Elodie Thorne nced down at Jarrod Silverstein''s hand wrapped around her


    wrist. His face remained as calm andposed as ever; even as he spoke with Sprague Silverstein, there was a faint, polite smile on his lips, revealing nothing of his true thoughts.


    Sprague chuckled and turned to look at Elodie standing just behind Jarrod. "See? Jarrod is still as protective of you as ever. It''s only natural you''re not that familiar with the rest of us-we''ve been away for years."


    Their grandmother chimed in, shuffling closer with a gentle nod. "That''s true. Sweetheart, you and Jarrod were married for, what, about a year before you moved abroad? It''s been nearly three years since west saw you."


    The Silverstein family''s business empire stretched across continents, with investments in every corner of the globe.


    Everything was meticulously managed in separate divisions.


    Elinor rolled her eyes yfully at Elodie. "When I called Mother the other day to ask about you, I was genuinely surprised! Elodie, you never let anything slip before. How did you manage to keep things so tightly under wraps?"


    Before heading off to take her evening tonic, their grandmother couldn''t resist adding, pride evident in her voice, "Our dear Elodie has always been even- tempered and discreet. It wasn''t her decision to keep things secret-those were instructions from above."


    Just then, Lucinda Howard walked in.


    Elinor immediately brightened, her smile dazzling. "Sister-inw, you truly are lucky! What a wonderful daughter-inw you have such a credit to the family. In our circles, heiresses are a dime a dozen, but someone like Elodie? She''s a real gem."


    It was, after all, a point of pride.


    Lucinda cast Elinor a cool nce. "Oh, absolutely. When Jarrod decided to marry Elodie—a woman with no powerful family behind her-you were thrilled, weren''t you?"


    Back then, Jarrod and Sprague were the only real contenders within the Silverstein family.


    Jarrod''s decision to marry Elodie, who brought no connections or tangible benefit to the table, had caused quite a stir-especially among the extended family, who had watched the whole spectacle with barely concealed amusement and had been all too happy to encourage it.


    Now, of course, everyone imed to have seen her value all along.


    Elinorughed, giving a small shake of her head. "I just thought Elodie was a good kid. I was right about her from the start. Truth be told, sister-inw, you weren''t too pleased back then, were you? Almost mistook a pearl for a pebble!"


    Still, she couldn''t help feeling a twinge of resentment.


    Who could''ve guessed Elodie had been hiding such remarkable talents?


    Lucinda settled herself onto the sofal and replied coolly, "You say you have an eye for people, but if Sprague hadn''t stepped aside back then, who can say whom Elodie wouldve married in the end?"


    The words hung in the air, chilling the room.


    No one said what they were really thinking, but the tension was palpable.


    Elinor''s smile faltered.


    Elodie''s brow furrowed in silence.


    Because...


    The truth about what happened back then was far moreplicated than anyone admitted.


    Ma Harcourt couldn''t possibly have orchestrated things so perfectly as to set Jarrod up without a deeper n.


    In fact, at the time, Sprague-the eldest Silverstein son-had been Ma''s original target.


    It had all happened at Jarrod''s grandfather''s birthday celebration, when the family had rented out an entire hotel for the event.


    Elodie had been caught in Ma''s scheme and sent to Room 6609, which she wouldter learn was


    actually Sprague''s suite. No on


    knew exactly what happened that night, but when she woke, she was in Jarrod''s room-6606.


    She only learned the truth by ident, overhearing Elinor on the phone one day: "The Harcourt family is trying to push someone in-but Sprague isn''t someone you can justtch onto. We''re not that lucky."


    It was then she realized...


    Ma didn''t care who he ensnared; as long as it was someone from the Silverstein family, his objective was met.


    But as for what actually transpired that night, she still wasn''t sure.


    Now, with Lucinda suddenly bringing it up-never outright saying anything, but hinting at the past-Elodie couldn''t help but feel unsettled.


    Of course, no one was more ufortable than Elinor.


    She''d once mocked Lucinda-sometimes openly, sometimes with a sly dig-when Jarrod, under pressure, had been forced to marry someone so far beneath their social standing.