The assistant’s words nearly made Sylvie’s face tighten with alarm. She stared at the invitation handed to her, her eyes narrowing.

“President Fielding? What’s this about?” Even the assistant seemed confused, setting the envelope on Sylvie’s desk.

The Silverstein family’s daughter-in-law? Just how many daughters-in-law does the Silverstein family have, anyway?

“It’s fine. You can go now.” Selma, ever composed, reacted first, her expression regal and unreadable.

The assistant nodded and slipped out, closing the door behind her.

As soon as they were alone, Sylvie frowned, but she didn’t seem overly

concerned. “Is Henrietta trying to send me a warning?”

She was genuinely surprised. Henrietta had gone out of her way to throw a lavish celebration for her “granddaughter-in-law.” Clearly, the old matriarch had caught wind of Elodie’s stellar exam results and decided to make a show of it.

But this invitation wasn’t meant to include Sylvie at all. It was simply to announce -loud and clear-that Mrs. Silverstein was Elodie, that the Silverstein family’s daughter-in-law was Elodie.

Selma’s face grew serious. “Henrietta’s sending a message: Elodie matters to her. She absolutely won’t allow you to attend. It’s because you have influence over Jarrod, and she can’t win him over. This is her way of putting pressure on you.”

Sylvie didn’t show much reaction.

Selma stepped closer and patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Henrietta doesn’t dislike you, she’s just old-fashioned. She thinks no matter how unhappy a marriage is, the ‘original wife’ is always best. She’s stuck in her ways—it’s pointless.”

Selma squinted, considering. “Someday, if you and Henrietta meet face-to-face, she’ll see for herself that you outshine Elodie in every way. She’ll come around.”

“And besides, Jarrod and Elodie’s relationship was always kept quiet. Even if Henrietta puts on a big production, Jarrod won’t let things get out of hand or leave you in an awkward position.” Selma sounded certain.

Sylvie glanced down at the gold-embossed invitation, tossing it aside with little interest. “I know. Jarrod’s only going along with this for Henrietta’s sake. Otherwise, he’d never let Elodie bask in this kind of spotlight.”

Still, she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of resentment. With Henrietta making such a fuss over her, Elodie might actually start believing her place in the family was

secure.

Selma nodded. “Henrietta only sent that invitation because she can’t control Jarrod. She’s trying to pressure you instead. But as long as Jarrod’s on your side, you have nothing to worry about. The old lady won’t be around forever, and besides…”

Selma scoffed. “There’s no real feeling between Jarrod and Elodie. You’re the only one who matters to him. Even if Elodie managed to ace her exams with Mr. Sterling’s help, so what? It might impress someone like Henrietta, who doesn’t know better, but book smarts don’t mean much in the real world. You don’t need to concern yourself.”

Sylvie understood all this.

Still, Elodie’s achievements had managed to catch the Silverstein family’s attention.

She picked up the invitation again, turning it over in her hands. It was obvious Henrietta had no intention of letting her attend. But Sylvie had no desire to compete with Elodie for meaningless status-everyone knew where she stood with Jarrod.

“Mom, Jarrod isn’t like other men. He knows his own mind. No one can sway him.”

Selma considered this, her eyes narrowing. “So, should we bring this up with Jarrod, or do you have another plan?”

Sylvie frowned, lapsing into thoughtful silence.

The weekend arrived.

Elodie hadn’t bothered to check in with Keith about the details of Jarrod’s graduation dinner.

Henrietta had said it would be a private, low-key celebration-nothing public, nothing formal. Whether Elodie attended or not hardly seemed to matter, so she simply put it out of her mind.

But just before six in the evening, her phone rang again. It was Henrietta. “Sweetheart, why don’t I send a car to pick you up?”

That was when Elodie realized there was no way out. The whole thing had already been arranged.

She pressed her fingers to her brow, sighing softly. “Thank you, Grandma, but it’s really not necessary.”

Henrietta sounded thoughtful, reassuring. “Don’t worry, you won’t be under any pressure tonight. The fact that you and Jarrod have chosen to keep your marriage private-Grandma respects that. Tonight’s dinner is just to celebrate some good news in the family. No details about you will be shared with the guests, I promise. Nothing will be made public.”