NovelOnlineAfter confirming the flight data with Lily, Elodie turned just in tto see Jarrod arrive.
As she reached the doorway, Jarrod glanced up and noticed she was dressed lightly too lightly for the crisp weather outside. His brow furrowed in quiet concern as he strode over, shrugged off his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. "Aren't you cold? We're going to the base, not a runway show, you know." Elodie was instantly cocooned in his jacket, the warmth from his body and the subtle, cool scent he always wore enveloping her. Lately, Jarrod seemed hyper- attuned to everything concerning her; the slightest shift, and he was there, ready to intervene before anything could go wrong.
"Weren't you the one who said there was something urgent?" she asked, cutting straight to the point. Jarrod had already opened the car door for her. "Yeah. Get in." He was being uncharacteristically mysterious. Elodie frowned but slid into the passenger seat anyway.
As soon as they were inside, Jarrod started the engine, his tone casual. "Let's go get dinner." "Dinner? That's the urgent matter?" He kept his eyes on the road, unbothered. "We're going to a private bistro. It's a bit off the map, has your favorite cuisine. Maurice Nilsson owns the place-he asked us to stop by for the opening." Elodie didn't bother arguing. "You could've just said that from the start." "If I had, would you have come?" She pressed her lips together, giving him a look. This was so typical of him. For a man worth billions, Mr. Silverstein's idea of an 'urgent matter' was... dinner? He didn't seem to think there was anything odd about it. "Besides, Maurice said he wanted us there to support him." Elodie let out an exasperated sigh. "You really could have just told me." "Would you have paid attention if I had?" She didn't answer.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtTruthfully, with Elodie's health the way it was, Jarrod couldn't relax unless she was within his sight. If she disappeared for too long, a constant anxiety gnawed at him -one that couldn't be easily soothed. Six specialists had already arrived in Eldermere, meeting to discuss her case. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to shake the exhaustion. He hadn't really slept; he didn't want her to sense his worry, so he kept his demeanor light, hoping it might help her relax, make her less afraid of the surgery on the horizon.
Elodie could sense the unease beneath Jarrod's practiced calm. She said nothing, but it struck her as strange that, for once, he was more anxious than she was.
They reached the secluded bistro with little trouble finding a parking spot.
As Elodie stepped out of the car, her phone buzzed. She glanced down-it was a message from Patricia.
The tone was as breezy as if nothing had ever happened: [I'm hosting an art exhibition. Care to cand take a look?] It was almost comical. As if Patricia hadn't tried to expose her at that old woman's birthday party, as if she were oblivious to everything Elodie had gone through recently.
Elodie's eyes turned cold. There were people in the world whose shamelessness defied belief-people who acted as if the et universe should bend to their will and everyone else should simply endure it.
Jarrod cup behind her, catching sight of Patricia's message. He read the polite words for what they just another move in the gaPatricia wasn't inviting Elodie as a friend-she was treating herdike a pawn.
A flicker of disdain crossed Jarrod's eyes.
Elodie ignored Patricia's message and didn't delete it either; sthings weren't finished yet. She'd already started investigating Patricia. e Since there were no leads in the hospital incident, it was tfor a counterattack. If Patricia had really tried to drug her on the cruise, Elodie had no doubt that this so-called heiress had skeletons in her closet-everyone had a weakness. She pocketed her phone and pulled the jacket tighter. "Let's go." Jarrod caught the steadiness in her expression and, almost imperceptibly, the tension in his face eased.
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They'd only taken a few steps when the shrill sound of sirens pierced the 1 evening growing louder as they approached. Elodie stopped, glancing toward the source of the commotion. Across the street stood an exclusive club-much like Maurice's hidden-away bistro, a haunt for the city's elite seeking privacy.
Suddenly, chaos erupted as people were escorted out by security. Elodie turned and caught sight of Watts emerging from the building, his usually easygoing face clouded with anger. Trailing behind him was Patricia, being led out by security.
In that instant, Watts's sharp gaze landed on Jarrod. Jarrod met it with a cool, impassive look, his eyes giving nothing away.
For a moment, something in Watts's expression seemed to shatter completely.
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