138 Converging Paths at InnovaTech
138 Converging Paths at InnovaTech
“Brilliant!” Jorge exclaimed, his admiration obvious. “I’ve followed your research on predictive response patterns. Exceptional work.”
Elara straightened, maintaining her composure. “I could say the same.”
Elara glanced sideways at her half–sister, surprised by the comment and the lack of obvious mockery.
“Ms. Vance?” Jorge’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
All eyes turned to Elara, including Vivienne’s. For once, her half–sister’s expression wasn’t dismissive but contemplative.
Xavier joined the conversation. “We didn’t expect to see so many familiar faces today. Our company, CodeFlux Inc., was brought in to collaborate on implementing this security protocol.”
Jorge cleared his throat. “We didn’t realize-”
An InnovaTech staff member who had been escorting them looked confused. “Yes, Ms. Vance is one of the tech specialists from YodaVision consulting on this project.”
“Thank you,” Julian said, glancing at Elara with pride. “It was primarily Elara’s creation.”
“Newman speaks highly of you,” Vivienne said quietly, so only Elara could hear. “He says you have a spark.”
“This is Julian Croft and Elara Vance from YodaVision,” Albert explained. “They’ve developed the core architecture we’re integrating”
Jorge’s demeanor transformed instantly, his posture straightening as he extended his hand to Vivienne. “Ms. Dubois! What a pleasure to see you again. Are you consulting here too?”
Julian stood, extending his hand professionally. “Nice to meet you all officially.” He nodded toward Vivienne. “Ms. Dubois.”
“He’s well,” Vivienne replied smoothly. “Always busy, of course.”
Before Jorge could respond, the door opened again. This time, Vivienne Dubois walked
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138 Converging Paths at InnovaTech
in, her confident stride faltering slightly when she spotted Jorge and Xavier.
“YodaVision’s CUAP algorithm forms the foundation,” Albert continued. “Elara and Julian will oversee that integration. CodeFlux provides the security framework, and InnovaTech’s team, including Vivienne, handles the specialized adaptation for client
needs.”
Vivienne’s smile tightened slightly. “Yes. Different paths with different results.”
“Elara,” Vivienne said, her tone perfectly professional with just the slightest edge that only Elara would detect. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“You two know each other?” Albert asked, looking between them.
Elara felt Julian’s hand touch her arm briefly–a silent show of support and understanding.
“Jorge?” Vivienne looked surprised. “I didn’t know CodeFlux was involved with this
project.”
“Zachary is generous with his praise when he believes it’s deserved,” Elara replied carefully.
The early afternoon sunlight filtered through the high windows of InnovaTech’s main conference room. Elara Vance rubbed her tired eyes, grateful that Zachary had allowed her and Julian to leave early yesterday after their exhausting day. Now, she was back and fully focused on the technical issues they were troubleshooting.
As everyone gathered their materials, Jorge approached Elara. “Ms. Vance, I owe you an apology for our previous interaction. I had no idea you were behind CUAP.”
He guided Jorge, Xavier, and Vivienne toward where Elára and Julian were working.
Vivienne’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Yes, I’ve noticed.”
Vivienne’s eyes met hers, that familiar mix of challenge and superiority evident in her
gaze.
Albert Stafford, another project leader, entered the room. “Good, you’re all here. Let’s get everyone acquainted properly since we’ll be working closely together.”
“Mr. Thorne’s wife,” Jorge finished, his tone somewhere between embarrassment and
disbelief.
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138 Converging Paths at InnovaTech
+105
Elara smiled thinly. “I’m a co–founder of YodaVision. Julian and I established it during our final year at university. Her voice was calm but cool. She turned back to the tablet, deliberately dismissing them.
Albert nodded eagerly. “Excellent suggestion. Let’s start with the overview of what each team brings to the project.”
Albert checked his watch. “Speaking of which, let’s break for lunch now and reconvene in an hour”
The tension in the room thickened instantly. Julian shifted slightly closer to Elara, a subtle gesture of solidarity.
Before either woman could respond, Xavier jumped in. “Of course they do! Ms. Dubois is Mr. Thorne’s partner, and Ms. Vance is-”
“Perhaps over lunch,” Julian suggested smoothly. “We’ll all be working together for several weeks. Plenty of time to share insights.”
