Andrea hadn''t even had time to notify the rest of the Silverstein family.


    By the time Elodie was wheeled out of surgery, it was nearly midnight. Her arm had been reattached and was now encased in a stiff cast.


    Ivan''s face had been drawn and pale the entire time. He''d stayed right by her side, escorting her all the way to her hospital room. If he hadn''t managed to subdue Ma after his outburst, none of this would have happened tonight.


    He sat beside Elodie''s bed, gripping her hand tightly, his eyes bloodshot with worry as he watched her face, still drained of color.


    The anesthesia wore off quickly. As Elodie slowly came to, she felt someone holding her hand and, in her half-awake haze, instinctively wondered-was it Jarrod?


    Her eyes fluttered open.


    She found herself looking straight into Ivan''s face, relief flooding his features as he leaned in. "You''re awake! Does it still hurt? Let me call the nurse to see if you need more painkillers?"


    As her mind cleared, Elodie nced down at her hand trapped in his and gently pulled it free. "No need."


    A deep ache throbbed in her head. She didn''t even have the energy for polite pretense.


    Ivan saw the distance in her eyes, and the hope on his face faded. "You''re worried about Jarrod, aren''t you?"


    Elodie met his gaze, her voice quiet but firm. "Shouldn''t I be?"


    Ivan flinched as if struck, his expression briefly twisting with hurt and coldness.


    "He just got out of surgery. He''s still in the ICU."


    The mention of the ICU made Elodie''s heart seize painfully in her chest.


    Ignoring the lingering numbness in her limbs, she pushed herself upright, desperate to get out of bed.


    Ivan clenched his fists in frustration but still leaned forward to stop her. "He''s not going to die! There''s no need to panic. Lie down!"


    Elodie stared at him without a trace of warmth. "Do you have a reason to stop me? Ivan, you know exactly why Ma snapped tonight."


    Ivan fell silent, his face growing rigid and cold bit by bit.


    Elodie had already pieced it together from Ma''s scattered words. Someone had deliberately provoked him, escting the situation-otherwise, none of this would have happened tonight.


    She didn''t care about whatever turmoil was eating at Ivan. With effort, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, staggering slightly as she made her way out.


    The ICU wasn''t far, and she soon ran into Andrea, who silently apanied her to the ward.


    Through the ss, she saw him-Jarrod lying unconscious in bed. He hadn''t woken yet. An oxygen mask covered his face, and his body was wrapped in bandages,yer uponyer.


    She had never seen Jarrod like this.


    For a moment, Elodie felt her throat closing, unable to breathe. She pressed her good hand to the ss, taking a shaky breath to steady herself.


    "What did the doctors say?" she managed.


    Andrea''s brow was furrowed. “Mr. Silverstein has a deep knife wound on his back, lost a lot of blood. And when you fell, that made things worse he''s got some minor


    fractures, too. It''s going to be a while


    before... he wakes up."


    One injury on top of another.


    Andrea couldn''t even begin to imagine how Mr. Silverstein, already bleeding and barely standing, had managed to drag himself over in time to catch his wife.


    Pure willpower, and not a thought to his own life.


    dat


    Elodie stared at Jarrod through the ss for a long time before lowering her gaze, a raw ache swelling in her chest. She forced it down and spoke in a low voice, "Thank you. For now, keep this quiet. Don''t let anything slip at thepany, and I''ll find a chance to tell the family."


    Andrea nodded, his expression grave. "It''s a critical time right now. The Silverstein Group has a major government contract in the works, and MD Silverstein needs to be the one handling it. The deal isn''t finalized, and there are plenty of people at headquarters watching for any slip-up-nothing can go wrong."


    Especially with the second branch of the family just back in town, there were already signs of unrest brewing beneath the surface.


    A crisis now would be disastrous.


    Elodie knew the pressures Jarrod faced at the top-problems and enemies were everywhere. But for now, all she could do was try to contain the fallout.


    "Elodie, is something wrong with Jarrod?"


    A sudden voice sounded behind her.


    Turning, Elodie saw Sprague Silverstein standing there, having arrived without anyone noticing.