Although Rex and his team didn’t have ti for dinner, the work was done, so they all headed downstairs together, preparing to leave Wilson Tech.
At that mont, Sienna’s phone rang.
After a brief conversation, she hung up and said smoothly, "Dante’s almost here. I’ll head down with you all."
When they reached the lobby, Dante was already waiting outside.
The mont he saw them, he stepped out of the car, his presence commanding as always. He greeted Rex and Johnny with polite nods, his tone was professional and asured and all.
His gaze briefly flicked to Elodie, but he didn’t say a word to her. Not even a greeting.
Sienna, anwhile, walked over to stand beside him the mont he exited the car.
The two of them, standing together like that, looked like a legitimate couple. Polished and coordinated like they belonged together.
Rex was chatting easily with Dante, clearly trying to make a good impression.
Johnny, watching the scene unfold, curled his lips into sothing resembling a smile but his tone was ice-cold. "Mr. Wilson, we’ve already made dinner plans, so we’ll be heading out now."
Dante nodded, his expression neutral. "Mr. Gray, take care."
Johnny and Elodie left first.
---
After dinner with Manager Kim and the others, Elodie drove herself ho.
As soon as she pulled into the driveway, her phone rang and she glanced at it only to see it was Harry.
She paused for a second before answering. "Mr. Becker."
"The contract’s been signed," Harry said without preamble. "You can call your uncle to confirm it. Call back once you’ve done that."
Before she could respond, he hung up.
Elodie blinked at her phone, surprised.
She hadn’t expected Harry to move that quickly.
Still, she didn’t fully trust him. At least not yet.
So she dialed her uncle imdiately. "Uncle Jason, did the company sign a project with the Becker family?"
"Yeah!" Jason sounded genuinely happy, his voice lighter than it had been in weeks. "There’s real progress on our end. By the way, how did you hear about this?"
"I heard it from soone else," Elodie deflected casually, then chatted a bit more with her uncle before hanging up.
She imdiately called Harry back.
He answered almost instantly.
"I’m free on Saturday and Sunday," Elodie said.
Harry replied smoothly, "Good. Should I arrange the ti, or would you prefer to?"
"You arrange it."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Elodie headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Seeing that it was still early, she settled onto her bed with her laptop and started browsing the latest news about AI developnts around the world.
---
The next morning, she had a simple breakfast and was about to head out when Harry’s call ca in again.
"Last night, I talked to Daisy," he said. "She ntioned she wanted to go skiing. Are you okay with that, Miss Miller?"
Elodie smiled faintly. "Sure."
Harry asked, "Do you need to arrange any ski equipnt for you?"
"No, I can handle it myself."
"Alright. See you Saturday, then."
"Mm."
After hanging up, Elodie left for work.
---
At five that evening, Liora called.
Her voice was small, almost shy. "Mom, can you co over? I want to eat so of the food you make."
Elodie’s chest tightened, but she kept her voice calm "Of course, sweetheart. I’ll be there soon."
She drove over that evening. Dante wasn’t ho, he’d gone on a business trip.
Elodie stayed at the house that night, cooking Liora’s favorite dishes and watching her eat with a quiet contentnt she hadn’t felt in weeks.
The next morning, before taking Liora to school, Elodie rembered the skiing trip with Harry and Daisy on Saturday.
She decided to grab her ski equipnt, which she’d left behind at the house, so she wouldn’t need to go out and buy new gear in a couple of days.
As she packed it into her car, Liora watched from the doorway, her expression unreadable.
Seeing her with the ski gear, Liora’s eyes lit up. "Mom, are you going skiing?"
"Mm, in a few days," Elodie replied, adjusting the strap on the bag.
Liora’s face brightened instantly. "I want to go too!" Even though she’d only spent half a day at the ski resort with Sienna and the others recently, she clearly hadn’t had enough fun yet.
Elodie paused, studying her daughter’s hopeful expression. "When do you want to go?"
Liora hesitated, her enthusiasm dimming slightly as she thought it over.
Elodie knew what she was really thinking. Liora wanted to go skiing when Sienna and Dante weren’t around, but since she didn’t know their schedules, she couldn’t say for sure when that would be.
Elodie pulled her gaze away and said gently, "It’s fine. Just let know when you want to go, and if I’m free, I’ll take you."
Liora’s bright smile returned. "Okay!"
---
After a busy week, Elodie finished work earlier than usual on Friday evening. When she got ho and was about to start making dinner, Liora’s call ca through.
Elodie paused, then answered.
"Mom, I’m free on Saturday! Let’s go skiing!"
Elodie had promised to take her when Liora asked, but she hadn’t planned on going tomorrow. She already had other commitnts, which was the outing with Harry and Daisy. It was sowhat of a social obligation, and honestly, she didn’t want the added complication of bringing Liora along.
"Mom’s busy tomorrow," she said carefully. "Can we go another ti?"
Liora’s voice imdiately turned whiny, pleading. "No, I want to go on Saturday! Mom, please go with ?"
"Saturday won’t work, sweetheart. How about next week? If you still want to go then, I’ll take you."
Liora didn’t accept that, she continued to whine and try to soften her up. "Mom..."
Elodie remained firm, her tone although calm but was unmoved. "If you still want to go next week, just let know. And make sure you eat well tonight, don’t be picky."
She ended the call before Liora could argue further.
Liora didn’t call back, likely sulking sowhere in the house, but Elodie didn’t let it bother her. She set her phone down and headed into the kitchen to start cooking.
---
The Next Day:
When Elodie woke up, Harry called again, asking if she needed a ride.
She declined politely, preferring to drive herself.
After a light breakfast, Elodie packed her gear and drove to the ski resort. By the ti she arrived, Harry and Daisy were already waiting near the entrance.
Harry glanced over when he spotted her, but before he could say anything, Daisy had already pulled free from his hand and was running excitedly toward Elodie.
"Auntie!"
Elodie caught her just in ti, crouching down slightly as Daisy threw her arms around her. She smiled warmly, and gently patting Daisy’s cheek. "Daisy seems to have grown a little, and there’s more at on your face. You look even prettier."
Daisy bead, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes! I’ve been eating lots of at!"
Elodie chuckled softly, about to respond, when Daisy suddenly pulled sothing out of her pocket, a small crystal keychain shaped like a snowflake.
"Auntie, this is for you," Daisy said earnestly, holding it out with both hands like it was sothing precious.
Elodie’s chest tightened unexpectedly.
She took the keychain carefully, turning it over in her palm.
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