How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Alexander arched an eyebrow, glancing in Elodie's direction before speaking at an unhurried pace. "You flatter me, truly. I'm not the developer of U.N2. At best, I was a witness and played a small part."

The confession left those nearby visibly stunned.

Questions erupted at once.

Alexander simply waved them off. "Apologies, but I can't say more."

Just as he managed to send the curious on their way, he realized Jarrod and his group had arrived at some point-and they'd clearly overheard everything.

Maurice looked the most shaken. "You mean to say U.N2 wasn't developed by Mr. Sterling? If not you, who else could it possibly be?"

Sylvie was just as surprised.

They'd always assumed the brilliant young mind behind U.N2 was someone like Alexander-after all, no one else in their generation could compare. On top of that, he was the only son of Dr. Charlie Sterling, which only cemented their belief. Everything pointed to Alexander.

"Are you joking, Mr. Sterling?" Sylvie's voice carried a note of disbelief, though she managed a polite smile. "There's no one else in our field with your reputation."

Jarrod watched Alexander with a thoughtful, unreadable gaze, withholding comment for the moment.

Grady, standing nearby, frowned. "Come on, Mr. Sterling. Don't sell yourself short. We all know U.N2 is military-grade tech. I can't believe you're not at the heart of it."

Alexander's attention shifted to Sylvie. He looked her up and down, subtle but unmistakable, and replied, "I'm telling the truth."

in a

they thought they knew upside

Alexander, then who in the

seemed at a loss. "Then,

cryptic

was, the person they sought was standing right in front of them. Unfortunately, no one dared to guess

had been circling the room, quietly assessing the general level of technology on display before making her way back. As she drew closer, she noticed that Jarrod and his group were

But then-

slowed her steps, her

and Sylvie also glanced

moment, a hush fell

broke the silence. "Elodie, did you realize you're wearing the same

eyes fell on the

enough-they were both wearing the same pale

expression darkened instantly; her irritation was

Elodie to show up in the exact same designer dress. There were only

on Elodie, something flickering

Jarrod's brow had creased and then smoothed

her feeling awkward as well, especially at an event

his eyebrows. "Of all people, it's

smile had all but

interest in drones, now she was copying her sense of style? To pull a stunt like this at such a high-profile event-did Elodie have any sense