Jarrod answered the call, his deep, even tone betraying nothing. “What is it?”

The car was cramped enough that Elodie couldn’t help but overhear Octavia’s playful, coaxing voice on the other end. “Hey, you should be on your way by now, right? Come pick me up?”

Jarrod was hardly the doting older brother; more often than not, he didn’t bother hiding his indifference. “What am I, your chauffeur?”

Octavia instinctively shrank back, her voice turning small and pouty. “It’s on your way anyway. Can’t you just give me a ride? I already asked Grandma-she said you’d pass by here after your meeting.”

Jarrod couldn’t be bothered to argue with the kid. “Fine. Wait there.”

He gave the driver a new address, then glanced over at Elodie. “We’ll pick her up. Is that all right with you?”

Elodie shook her head. “It’s fine. Just drop me off along the road later.”

She hadn’t planned on riding with him, anyway.

“It’s on the way to VistaLink Technologies. I’ll take you there,” Jarrod said, glancing at his watch. His voice was low and unreadable.

That was the end of the conversation.

After a while, the car pulled up to the spot Octavia had mentioned. Elodie immediately spotted her waiting on the curb-along with Sylvie.

The two of them, together.

No wonder Jarrod had suddenly agreed to Octavia’s request.

Octavia bounded over and opened the car door. The moment she saw Elodie inside, her cheerful smile vanished. She frowned. “What are you doing here?”

She turned, awkwardly looking back at Sylvie. “Sylvie… I didn’t know she’d be here.”

Sylvie, gracefully clutching her crocodile leather handbag, was poised and unruffled. “It’s fine. She’s probably just catching a ride on the way. No big deal.”

Octavia let out a relieved breath and looped her arm through Sylvie’s. “You’re the best, Sylvie-so gracious.”

Elodie watched them quietly.

As if she were supposed to thank Sylvie for her “generosity” in allowing her to ride in her husband’s car.

The way Sylvie carried herself-she looked every bit the model lady of the house, and Elodie, the outsider who didn’t belong.

For three years, Elodie had looked after Octavia with all her heart. Yet sometimes, she still couldn’t understand why kindness never seemed to beget kindness.

Octavia made a face, glancing at Elodie. “This is so awkward. I can’t just squeeze into the same car with Sylvie… I honestly didn’t know you’d be here. I mean, you never had Jarrod drive you anywhere back then, did you?”

Elodie understood the message.

Octavia wanted her to give up her spot for Sylvie.

Her presence here was suddenly a problem, an unwanted intrusion.

Sylvie stayed silent, not even lowering her chin, just casting a cool sidelong glance at Elodie. That was enough. Clearly, she agreed with Octavia.

Sylvie didn’t have to lift a finger; someone was always eager to make sure she had everything a “Mrs. Silverstein” deserved.

Elodie didn’t care anymore. Without hesitation, she got out of the car.

They didn’t want her as the awkward third wheel. She had no desire to be stuck in the middle of their little tableau, either.

“Need a ride?” Jarrod finally looked over, his tone neutral. He hadn’t said a word through it all, but now, at least, he seemed to appreciate her “consideration”— offering, as if thoughtfully, to call her a cab.

A bit ironic, since it’d been his idea to send her to VistaLink Technologies in the first place.

Elodie met his gaze. For a moment, she wondered: if any other woman were in her place, could she have tolerated this? Would she have let them get away with

it?

But her? She just didn’t have the energy-or the time to care.

“No need,” Elodie replied.

Without waiting for their reactions, she walked off toward the nearby bus stop.

Sylvie slipped into the seat beside Jarrod. As she settled in, she caught a faint trace of Elodie’s familiar scent in the car and, almost imperceptibly, wrinkled her

nose.

“Jarrod, would you mind cracking a window? The air in here feels a bit stuffy—I’d like to air it out.”