Elodie didn’t see any sign of the old woman and was about to head into the next room when she caught sight of Jarrod standing out on the terrace, phone pressed to his ear.

At that very moment, he turned and spotted her. His dark eyes, shadowed by the night, glinted with an inscrutable light. If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t show it. Instead, he ended his call with a flick of his thumb.

Elodie, on the other hand, felt a flicker of surprise.

She glanced around the lounge, just to make sure the old woman wasn’t there, and when she confirmed it, her brows knitted together in concern.

Jarrod, reading the tension in her face, strode toward her, understanding the awkwardness of the situation. “Did my grandmother ask you to come here?” he asked quietly.

Elodie took a cautious step back. “She’s gone, then?”

Jarrod didn’t answer, simply watching her guarded posture. “Don’t worry-she’s fine.”

Relieved, Elodie decided not to bother with any more questions. She had no intention of lingering or making small talk with Jarrod. Without another word, she turned and headed straight for the door.

She didn’t hesitate for a second.

Jarrod didn’t stop her, either-he just watched her walk away, making no move to keep her there, not even on his own birthday.

The moment Elodie opened the door, she heard the clamor of footsteps and laughter echoing down the hallway.

Just ahead was the terrace area, where the hotel had set up the evening’s festivities by the pool. Elodie was about to step out when a group of people suddenly blocked her path.

“Elodie?” Grady frowned in surprise when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”

As he spoke, more people filtered in behind him.

Sylvie appeared at the entrance, carefully lifting her gown so it wouldn’t drag, but her face darkened the moment she looked inside.

Because there, in the private lounge, Jarrod was standing just a few feet behind Elodie.

The two of them… alone together?

What had they talked about? Done?

The dozen or so onlookers were struck momentarily speechless, staring in disbelief.

Mr. Silverstein and Ms. Thorne from VistaLink Technologies… sneaking off together?

Naylor’s expression changed, eyes widening in shock as he stared at Elodie.

Grady, noticing Sylvie’s stricken face,

rounded on Elodie with a cold,

accusatory glare. “What’s the

vel

meaning of this, Elodie? Mr. Silverstein is Ms. Fielding’s boyfriend. She went to all this trouble to set up this place tonight-she’s planning to propose! How could you do something so shameless?”

As far as he—and everyone else could see, being alone in a private lounge with Jarrod made it look like Elodie had thrown herself at him.

Elodie’s brow furrowed. Propose?

Joseph and Maurice, arriving behind the others, were taken aback by the tense scene before them, their faces a mix of shock and confusion.

Jarrod glanced at the growing crowd outside the door, his expression unreadable. He started toward the entrance, betraying not a flicker of emotion.

Naylor’s thoughts echoed Grady’s. He’d promised Elias he’d let go of old prejudices against Elodie, but now, on the very night Sylvie was going to propose, he finds her.. apparently trying to seduce Jarrod, soon to be a married man?

“Ms. Thorne, care to explain yourself?” Naylor demanded, his tone icy.

“Wait, isn’t that Ms. Thorne from VistaLink Technologies? Doesn’t she know Ms. Fielding is Mr. Silverstein’s girlfriend?”

“Wow, who’d have thought? Ms. Thorne seems awfully bold-chasing after Mr. Silverstein into his lounge, trying to stir up rumors…”

“Aren’t we supposed to be here for a proposal? Poor Ms. Fielding-what a terrible time for something like this…”

All eyes locked on Elodie as whispers swept through the room.

Someone even reflexively turned their phone, still live-streaming, to capture Elodie and Sylvie in the same frame.

Elodie hadn’t expected this kind of public humiliation. Her face hardened, a chill settling in her eyes.

She fixed Sylvie with a cold, biting stare. “You think I’m the one wrecking your relationship?”

Sylvie didn’t answer, her stony silence all but confirming it. She didn’t lose her composure by confronting Elodie outright, but everyone took her restraint as dignity.

But Elodie knew Sylvie couldn’t answer that pointed question.

Grady, seeing Sylvie’s pain, felt a surge of anger and turned it on Elodie. “Elodie,

you owe Ms. Fielding an apology for sabotaging her proposal!”

It was as though he’d nailed Elodie to the wall of shame-painting her as the villain, the homewrecker.

Elodie’s face was icy, her lips twisting into a sardonic smile as she drew breath to reply.

But before she could speak, a clear, powerful voice rang out from the back of the crowd: “Since when does the wife owe the mistress an apology?!”