Elodie nced sideways at Esmeralda, catching the dreamy, hopeful look in her friend''s eyes. For all her usual bravado, Esmeralda wore her heart inly tonight.


    Thinking of Fleming Mercer, Elodie could only hug Esmeralda lightly and murmur, "Next month, we''ll finally have our wedding celebration. Once we wrap up work, we''ll head home together. And hey, your big day isn''t far off either."


    For a split second, Esmeralda''s smile faltered, but she quickly brushed it off with a carefree wave. "Right now, your wedding''s the main event! Mine can wait."


    She didn''t want Elodie to know the real reason Jarrod was safe-it was because she''d made a deal with Fleming, trading away her own engagement. Esmeralda knew that admitting this would only make Elodie feel guilty and burdened, and she refused to let that happen.


    She''d simply wait until they were home, then find an opportunity to quietly announce she and Fleming "just weren''t right for each other."<fn38ce> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? FιndNovel</fn38ce>


    Still... since that decision, she hadn''t seen Fleming again, nor had they spoken about breaking off the engagement. Maybe he was avoiding her, worried she might change her mind. And although she sometimes ran into Adrian, he always looked as though he wanted to say something but held back, his mood clouded.


    Esmeralda never pressed Adrian to exin. If Fleming himself wouldn''te see her, why bother chasing answers from someone else? Especially when the engagement was all but over.


    In the weeks that followed, Elodie and Esmeralda threw themselves into work. This international project was a massive undertaking, and VistaLink Technologies'' involvement had been mandated by the top brass, so everyst detail had to be meticulously handled.


    Two weekster, the wedding dress arrived, finished just in time. Elodie pored over blueprints while watching a video Jarrod had sent her. The dress was understated yet exquisite-not heavy or fussy, but light as air, with hand-sewn Australian pearls sparkling across the fabric. It looked even more elegant than an evening gown, perfect for the asion.


    Elodie found no fault with any of the arrangements. To avoid dying the wedding, she pushed herself to get as much work done as possible-though it was far from easy.


    Thankfully, Jarrod called her on video every day, always making sure she saw little Nadia. Sometimes he''d tease, "By the time youe home, Nadia''s going to prefer me. Don''t be jealous!"


    Elodie was, in fact, a little jealous. It only made her more determined to finish work and fly home as soon as she could.


    But with a project this big, nothing was ever simple. No matter how efficient Elodie tried to be, deadlines stayed tight. Ast-minute project test meant another week''s dy-throwing all her careful nning off track.


    It wasn''t until the night before the wedding that she finally boarded a flight home with Esmeralda and the rest of the team, racing the clock to get back to Eldermere.  s


    1.11 x


    At the airport, Jarrod was waiting. The moment he saw Elodie, he hurried over and wrapped her in a long, thick coat; Eldermere was colder now, especially at night.


    Elodie yawned. "Is Nadia asleep?"


    Her first thought was always of her daughter.


    Jarrod felt a pang of jealousy, but seeing how tired she looked, he just put an arm around her and.


    whispered, "You''ll have plenty of time to give her all the kisses you want."  s


    Elodie smiled, then nced over her shoulder at Fleming and Esmeralda. She''d noticed that, despite their busy schedules, Esmeralda had been. avoiding Fleming since they


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    arrived-unusual for her, considering her usual boldness.


    to s


    Esmeralda cut in, "You two get some rest. Tomorrow''s going to be a big day.”


    Fleming nced at the time, then offered, "Let me give you a ride."


    Esmeralda considered, then shrugged. "Sure."


    With Esmeralda taken care of, Elodie finally rxed. "See you tomorrow."


    After two days of back-to-back work and a long flight, Elodie was running on fumes. The moment she got in the car, she slumped against the seat, eyelids drooping.


    Jarrod adjusted the heat and nced over, watching her sleep, his brow creasing with concern.


    That job overseas had really taken a toll on her.