Chapter 88
Calmly, she said, “I lost it.”
Only then did Ivan really look at her. Noticing she showed no real emotion, he finally spoke. “If it’s lost, it’s lost. I’ll just buy you another one.”
Elodie froze for a second. “That’s not necessary. I don’t need it.”
Pretending it didn’t sting her pride was a lie. Since when had Ivan learned to humiliate her like this?
He was never short of money for jewelry, but he’d still given her a free promotional trinket as if she wouldn’t notice.
Ivan narrowed his eyes. The only reason he’d bothered with the diamond necklace in the first place was to smooth things over after he’d let her down a few days back. He figured a little sweet talk and a gift would settle it.
But Elodie’s stubborn refusal was starting to grate on his nerves.
“When did you become so careless?” he challenged. “Anything I’ve ever given you, you always took good care of. Elodie, if you want something else, just say so. There’s no need for this little act.”
He didn’t believe for a second that Elodie had really lost it.noveldrama
She’d always cherished his gifts-no matter how cheap or ordinary, she’d never once turned up her nose at them.
Elodie couldn’t refute him. In fact, his words jabbed at her like a thorn, piercing through the illusion of happy memories to the painful truth underneath.
She had treasured their relationship-whether it was the bond they’d shared growing up, or the innocent affection she’d once felt.
But none of that was a reason for him to treat her as if she were beneath him. As if she deserved only leftovers.
The elevator chimed.
Elodie turned her head, glancing at him. “People do change, Ivan. No one stays stuck in the same place forever.”
As far as Ivan was concerned, she’d let go a long time ago.
Now, he wasn’t even worthy of being called her brother.
Ivan’s expression darkened.
He strode forward and grabbed her wrist. “Change? Even now, with the way Jarrod treats you, you still can’t leave him. When did you get so willing to swallow your pride? If you weren’t just using your marriage with him to provoke me, what else could you be after?”
Elodie stared at him, stunned, meeting his almost menacing gaze.
She was about to pull away when she noticed a group of people approaching behind Ivan.
She locked eyes with someone in the group, her frown deepening. Did he hear what Ivan just said?
Seeing them draw closer, Elodie wrenched free and slipped quickly into the elevator.
The doors closed.
Ivan frowned, distracted.
A moment later, someone came up beside him.
He turned and saw Jarrod, followed by Sylvie and Maurice, who had just caught up.
Sylvie, having missed the confrontation, only glimpsed Elodie’s retreating figure entering the elevator. She didn’t seem to care, commenting instead, “Mr. Harcourt, where’s Queenie? She’s not with you?”
Ivan let the matter with Elodie drop for the moment. “She wanted to sleep in.”
He turned his attention to Jarrod. “I heard you and Mr. Sterling had quite the conversation yesterday?”
Alexander had been in high demand-everyone wanted to get in with him. VistaLink Technologies was rumored to have something big in the works.
Jarrod, unconcerned by his near run-in with Elodie, replied with a shrug, “We just had dinner together, that’s all.”
Ivan gave a lazy smile. “Everyone knows VistaLink Technologies is about to launch a major project. Mr. Silverstein, you must be making preparations already are you interested?”
Jarrod only offered a faint, ambiguous smile.
Ivan clapped him on the shoulder. “Isn’t that funny? I’m thinking about it too. Luckily, Elodie is close with Mr. Sterling, so I’d say my chances are pretty good. What about you, Mr. Silverstein?”
He shot a quick look at Sylvie, careful not to be obvious.
There was no telling what Jarrod was thinking. But Maurice, standing to the side, let out a snort. “You’re overthinking it, Ivan. If Jarrod really wanted to partner with VistaLink Technologies, Elodie would probably hand it to him on a silver platter. You might not even get a foot in the door compared to Jarrod.”
With Elodie, if it meant getting Jarrod’s attention, she’d do anything.
Hasn’t that always been the way these last few years?
Ivan glanced at Jarrod, then at Sylvie.
He finally just smiled. “All the better, then.”
Later that afternoon,
Alexander had to take a last-minute flight for business.
Which meant Elodie had to return to Eldermere on her own.
As she was boarding the plane, her phone rang. To her surprise, it was Jarrod calling.
“When do you get into Eldermere?”