How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie thought back to the night before.

Her emotions had been too raw and unsettled to notice anything odd at the time. All she remembered was that when Jarrod appeared in front of her, he looked exhausted, his clothes soaked through. Beyond that, she hadn't picked up on anything, and he hadn't offered a single clue.

Men in Jarrod's position couldn't afford to be sentimental, not in business. He wouldn't have secured control of the Silverstein family, especially with the foreign branch constantly vying for power, if he hadn't been ruthlessly decisive. With that kind of cutthroat approach, it was inevitable he'd make enemies. Sometimes, people with nowhere left to turn did desperate things.

She was still mulling this over when an email pinged into her inbox.

It was from Jarrod his personal information, sent over for her to submit and resolve the immediate issue.

She stared at the email for a while, and, satisfied that he seemed fine, she casually messaged Alexander: [Nothing major.]

As for the unresolved divorce, she decided she'd rather bring it up in person with her friends. Sometimes, she needed their advice-or at least to hear how they'd handle things. Even thinking about how or when to deal with it made her feel exhausted.

The next morning.

Elodie got ready and headed out.

The apartment door across from hers was impossible to ignore, and Alexander's words lingered in her mind. Jarrod was just that kind of person-whatever he had to say, good or bad, depended entirely on his mood.

She didn't hesitate, turned on her heel, and took the elevator down.

At VistaLink Technologies, she hadn't even made it upstairs before she heard a man's voice call out.noveldrama

"Elodie, why haven't you been answering your phone?"

She turned. There in the lounge, waiting for her, sat Malcom Harcourt and his daughter, Reba.

Elodie's gaze turned icy.

Malcom either didn't notice or

pretended not to, walking over with a smile so warm and fatherly that, to anyone watching, he might have seemed like the perfect dad. "It's been a while since you've been home, sweetheart. Why haven't you visited? Do you have a moment? I wanted to talk to you about

something important."

Reba shot Elodie a mocking look. "Dad, she's a big shot now-of course she acts

like she's above the rest of us."

They'd come right out and

announced they were her father and

sister, yet not a single person here had invited them upstairs-they'd been left waiting in the lobby. Typical, Elodie thought. The kind of people she'd brought up with: rude, entitled, and painfully out of place.

Malcom scolded Reba half-heartedly. "Your sister isn't like that. She's always been respectful. Don't say things like that in front of others."

Elodie watched Malcom's performance, her voice cold and edged with sarcasm. "Right. We don't even share a last name, so I wonder what people really think."

Malcom's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Come on, Elodie, no need to be difficult with your father. I really do have something important to discuss, but this isn't the place. We should find somewhere private."

Without another word, Elodie turned and walked away, refusing to give him any more room to play the doting father.

Reba's expression soured.

Malcom lost his genial mask. "This concerns you, Elodie. Don't make things uglier than they need to be."

Elodie almost laughed. There was no shortage of shameless people in the world, but Malcom was in a league of his own. She couldn't help but wonder what new tricks he'd try to pull now, after everything.

Her background was an open secret by now; she'd guessed this confrontation was coming ever since Reba called her a few weeks ago.

"Come on up," she said coolly. She knew perfectly well that unless she dealt with them once and for all, Malcom and his lot would never leave her alone.

Malcom's face relaxed at last, and he pulled Reba along after her into the elevator.

It wasn't until they stepped into

Elodie's office that Malcom's eyes flashed with surprise and

calculation. He clearly hadn't expected his daughter to have made it this far-her company thriving, and her name singled out for special recognition from the top.

He regretted ever agreeing to let her change her last name.

"Impressive," Reba sneered, unable to hide her bitterness. Elodie, once the family

outcast, now had everything she'd never been allowed to have.