Jarrod just watched Elodie in silence, saying nothing more.

His eyes, dark and unreadable, betrayed not the faintest hint of emotion.

There was a chill to him-aloof, almost indifferent.

Elodie had made her point clear and had no intention of lingering. She turned and headed straight for the door.

Passing by Sylvie, she didn’t even blink, her gaze fixed forward as she walked right past her without a glance.

Sylvie couldn’t help but frown.

She had no idea what Elodie was doing here.

But as she quickly gathered her thoughts, she guessed… Was it because Jarrod had, by some twist of fate, saved Elodie back at the Warwick estate? Had that given Elodie some misguided hope some illusion that there was a chance left to cling to or something that could still be salvaged?

Sylvie found Elodie’s self-importance insufferable.

Especially women like her.

Women who kept an ambiguous relationship with Alexander, weighing her options, and now-what? Decided Jarrod was the better bet?

Still, Sylvie kept her thoughts to herself.

She didn’t bother asking Elodie why she’d come—it would be pointless anyway.

Instead, she walked over to the bed, assuming she had every right to do as she pleased. Without a second thought, she tossed the cheap breakfast Elodie had brought into the trash.

She poured Jarrod a glass of water. “Here, Jarrod. Have some water.”

Jarrod stared straight ahead, indifferent.

He paid no mind to the lonely breakfast lying in the bottom of the trash can.

Sylvie arched a brow, her expression unchanged. This was exactly what she’d expected.

Of course.

She’d always known it would be like this.

Elodie, in Jarrod’s life, was nothing but an ugly stain-useless, and impossible to ignore.

Otherwise, how could all those years Elodie spent with him not add up to what Sylvie had in just a few short months?

Jarrod’s affection for her was something Elodie could never hope to match.

Elodie had the day off.

After leaving the hospital, she went home and started a video call with Alexander to discuss the accident at the Warwick estate the day before, and pinpoint the problem with the drone.

In their field, both manufacturing and design varied wildly in quality. The drone itself was one issue, the operator’s skill another. Incidents like this served as a harsh reminder.

They talked for nearly an hour, dissecting technical aspects and safety concerns before wrapping up.

Elodie glanced at the clock-almost noon.

She thought about making herself some lunch.

Just as she got up, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen. It was her grandmother.

Elodie stared at the caller ID for a few seconds before picking up.

“Hi, Grandma.”

On the other end, her grandmother’s voice sounded weary. “Sweetheart, are you alright? Yesterday must’ve given you quite a scare.”

Elodie managed a faint smile. “I’m fine. There are always some unavoidable risks when things go out of control.”

Her grandmother sighed. “Yes, thank goodness you weren’t hurt. You’re so

delicate—I don’t know how you’d have handled it. Jarrod’s injury will take a month

to heal, and you’re even smaller than he is.”

In this, at least, she thought Jarrod had done the right thing.

At least he’d protected his wife.

Even though…

Raleigh had mentioned that Jarrod’s real intent was to save another girl.

Still, the result was what mattered, wasn’t it?

“Sweetheart, other than that incident at the Warwick estate, is everything else alright?” Her grandmother finally got to the real question, tiptoeing around her worry that yesterday’s events and maybe certain people-had left Elodie feeling hurt.

Elodie knew what she was getting at.

No doubt, her grandmother had heard about Sylvie.

“Everything’s fine,” Elodie replied, not offering more. Some things can’t be solved by dwelling on them, and besides, she knew exactly what her grandmother wanted to hear.