The next day.

Octavia stopped by the townhouse at lunchtime, as she usually did after school. Her stomach was already growling, and as soon as she walked in, she called out, "Elodie?"

Instead of Elodie, one of the housekeepers appeared, hurrying to take Octavia's bag. "Miss, Mrs. Silverstein isn't home."

That caught Octavia off guard. She frowned. "Isn't she usually done making lunch by now?"

She knew all about Elodie packing lunch for her brother.

The house was just a stone's throw from the Silverstein Group offices. Every morning, Elodie would prep ingredients before work, then rush home during her lunch break to cook and have Keith bring a meal up to Jarrod.

Even though her brother had zero interest in seeing Elodie, Elodie never stopped trying.

Today, Octavia had come over for the express purpose of eating Elodie's cooking.

Elodie might not be good at much else, but she was a quick learner in the kitchen, and her food always hit the spot for Octavia.

But today, the kitchen was cold and silent.

Octavia's mood soured.

Was Elodie getting lazier by the day?

The housekeeper looked just as confused. The always gentle and attentive Mrs. Silverstein suddenly wasn't coming home; she used to avoid business trips just so she could be here for her husband.

The truth was, Octavia had been in a foul mood all day. Yesterday, she'd heard her sister-in-law Sylvie had come down with a fever from a cold. Octavia wanted to take the afternoon off to visit her, but it felt wrong to show up empty-handed.

She'd heard sick people should eat something nourishing and gentle on the stomach, but she couldn't cook. Buying something pre-made felt insincere. That's when she'd thought of Elodie.

food was always

she'd ask Elodie

on the couch and called

had just finished a meeting with Alexander. The drone project was taking off, and she was brimming with new ideas—she planned to optimize the system herself. She didn't want to waste time at the cafeteria, so she asked Alexander to bring her some lunch while

it and

Octavia called again, relentlessly.

was disrupting her workflow, so Elodie blocked her number and finally enjoyed a

back

townhouse, Octavia listened to the busy signal

her lip in

Elodie

had never refused her calls before. She was always

accommodating, eager to please.

with no choice,

cool and curt: "What is

is? She won't answer my calls.

she hasn't come back to make

haven't talked to

you tell her to come back and

do you think the restaurant is just for show?" His tone was

Sylvie's sick,

up empty-handed... Jarrod, what should I

was busy with something,

said, "Doesn't Grandma like Elodie's cooking,

Then he hung up.

for a

Grandma as an excuse, Elodie would never say

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255