How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 456

It was, in a way, a total social wipeout.

Esmeralda thought that sounded about right, and immediately felt a lot better. “True. I mean, it sat there for hours yesterday and I got chewed out enough times as it is.”

Rumors had even started circulating with words like “academic seductress” attached to her name.

For someone like Sylvie, who had carefully maintained her image, this was the kind of blow that could drive a person up the wall. The shock of it all was enough to be downright torturous.

“Alright, let’s get back to work. I still have changes to make to the technical proposal,” Elodie said, not bothering with the gossip. Scandals among the upper crust happened every day, after all. It’s just that few people were as flamboyant as Sylvie—or managed to create such a massive misunderstanding. Now that the truth was out, it was all the more embarrassing.

Time was ticking, and Elodie had to start thinking about the next phase of the military’s fighter jet research.

Her phone was blowing up with messages.

Every business partner she’d ever added was sending shocked texts, all wanting to confirm her identity.

Not a single person had guessed about her connection to Jarrod.

Gossip really was part of human nature.

Elodie decided to ignore it for now.

A little after three in the afternoon, Candida walked in with some news. “Ms. Thorne, someone’s here to see you.”

Elodie looked up. “Who is it?”

Candida still seemed a bit stunned herself, but managed to swallow and say, “Ms. Lucinda. She said… she’s your mother-in-law.”

A flicker of surprise passed through Elodie’s eyes.

“You seem to be doing quite well,” Lucinda remarked, glancing around the office, eyes lingering on the sketches and notes scattered on the desk.

Elodie met her gaze, unmoved by what sounded like a compliment.

At this point, whether she did well or not had nothing to do with anyone else.

Lucinda didn’t bother with small talk. Her features sharp and striking, she got straight to the point. “You can probably guess why I’m here, Elodie. The scandal these past couple of days has caused quite a stir.”

“I didn’t start it, and you know that. Coming to me won’t change anything,” Elodie replied evenly, cutting right to the chase.

Lucinda regarded her for a moment before speaking. “In the end, the old lady was standing up for you, which is what started all this. It’s going to be the talk of the town for a while, and it’ll affect the Silverstein family’s reputation—and Jarrod’s as well. I want all the negative speculation and rumors to end, so…”

“Elodie, I need you to make a public statement clarifying that Sylvie was never involved in that way. If you say it, people will believe it.”