He was on a video call.
Sylvie''s melodiousughter drifted through the air—it sounded like their conversation had been going smoothly. "Alright, I''ll wait for you," she said.
Suddenly, Jarrod''s steps slowed. He looked up and spotted Elodie sitting quietly across the room. His expression didn''t change; he lowered his gaze and said into the phone, "I havepany. Let''s talkter."
The word pany" carried no special meaning for Elodie.
But she was starting to feel uncertain.
If Jarrod had just finished a meeting, he wouldn''t be on a video call with Sylvie so quickly.
Judging by the easy tone between them, it was clear they''d been chatting for a while.
So maybe Jarrod had wrapped up his meeting some time ago, but got caught up talking to Sylvie, forgetting that Elodie was still waiting for him.
He ended the call and strode into the room.
"Have Albine in," Jarrod instructed, then finally took a seat across from Elodie. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Mr. Silverstein, you should really work on your sense of time," Elodie replied, ncing at her watch, a trace of irritation in her eyes.
Jarrod noticed.
His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, his eyes darkening. After a brief pause, he gave a nomittal chuckle.
Then he called for Keith. "Bring Elodie a cup of herbal tea."
Keith nced at the untouched coffee in front of Elodie, hesitated as if he wanted
to say something, then simply nodded. "Of course."
Elodie remained motionless-neither polite nor talkative.
When Albin entered, he found the two of them sitting in silence.
Jarrod was staring thoughtfully at Elodie.
Albin cleared his throat, pulling out a contract. "Ms. Thorne, good to see you again."
Elodie nodded in greeting.
Albin opened the folder. "Just sign here, and on the other copies as well."
Having spent years in PR, Elodie was no stranger to contracts. She double- checked the document and, finding nothing amiss, signed her name.
"Thank you, Albin," she said politely as she stood.
Albin smiled. "It''s no trouble at all."
Jarrod rose as well, straightening his suit jacket. His voice was calm and measured. "If you have any questions, feel free to reach out."
Elodie picked up her purse, her tone cool. "That won''t be necessary. Just make sure to clear out any important belongings from the house when you have time."
She didn''t have Jarrod''s new phone number anyway, and she doubted there was anything left that would require her to contact him.
Jarrod''s gaze lingered on her, his tone steady. "Alright."
"Heading back to VistaLink Technologies? I can give you a ride-I''m going that way."
"No, thanks. I''ll take the subway."
Elodie''s refusal was crisp.
She didn''t care whether Jarrod was just being polite.
It was a fair walk to the nearest station, but she saw no reason to ept a ride from him.
She said goodbye to Albin and left.
Jarrod nced at her departing figure, then walked out with Albin.
"I have to say, you two are a bit odd," Albin remarked.
Jarrod''s expression was as calm as ever. "How so?"
Albin shrugged. "I''ve seen my share of couples going through a divorce. Most of them can''t part on good terms-the process is usually a mess, full of shouting, red faces, ming each other. Or, if they don''t argue, you can still see the resentment all over their faces. But you two..."
"It''s just calm. Cold, even. No love, no hate-nothing."
Not even business partners manage to stay this detached when they disagree.
And you two were married for years.
Now, you''re colder than strangers.
Jarrod spoke evenly, not missing a beat. "Is that so? I hadn''t noticed."
Albin couldn''t help but shake his head.
No wonder.
Jarrod never really cared about Ms. Thorne in the first ce.
So, of course, he didn''t notice if Elodie had any feelings at all.
When Elodie returned to VistaLink Technologies, Alexander informed her that she''d need to visit Global Horizons University the next day.