Elodie’s POV 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I looked at Johnny, silently asking if we should go after Yale. If we should try to fix this.

Johnny shook his head firmly. A clear message: Let him go.

I understood why, even if it hurt to watch talent walk away. But I also knew what Johnny wasn’t saying out loud, Yale must have had feelings for Sienna. It was written all over his face the second her name came up. The way he’d defended her so fiercely, the way he’d looked at me like I was the villain in this story.

He’d already made up his mind about me before I’d even opened my mouth.

And the worst part? I couldn’t even defend myself properly. Couldn’t tell them that I’d built CUAP, that it was my code, my architecture, my vision that had become legendary in this industry.

Because of the confidentiality agreements. Because of the government contracts tied to it. Because my identity as CUAP’s creator was classified information that couldn’t be revealed without clearance.

So I had to stand here and take it. Had to let Yale and probably half this team think I was just some unqualified woman Johnny was doing a favor for.

It was humiliating.

Johnny cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. His voice was steady, authoritative. “I know some of you might have questions after what just happened. But let me be very clear, Elodie’s credentials speak for themselves, PhD or not. I’ve personally reviewed her work, and I can guarantee that her technical capabilities are more than sufficient for this role.”

The room was silent.

Nobody said anything, but I could see the doubt in their eyes. The skepticism. The way some of them exchanged glances that clearly said, Sure, boss. Whatever you say.

They thought I’d gotten here because I was sleeping with Johnny. Or because I had some connection, some shortcut that let me skip the line while more qualified people got passed over.

Like Sienna.

God, even here, even in this completely separate part of my life, she was haunting me.

“I expect everyone to give Elodie the same respect and support you’d give any other team member,” Johnny continued. “We’re a team here. We work together. Is that understood?”

Murmurs of agreement. Nods. But the energy in the room had shifted, and we all knew it.

I could feel the weight of everyone’s judgment pressing down on me.

They didn’t know the full story, how could they? Yale had apparently recommended Sienna to Johnny, but he’d kept the details vague. So to them, this whole situation probably looked exactly like what they were thinking: another unqualified woman getting hired because of some personal connection.

And apparently, this had happened before.

I caught fragments of whispered conversations as people filtered back to their desks. Something about a woman last year, some executive’s mistress who’d claimed to have a master’s degree from a prestigious university. She’d talked a big game, acted confident, charmed everyone.

Until they’d actually asked her to do the work.

Turned out she couldn’t even explain basic concepts. Couldn’t answer simple technical questions. Some people had started wondering if she’d even graduated high school, let alone gotten a master’s degree.

It had been a disaster. An embarrassment.

And now they thought I was the sequel.

The unqualified woman who’d somehow convinced Johnny to kick out a talented colleague and hire her instead.

God, I could see it written all over their faces.

Johnny, seemingly unbothered by the tension, turned to a guy named Simon who’d been working with Yale. “What projects has Yale been involved with recently?”

Simon ran through a quick overview, some algorithm optimization work, a few debugging tasks on the main platform, and a security protocol review.

Johnny nodded, then looked at me. “Since Yale’s stepping down, would you be able to take over his remaining tasks?”

Every eye in the room turned to me.

This was a test. I knew it. Johnny was giving me a chance to prove myself right out of the gate.

But it also felt like he was throwing me to the wolves.

“Sure,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though my heart was racing. “I can handle it.”

I turned to face the team, forcing myself to meet their skeptical gazes. “I’m looking forward to working with all of you.”

The smiles I got back were polite. Professional. Completely empty.

They were hoping I had some actual skills so they wouldn’t have to pick up all the slack. But they clearly weren’t holding their breath.

Simon looked particularly pained. He was the one who’d been working directly with Yale, which meant he’d now be stuck working with me, the woman who’d “stolen” his colleague’s friend’s job.

“All the materials are here,” he said, his tone carefully neutral. “If you have questions, just ask.”

The *if you have questions* felt loaded. Like he was already assuming I’d have no idea what I was doing.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “I appreciate it.”

Simon nodded once and walked away.

**Third Person POV**

The moment Yale left Cole Corporation, he pulled out his phone and dialed Sienna’s number.

She answered on the second ring. “Yale?”

“Sienna, did you know Elodie Miller just started working at Cole?”

There was a pause on the other end. “What? No. I had no idea.”

Yale frowned, confusion settling over him. “You didn’t know? But I thought—wasn’t it because she pushed you out that you couldn’t join?”

“No,” Sienna said slowly, like she was processing this information in real time. “I told Johnny I couldn’t take the position for personal reasons. I didn’t realize Elodie had anything to do with Cole.”

So Elodie had joined Cole Corporation. Which meant she’d left Wilson Group.

Interesting.

Yale shifted his weight, still standing outside the building. “Then what were those personal reasons you mentioned?”

Sienna’s voice went cold. “Just some old grudges. Family stuff. It’s complicated.”

“But—”

“What’s wrong?”

Yale hesitated, then pressed forward. “What about Elodie’s actual abilities? I heard she hasn’t even been accepted into a PhD program yet. She—”

“She hasn’t even gone to graduate school,” Sienna cut him off, her tone sharp and dismissive. “She only has an undergraduate degree.”

Yale’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? Just a bachelor’s?”

“Yes.”

There was ice in that single word.

Sienna stood in her apartment, staring out the window, her mind racing. She genuinely hadn’t known Elodie had left Wilson Group. Hadn’t expected her half-sister to make any moves at all, really.

And now Elodie had apparently used whatever connections she had to land a job at another company instead of going back to school to actually improve her credentials.

Sienna almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

No vision. No ambition. Just taking shortcuts wherever she could.

“So what are you planning to do next?” Yale asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“I have an official racing competition coming up,” Sienna said, her voice returning to its usual controlled calm. “I’ll need to dedicate time to training. I’ll think about work opportunities after that.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” Yale’s admiration was clear even through the phone. “I don’t know how you manage everything—racing, your research, all your projects. Most people would burn out.”

Sienna smiled slightly. “I’m not most people.”

“No. No, you’re definitely not.”

They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up, and Sienna set her phone down on the counter.

Elodie at Cole Corporation.

It shouldn’t have bothered her—they were in completely different leagues, after all. Elodie with her mediocre credentials and her desperate attempts to stay relevant, while Sienna had offers from top companies across multiple Pack territories.

But still.

It was... inconvenient.

Especially if Dante found out.

She made a mental note to mention it to him later—casually, of course. Just an observation. Just keeping him informed.

After all, they told each other everything now.

-----

Dante’s POV

I flipped through another contract without really reading it, my mind elsewhere.

“Chad, get me coffee.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I went back to the documents in front of me, initialing pages out of habit more than actual focus. The office was quiet except for the low hum of the air conditioning and the occasional shuffle of papers.

A few minutes later, Chad returned with the coffee and set it on my desk.

I didn’t look up. Just reached for it automatically, stirring it the way I always did, three slow rotations, counterclockwise.

Then I lifted the cup to my lips.

And stopped.

Something was off.

I frowned, lowering the cup without drinking. The smell was wrong. Not bad, exactly. Just... different.