Watts noticed what was happening across the room.
He raised an eyebrow with mild curiosity but didn’t go out of his way to greet them.
Instead, he leaned toward Elodie and murmured, “Where are you headed? I’ve been here a few times—I know my way around. Want me to show you?”
Elodie drew her gaze back from the other side and nodded politely. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. Mr. Whitaker’s team is sending someone to meet me. You go ahead.”
Her refusal was direct but delivered with the same gentle composure she always wore.
Watts didn’t push. He simply handed her his umbrella. “Here, take my umbrella. When this is over, should we head back together?”
“You don’t need to wait for me,” Elodie replied, not offering further explanation. She didn’t want to create any expectations.
Watts just smiled, unfazed. “Alright. I’ll see you later, then.”
As he walked away, Elodie no longer spared any attention to why Jarrod was here. She turned and made her way elsewhere.
Jarrod, meanwhile, hadn’t missed the brief exchange between Elodie and Watts. Though he didn’t know exactly what they’d said, he quietly averted his gaze and turned to Eaton. “I assume you’ve heard about the materials, then?”
Eaton nodded, a glimmer of respect in his eyes. “Mr. Silverstein, you’re remarkably farsighted. You took this step years ago, and now it’s solved some of our toughest technical problems.”
Military projects often had similar needs. If it weren’t truly vital, Verdania wouldn’t have kept things under wraps for so long.
“You flatter me,” Jarrod replied with calm humility, walking alongside Eaton. “If my work can contribute to scientific progress, that’s an honor. I just happened to be here today, working out the cooperation details, and ran into you.”
His demeanor was measured and poised, sharp beneath the surface but never arrogant.
Eaton noticed. Few young men carried themselves like this.
“Will you be signing today?”
Jarrod inclined his head. “Not just yet. There are still details to iron out.”
He understood, of course. Patricia… was harassing Jarrod?
Jarrod’s expression didn’t change. “As you know, there’s a lot of attention on this collaboration from higher up. If anything were to happen after the partnership deepens, I’d hate for it to cause trouble for my wife or jeopardize the project.”
Eaton’s face darkened further.
Jarrod’s words were perfectly polite—but his meaning was unmistakable.
If this became a problem, the deal could fall apart.
This was the top priority of the administration; nothing could be allowed to jeopardize it. Especially not if his own daughter was involved. If things got out, he would be the one left explaining.
“Mr. Silverstein, Patricia’s being immature. You needn’t worry—I’ll make sure she’s kept in line. Nothing will be allowed to disrupt our research. I trust you understand.”
Jarrod smiled faintly. “Of course, Minister. You’re fair-minded, and that puts my mind at ease.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue
Update please..its going great rightnow..dont kill the mood.....
Jarod may be regretful but he doesn't deserve Elodie's forgiveness period!...
Again no update..can you please update this on regularly.....
Hi..please update the story..its been 2 days and a lag at this point in the story is just killing the vibe...
No update yet.....
Please do regular updates..This is going really well..dont kill the mood.....
Still no update......
Why are you not updating regularly.. please do update this one......
May! Getting better and better! Thank you!...
Pls upload More chapters soon. So interesting. 5 or 10 chapters aren't enough per day. At least 20 chapers..... Will you...