How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 21

Keith caught on quickly. "Mr. Silverstein, Ms. Thorne didn't come up today."

In other words, she hadn't brought lunch at all.

Jarrod narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

Keith couldn't help adding, "I checked with PR. They said Ms. Thorne didn't come in to work either—she's officially resigned. Mr. Silverstein, is Ms. Thorne throwing a tantrum with you?"

Elodie used to make her presence felt, showing up every day with lunch. Most of the time, Jarrod ignored it and let Keith deal with the food.

Resigned?

Jarrod hadn't really taken her resignation seriously. He knew exactly how much Elodie needed this respectable, well-paid job.

But now…

She'd come to her senses soon enough.

He barely managed a careless smile, scrolling through his phone until he found Elodie's messages from a week ago—her last one, asking if he'd be home for dinner.

She'd stopped reaching out ever since he didn't go with her to the hospital, and after he celebrated Sylvie's birthday instead.

Keith gave a dismissive snort. "Honestly, I think Ms. Thorne's just playing hard to get. She'll come crawling back before long, pretending nothing happened."

Trying to get Mr. Silverstein's attention, huh? As if he'd care.

Jarrod stared at Elodie's profile picture for a moment, then pocketed his phone without replying. He had no intention of checking in.

He stood up. "Book a table. I'm having dinner with Sylvie."

He paused, then glanced back. "Maurice and Joseph went to see President Brown today, right?"

Keith nodded. "Yes, sir. Any instructions?"

Jarrod was already striding out. "Have them make introductions. Let Sylvie meet the right people."

Keith's knowing look spoke volumes. Only Ms. Fielding could make Mr. Silverstein put in this much effort.

_

That afternoon, Alexander had a last-minute business dinner and wanted Elodie to come along.

Her stomach had been acting up lately, and with the cancer diagnosis, she couldn't drink. She made an excuse, and Alexander didn't press; he just asked her to pick him up afterward.

Inside, Alexander sat silently, saying nothing.

Elodie understood instantly. Since Alexander hadn't met Sylvie today, Jarrod had made sure to introduce her, open doors for her, put her in the spotlight—no one would dare slight Sylvie now.

She drew a shaky breath. Even though she and Jarrod were about to go their separate ways, she couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow for her former self.

She pulled her scarf tighter around her face and hurried downstairs, hiding her pale cheeks.

A few minutes later, Alexander found her by the car, clearly annoyed. Through the windshield, he spotted a second scarf on the center console. "It's freezing—hand me that scarf, will you?"

Elodie passed it over without a word. Jarrod never cared for it anyway, and she didn't want her grandmother's handiwork wasted on him.

Alexander wrapped the scarf around his neck, muttering under his breath, "Jarrod, always one step ahead. I never expected him to bring Sylvie tonight, let alone introduce her to me. Who am I compared to her?"

Meanwhile, Jarrod and his group crossed the parking lot.

Maurice was the first to notice Elodie and Alexander by the car. He quickly spotted their matching scarves and stared, wide-eyed.

"Is Elodie cheating on her husband?" he blurted, stunned.