Elodie finally lifted her head.

She hadn’t expected that, despite her age, Jarrod’s grandmother was surprisingly up-to-date with new trends.

A candlelit dinner was one thing-that she could accept but a Valentine’s Day themed hotel suite? The old lady even knew about that.

Elodie was still trying to think of a gentle way to refuse when the man beside her spoke up, his tone casual, “That sort of thing is for young couples. I’m swamped with work, Grandma, no need to go to all that trouble.”

He turned her down before Elodie could even open her mouth.

She wasn’t surprised. Lowering her eyes, she quietly sipped her soup.

Jarrod always handled these awkward situations himself, sparing her the headache.

The old lady looked genuinely taken aback. “Dates are for after work! I never said you had to take the whole day off. What kind of excuse is that?”

Jarrod arched an eyebrow. “It’s not an excuse, Grandma. I really am working.” Only now did Elodie glance at him.

Just then, Jarrod’s phone buzzed. He picked it up to check the message, and perhaps because Elodie was sitting right next to him, he just glanced at it before turning the screen face-down on the table-clearly not wanting anyone to see.

Elodie didn’t care about that little detail.

She didn’t need to guess; it was obvious that Jarrod probably wasn’t tied up with work. The person he wanted to spend Valentine’s with was Sylvie.

The old lady was not impressed. She stared at Jarrod’s indifferent expression, her breathing coming faster as she slapped her hand on the table. “What’s more important than your marriage? Everything else can wait! I’ve already booked the restaurant and hotel. You’re both going. No arguments!”

Elodie hadn’t expected the old lady to get so angry.

The words about their impending divorce caught in her throat.

She pressed her lips together, deciding not to add fuel to the fire.

Seeing his grandmother so worked up, Jarrod actually gave a small laugh and reached out to gently rub her back. “Alright, I get it. Don’t get upset.”

The old lady finally softened her expression.

“That’s better,” she said, a little mollified. “Stay with Elodie and finish eating. I’m off to take my blood pressure meds.”

Elodie said nothing more.

She quietly finished her meal.

She knew Jarrod was only going along with this to pacify his grandmother. He had

no intention of actually following through with her arrangements.

No matter how meticulously the old lady planned, Jarrod would never show up.

After dinner, Elodie went to wash her hands.

When she came back, Jarrod was already gone.

Her expression darkened.

He still hadn’t given her an answer.

She could buy the ring herself-she wasn’t asking him for a gift.

Elodie said goodbye to the old lady and called a car home.

On her way back to her apartment, she texted Jarrod twice more.

“The ring means a lot to me. I’m willing to pay whatever it costs. Please let me know if you decide.”

“Jarrod, I’m begging you.”

But her messages vanished into the void.

She didn’t know if he was ignoring her or just hadn’t seen them.

No matter how anxious she felt, all she could do was wait for his reply.

She had no other option.

While she waited, Elodie didn’t let her work at VistaLink Technologies slip. The next few days were a blur of activity-there was a major project going public for bidding in a week, and she couldn’t afford to lose focus.

At the same time, Elodie kept in close contact with the hospital about her uncle’s liver transplant. He’d been waiting for nearly five months, and now it was finally almost his turn. Elodie felt both relieved and nervous, tracking every update as it

came.

On Friday, at seven in the evening, Elodie finally wrapped up her tasks and packed her bag for the night.

Just as she reached the ground floor of her building, Jarrod’s name lit up her phone.

Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was ready to talk about the ring.

She answered, and his voice came through the line, calm and low: “My driver’s waiting for you downstairs at VistaLink Technologies. The car’s already there.”