Chapter 693
Never would she have guessed that now, years later, Lucinda would use it as a source of biting sarcasm.
Elinor simply smiled, rising without giving anything away. “Oh, Lucinda, you do have a way with words. Good matches don’t just fall from the sky-they’re written in the stars. I suppose they were just luckier than most.”
Lucinda sipped her tea and let the topic drop.
Jarrod clearly had no interest in continuing the conversation. He took Elodie’s hand and gently guided her to an armchair, then released her without a word.
Sprague acted as if he remembered nothing about the past, sliding easily into a seat. “If I recall,” he said, glancing at Elodie, “just before I left for Europe, wasn’t there a car accident you were involved in?”
Elodie nodded. “Yes, you still remember that?”
Jarrod’s gaze lifted, slow and measured.
Sprague’s eyes settled on Elodie’s arm. “You broke your right arm, didn’t you? I remember Jarrod was beside himself with worry. He practically dropped everything for you—even during that critical time with the board. Stayed by your side for weeks, didn’t he?”
Back then, Jarrod hadn’t officially taken over the Silverstein Group yet. He was still locked in a delicate battle with the board. Any misstep could have cost him everything. But Elodie was hurt, and Jarrod had walked away from the most important meeting of his career to find her.
If Jarrod hadn’t been such a shrewd strategist… that could have ended his chances right then and there.
Elodie remembered it all, vividly.
Her love for Jarrod was never some vague feeling; it was rooted in moments like these, in the way he acted and the choices he made. She never knew precisely what was happening at the company back then, but for two months, Jarrod personally took care of her-cooking, helping her with everything. He’d even taken to making her simple, nourishing meals himself. Those days were some of the happiest she could recall.
Sprague poured himself another cup of tea and sighed, “It’s good to see you two still so close after all these years.”
Elodie hadn’t expected Sprague to remember any of it. But she and Sprague had never been more than acquaintances. Most of their interactions were little more than a polite nod and a passing smile.
Midway through the afternoon, she excused herself to the restroom.
As soon as Elodie was gone, Jarrod rose and stepped out onto the covered porch.
Sprague followed, and together they looked out over the garden, the pines and evergreens swaying in the breeze.
Sprague turned to him. “Looks like I’ll be staying a few more months this time.”
Jarrod’s gaze lowered, his fingers unconsciously turning his wedding band. “Really? You’re able to get away from Milan that long?”
Sprague smiled. “It’s been years since I’ve been back. I can’t miss Grandma’s birthday celebration, now can I?”
He lit a cigarette. “Honestly, I owe you, Jarrod. If it weren’t for you, I’d never have made it to Italy, let alone spent three years away from here.”
Jarrod shot him a sharp, sidelong glance. “Wasn’t that what you wanted?” Sprague’s smile faded.
Was it? Years ago, Jarrod had cornered him like a wolf with no mercy, leaving him no exit. Officially, Sprague had volunteered to go to Italy. In reality, Jarrod had exiled him.
All because of…
Elodie’s car accident.
It had happened on the very day of the board’s vote.
As soon as Elodie was hurt, Jarrod had abandoned that crucial meeting and rushed to her side. Sprague had expected it would distract Jarrod, make him stumble, cost himp everything he’d worked for
Instead, it only made Jarrod more ruthless, more determined. All that, just because Elodie had broken her arm. The fight dragged on for two relentless months, and in the end, Sprague and his allies were forced out of the domestic market, sent off to Italy.
It didn’t take long after Jarrod married Elodie for Sprague to realize
how much she meant to him. One
test was all it took to understand her true importance in Jarrod’s life.
He just hadn’t expected that, even in such dire straits, Jarrod would still manage
to claw his way back and turn everything around.