Elara maintained her composure, nodding politely. She recognized them from the charity auction–the men who had dismissed her so readily when she tried to discuss AI technologies.
“Indeed,” Elara said, her voice level. “Though we’ve taken different paths.”
Xavier’s eyes widened. “YodaVision? I thought you were just—”
A flicker of something–recognition? respect?-crossed Vivienne’s face before she masked it. “How calculating of you.”
Before Elara could respond, they reached the hallway where the others waited. Julian caught her eye with a questioning look, clearly wondering how she was handling this unexpected proximity to Vivienne.
As they walked toward the company cafeteria, Elara couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted Vivienne’s almost civil approach. The woman who had taken such pleasure in flaunting her relationship with Damien now seemed focused on something else entirely.
Jorge leaned forward, suddenly all business. “Our security protocol should mesh perfectly with YodaVision’s architecture. I’ve studied CUAP extensively- groundbreaking work.”
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138 Converging Paths at innova Tech
Julian nodded, making a note. “Worth it for a ten percent efficiency gain.”
Elara paused, unsure how to respond to this unexpected interest from Vivienne. Was it sincere or a setup for another subtle jab?
What game was Vivienne playing now?
“If we adjust the neural pathways here” Julian pointed to a section of code on his tablet, “we might eliminate that processing lag”
The subtle dig hung in the air. Julian cleared his throat, redirecting the conversation. *Shall we discuss how our teams will coordinate? The integration points need careful planning
They were deep in discussion when the conference room door opened. Elara glanced up to see forge and Xaxter entering, both men stopping short when they spotted her.
“Not calculating Observant,” Elara corrected, gathering her tablet. “Shall we join the others for lunch? i imagine we all have much to discuss about this project.”
“I would love to hear more about the mitial concept development, Vivienne said, her voice carrying a note of genuine curiosity that surprised Elara. “The paper you published didn’t dele deeply into your thought proceISS,”
As Albert began explaining the project structure, flare noticed Vivienne watching her intently. There was something different in her half–sister’s gaze today–less mockery,
more assessment.
At the name “Dubois,” Clara’s head snapped up. She hadn’t seen Vivienne enter the room, having been focused on her work while deliberately ignoring forge and Xavier. Now, finding herself face to face with her half–sister, Elara felt her heart rate quicken.
Flara gave him a subtic nod. She could manage this situation professionally. After all, if she’d survived seven years married to a man who didn’t love her, she could certainly endure working alongside her half–sister for a few weeks.
“Being underestimated has its advantages, Elara replied calmly. “People reveal more when they think you don’t matter”
“My half–sister, Vivienne finished smoothly, her smile not reaching her eyes. “And a
former colleague
Jorge looked fascituated by this revelation, bis gaze darting between the two women. ‘i
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138 Converging Paths at InnovaTech
had no idea you were related. Both brilliant in the same field. How remarkable.”
Elara leaned closer, studying the complex algorithm. “That could work, but we’d need to recalibrate the entire decision matrix afterward.”
Jorge lowered his voice, though not enough to prevent Elara from hearing. “Ms. Dubois, I understand you’re close with Damien Thorne. How is he? We’ve been hoping to arrange a meeting with him about a potential investment.”
Elara nodded, neither accepting nor rejecting his apology. “People often make assumptions. It happens frequently.”
Vivienne, who had been listening, gave a short laugh. “Don’t feel too bad, Jorge. Even my own sister is frequently underestimated.” Her eyes locked with Elara’s. “Aren’t you,
Elara?”
The comment hovered between compliment and challenge.
Elara continued working, keeping her focus on the tablet while listening to their conversation. She didn’t need to look up to know how this scene would play out–she’d watched it happen countless times before.
Vivienne shook his hand, offering a dazzling smile. “I’m part of InnovaTech’s algorithm specialization team. I’ve been coming here to learn and improve my skills.”
As they walked toward the door, Elara felt Vivienne fall into step beside her.
“That I had a brain?” Elara looked up, her expression placid but her eyes sharp.
The InnovaTech staff member nodded. “Yes, we have several teams collaborating. YodaVision, InnovaTech, and CodeFlux are all working together on this project.”
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