Chapter 149
Elodie’s Pov~
After dinner, as soon as I got home, my phone rang. I picked it up when I saw it was Johnny calling.
“So? How’d it go? What did Professor Nolan want p>
I filled him in on the dinner, then about Jordan Hall, Reed Hardin, and the whole thing.
There was a pause on the other end. Then Johnny let out a low whistle. “Wait, those two? Damn. That’s serious p>
“Yeah, it was… intense p>
“I bet.” He hesitated, then added, “Oh, fun fact, that Rex guy we ran into? He’s Reed Hardin’s son p>
I blinked. “Really p>
“Yep. His dad’s brilliant, so I have no idea why the kid’s so dense. Anyway, just thought you should know p>
I hadn’t expected that, but honestly, it didn’t matter much to me.
On Tuesday, the initial test for Wilson Tech’s self-driving car was scheduled. Johnny and I arrived early in the morning.
By the time we got there, Rex and Yves were already present, standing off to the side near the equipment.
When they saw us, they glanced over briefly, then looked away.
Johnny didn’t seem bothered. He just grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the workstation. “Come on, let’s get started p>
I set my bag down and began reviewing the preliminary data. Everything looked ready, but no one had started the test yet.
Johnny frowned. “Why are we just standing around? What are we waiting for p>
Manager Kim cleared his throat. “Mr. Wilson will be personally overseeing the test today. Once he arrives, we’ll begin p>
Johnny’s expression soured. Oh. Great p>
Then he seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, where’s Miss Brown? I thought she was supposed to be here learning from the team p>
Manager Kim smiled knowingly. “Oh, Miss Brown wanted hands-on experience, so Mr. Wilson decided the best way for her to improve was to lead her own team on a project. He had one of the shelved company initiatives pulled out of storage. She’s been running meetings upstairs for the past few days. Actually, she’s Director Brown now p>
I kept my eyes on the data sheet in front of me, my pen moving steadily across the page.
I didn’t react.
Johnny, however, turned to look at me, his expression tight with concern.
I could feel his gaze on me, waiting for something, something like anger, sadness, something.
But I didn’t give him anything.
He sighed and reached over, ruffling my hair like I was a kid.
I swatted his hand away. “Knock it off p>
He didn’t say anything, but I could tell from the way his shoulders relaxed slightly that he was relieved I wasn’t falling apart.
At that moment, Dante arrived.
He wasn’t alone. Harry and Levi were with him.
They both looked surprised to see us. When Harry’s eyes landed on me, there was a flicker of something I couldn’t quite read, shock, maybe. Or curiosity.
I didn’t acknowledge it. Just glanced at them briefly before turning my attention back to my notes.
Dante, meanwhile, addressed the room with his usual calm authority. “Thank you all for your patience p>
Manager Kim stepped forward eagerly. “Mr. Wilson, are we ready to begin p>
“Not yet. We’re waiting for one more person.” Dante checked his watch. “I’ll head upstairs and check in. Give me a few minutes p>
And just like that, he left.
I didn’t need to guess who he was talking about.
Sienna, of course.
We were waiting for her to finish her meeting.
Johnny clearly realized the same thing because I heard him mutter something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like a curse.
A few minutes later, Dante and Sienna came downstairs together.
Sophia was with them.
She wasn’t surprised to see me, Sienna must’ve told her I’d be here.
When Sophia’s eyes landed on me, standing off to the side like just another member of the team, I saw it. That gleam of smug satisfaction. That little smirk that said, Look at you. His wife. Waiting for her like everyone else.
I didn’t care why Sophia was dressed in a professional suit or what she was doing at Wilson Tech.
I simply looked away.
Because giving her a reaction, giving any of them a reaction, would’ve meant they mattered.
And they didn’t.
Not anymore.
Sienna offered a polite smile, keeping her voice warm and apologetic. “I’m so sorry for keeping everyone waiting p>
Her apology seemed genuine enough, but it was clearly directed only at Rex, Yves, and Johnny.
She didn’t even glance in Elodie’s direction.
The message was clear: the apology didn’t include her.
Rex, who hadn’t been paying much attention to Elodie anyway, waved it off easily. “A few minutes is nothing. Don’t worry about it p>
Johnny stood abruptly, his tone sharp and cold. “Well, since we’re all here now, let’s not waste any more time. Shall we p>
Dante, who had been standing off to the side, stepped forward with his usual calm demeanor. “The delay was on us. Mr. Gray, after you p>
Johnny let out a quiet scoff, reaching over and tugging Elodie by the arm as they left the meeting room.
Seeing Johnny hold Elodie’s hand so casually, so familiarly, Dante’s eyes flickered toward them for just a moment.
Then he looked away, his expression unchanging, like it didn’t matter at all.
Harry, however, couldn’t help but watch the two of them a beat longer than necessary.
Among the group, Dante and Sienna were clearly the center of attention.
At the test site, one of the staff members approached respectfully. “Mr. Wilson, Director Brown, everything’s ready to go whenever you are p>
The staff addressed Sienna like she was already the lady of the house.
Dante gave a slight nod. “Let’s begin p>
“Yes, sir p>
They could watch the driving performance on the monitor in real time.
After the test driver successfully completed a full circuit, one of the staff members turned to Dante and Sienna. “Would you like to experience it yourselves p>
Dante agreed without hesitation.
He and Sienna got into the same vehicle.
On the monitor, Elodie could see them talking, their expressions on their faces. At one point, Sienna laughed at something Dante said, her hand brushing his arm.
Elodie continued watching the screen, her face completely calm, her expression giving nothing away.
Johnny, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to throw something.
Levi, clearly eager to try the car himself, was about to say something to Harry when Sophia approached, her tone bright and expectant. “Mr. Becker, should we p>
Harry cut her off smoothly. “You go ahead. I’m not really interested p>
Sophia blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Meanwhile, Manager Kim turned to Johnny and Elodie. “Mr. Gray, Miss Miller, would you like to take it for a spin p>
They were more familiar with the car’s systems than most of Wilson Tech’s own staff. Normally, they might’ve jumped at the chance.
But after everything that had just happened?
Johnny snorted. “Hard pass p>
Elodie leaned in slightly, her voice low as she murmured something about the engine’s performance. “You sure you don’t want to try? The torque response is actually impressive p>
Johnny shot her a look. “How do you even know that? We haven’t tested it yet p>
Elodie’s lips quirked just slightly.