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61 Unseen Elara Praised Vivienne
makes a powerful team.”
The conversation shifted to Elara’s side of the table when Lennox asked, “And what exactly is your role at Croft Technologies, Ms. Vance? Are you mainly in
administration?”
Elara looked up from her plate. “I lead our Al development team. We’re focusing on emotional intelligence applications for autonomous systems.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Lennox said, her tone suggesting she’d forgotten something trivial. *Julian mentioned you had a technical background.”
Before Elara could respond, Charles Paxon jumped in. “She’s the pretty one who works for Julian, right? I’ve heard some rumors about you two.”
Julian, seated several places away and engaged in another conversation, didn’t hear the
comment.
*Julian and I are business partners,” Elara clarified calmly. “We’ve known each other since college.”
“Such a shame to hide that lovely face behind computer screens all day,” Charles remarked with a patronizing smile. “Though I suppose someone has to handle the technical details while Julian manages the business end.”
Elara’s fingers tightened slightly around her fork. “Actually, I-‘
*Speaking of future developments,” Vivienne interrupted smoothly, “has everyone seen the preview of next year’s expo exhibits? They’re expanding the autonomous vehicle section significantly.”
The interruption effectively redirected everyone’s attention. As conversation flowed around her, Elara noticed Bryson watching her with a look of quiet understanding. He gave her a small, sympathetic smile before being drawn into a discussion about manufacturing challenges.
“The integration of AI with physical systems remains our greatest hurdle, someone was saying. “The software is advancing faster than hardware can keep up.”
“That’s where Vivienne’s work is so groundbreaking,” Damien said. “She’s designed systems that optimize existing hardware rather than requiring complete replacements.”
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61 Unseen Elara, Praised Vivienne
“Cost–effective and brilliant,” another executive commented. “No wonder Thorne Industries is leading the market.”
Vivienne accepted the praise graciously, occasionally touching Damien’s arm or shoulder as she spoke, marking her territory in subtle but unmistakable ways.
Elara focused on her meal, contributing occasionally to technical discussions but finding herself repeatedly overlooked as conversation gravitated toward Vivienne’s accomplishments and Damien’s business insights.
As dessert was being served, Bradley Newman, who had been relatively quiet throughout dinner, suddenly addressed Damien directly.
“Thorne, I’ve been meaning to ask–have you considered a collaboration with Croft Technologies? Their intelligent traffic programming language would pair extraordinarily well with your autonomous vehicle project.”
The table fell silent. All eyes turned to Damien, then briefly to Elara, before settling
back on him.
Damien’s expression remained impassive as he set down his fork. “That’s an interesting suggestion, Newman.”
The silence stretched, pregnant with unasked questions and unspoken history. Everyone at the table knew of Damien and Elara’s impending divorce, though it was never mentioned in professional settings.
Elara kept her gaze steady, waiting for Damien’s response with the rest of them, her heart beating a rapid rhythm against her ribs as the moment of truth approached.
