The old woman nced between the two of them, then strode over and gave Jarrod Silverstein a sharp smack on the arm. "You stubborn boy, why aren''t you even talking to Elodie? When are you going to fix that attitude of yours?"


    She''d noticed, of course-ever since Jarrod walked in the door, his attention had been glued to a pile of books, as if they were more interesting than Elodie Thorne ever could be.


    Maurice Nilsson, overhearing from the phone, chimed in with a teasingugh, "He''s just afraid if you show Ms. Thorne a little kindness, she''ll get ideas and won''t want to leave. Women, you know..."


    "They''re all soft-hearted in the end."


    Especially a woman like Elodie, still so deeply in love with Jarrod.


    Jarrod ignored Maurice''sment and pretended not to hear, ending the call without a word.


    "What are you waiting for? Go drive Elodie to work," the old woman insisted, unwilling to let Elodie walk alone. She grabbed Jarrod by the arm and marched him toward the door.


    Elodie had just closed the trunk and spoke calmly, "Grandma, it''s all right. Really, there''s no need to trouble anyone."


    Jarrod arched a brow, clearly just as disinterested in ying chauffeur. He offered a cool half-smile and echoed, “Grandma, see? Elodie can manage just fine on her own."


    The word ''Elodie'' lingered oddly in the air, making her pause mid-step for just a moment. Her brow furrowed so slightly it almost went unnoticed.


    Sometimes, she almost admired Jarrod''s ability to keep up appearances.


    Not that she wanted or needed him to drive her-she didn''t. But every time Jarrod didn''t want to do something, he always made it seem like she was the one choosing.


    Elodie simply looked at the old woman and said, "Grandma, I''ll head out now." She climbed into her car without sparing Jarrod another nce or word. Instead of heading to the office, she drove home, carrying her flowers inside. She''d tended these flowers for years. Back when she lived with the Harcourt family, Reba Harcourt had alwaysined about allergies, insisting Elodie give them up, while Ma Harcourt, ever doting on his younger daughter, had urged Elodie not to be selfish and to think of her sister.


    From the moment Ma started seeing another woman, to her mother''s death, and finally to that unspeakable night with Jarrod in his apartment, her rtionship with Ma and his daughter hadpletely unraveled. Things had gotten ugly.


    As for the flowers, it was Ivan Harcourt who''d arranged for her to have a little balcony greenhouse, preserving these few personal treasures.


    After marrying Jarrod, he''d handed her full control over their home-she could do as she pleased. Not that he was ever around to notice or care about such things.


    Elodie checked the soil moisture and the health of the leaves, making sure everything was thriving before she started packing for her trip to Goldspire.


    This joint project with the academy held a lot of promise. It would give her a valuable edge for her uing research publication, and be a major boost when she eventually applied for graduate school.


    The next morning, Alexander Sterling pulled up to drive her to the airport. They still didn''t know which otherpanies would be joining them.


    At the airport, Alexander went to handle their boarding passes. When he returned, Elodie noticed Sylvie Fielding across the terminal, dressed in a tailored trench coat and heels. Keith, Jarrod''s executive assistant, was with her, clearly there to see her off. Sylvie spotted Alexander, gave him aposed nod, and then swept upstairs without so much as a nce at Elodie, treating her as if she were invisible.


    Elodie barely paused at the sight of Keith-if Jarrod had sent someone of his rank to escort Sylvie, it spoke volumes about how much he valued her.


    Alexander finally broke the silence. "Looks like Sylvie''s on the project team, too." Elodie checked the boarding time and replied, "Aren''t the team slots reserved for core technical members from eachpany?"


    Alexander took her suitcase and shrugged. "They are. Sylvie used to be with the Nexus Analytics team, but after she split with us, she wasn''t core anymore. Still, rumor has it Jarrod set up a new team just for her, gave her the credentials, andnded her a spot."


    That kind of special treatment didn''t go unnoticed. No wonder everyone at Nexus Analytics already treated Sylvie like the boss''s wife.


    Elodie''s expression stayed neutral-she wasn''t surprised. With Jarrod clearing the path for her, Sylvie was starting out ahead of everyone else. She was bound to go far.


    "But you know," Alexander added with a click of his tongue, "I honestly thought Jarrod would drop everything and travel with Sylvie. Surprised he''s not here."


    Elodie didn''t answer, refusing to let herself get distracted by their drama.


    This time, all the teams would meet up together, with severalpanies arriving at Goldspire at once. The academy would send a car to pick them up.


    When theynded in Goldspire and stepped out into the arrivals hall, Elodie immediately spotted a familiar face in the crowd.