Lily was never one to mince words. With an indignant huff, she said, "So you get jealous and start arguing with me, but you don''t seem to care about your own fiancé sitting next to another woman?"


    The room fell silent-hermentnding like a sucker punch.


    Esmeralda froze, her expression turning to stone.


    It only dawned on Lily a momentter how reckless she''d been. Her mouth always seemed to outrun her brain. She nced between Elodie and Esmeralda, wide- eyed and sheepish. "Wait, I didn''t mean it like that..."


    She''d just been watching the drama unfold from the sidelines and picked up on a few clues. When that woman-Lucy, was it?-had mentioned "fiancé," Lily had quickly pieced it together.


    Even Alexander, who''d stayed silent on the subject the whole time, faltered for a moment, his gaze settling on Esmeralda.


    Thankfully, Esmeralda was a master at feigningposure, even if she was mediocre at everything else. She waved off thement. "It''s nothing."


    Elodie pressed her lips together, ncing silently at the pair across from her. After that, everyone shifted their focus to a technical discussion about the airne''s crew performance and future directions, whichsted nearly half an hour. Conversation flowed freely, but no one brought up personal rtionships again.


    Partway through, the door opened.


    Jarrod strode in, dressed sharply in a tailored suit. He looked every inch the polished professional, though no one would have guessed he was still recovering from an injury beneath all that.


    Everyone turned to look at him.


    His eyes immediately found Elodie in the crowd. After locking gazes, he walked over, giving the room a polite nod in greeting.


    He made his way straight to Elodie''s side.


    Lily didn''t know all the details, only that Jarrod was Elodie''s husband. Reluctantly, she scooted aside to make room.


    Jarrod shot her a sidelong nce. "Thank you."


    Once he''d sat down, Elodie looked at him, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"


    He leaned toward her slightly. "I supply your entire research base. Wouldn''t it make sense for me to be here?"


    A few people around them let out quiet sounds of realization.


    The famous Mr. Silverstein-they''d all heard of him. For a meeting this informal, he certainly wasn''t required to show up. Usually, his presence meant someone high up was


    ve!


    involved, but here he was, in person, today.


    A silent understanding passed through the group as they nced at Elodie. Of course he was here to see his wife.


    Elodie privately marveled at Jarrod''s resilience. Most people would have been bedridden for weeks after what he''d been through, but he didn''t seem to let anything slow him down.


    Lucy, too, knew of Jarrod. Even though the Mercer family lived alt the way in Brightshore, her rtives often mentioned his name-a big yer in finance and investment circles.


    "Mr. Silverstein, are you feeling better?" Alexander asked, sizing him up.


    Jarrod nodded. "Thank you for your concern. I''m fine now."


    Lily, ncing between Jarrod and Elodie, suddenly noticed something. She stared


    at Elodie''s hand. "Is that your wedding ring?"


    With those words, everyone''s attention shifted to Elodie''s hand.


    Even Esmeralda only just realized Elodie was wearing a ring again, her eyes going wide. "Wait, is that-?"


    Elodie nced down. She hadn''t worn the ring in ages, but after putting it back on, it felt as natural as if it had always been there.


    Lucy caught a glimpse of the diamond and couldn''t help but let her eyes linger in admiration.


    Before Elodie could respond, Lily pped her hands. "No wonder it looked familiar! I''ve seen that ring before!"


    Elodie frowned in confusion. "How would you have seen it?"