How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie didn't dwell on it.

It was an internal matter anyway-her divorce from Jarrod would never be made public. Nothing about it would jeopardize the terms of their agreement.

Once everything was handled, she retreated to her room for some rest. The industry was bracing for a major shake-up: a high-profile bid was about to be announced, and VistaLink Technologies needed to be prepared for anything.

On the third day, Elodie was heading out to the company's research facility alone.

Partway there, she noticed an unfamiliar call coming in. She answered it through the car's hands-free system. A woman's voice, unmistakably familiar, came through: "It's me. Reba Harcourt."

The name made Elodie nearly hang up on reflex. She had no desire to speak with anyone from the Harcourt family; she didn't get along with a single one of them. There was no reason to keep in touch, and even less reason to wonder about Reba's motives.

As soon as she arrived, Elodie blocked the number without hesitation.

After passing through a security checkpoint, she made her way to a meeting room on the second floor. Inside, Watts and Lily were already waiting.

Watts looked up and smiled, motioning her over. "This way."

Elodie gave him a calm glance, already knowing the three of them were meant to sit together. As she approached, Lily gestured to the seat beside her. "Why don't you sit over here?"

took that seat, Lily would be between her and Watts. She didn't mind, so she sat

had jumped in first, giving her an extra look. Lily's hand

jar from his pocket, filled with handmade candies. He offered it to Elodie, watching her eagerly. "I remembered you like sweet-and-sour things. My family's pastry chef made these they're really good. Thought you might like them. You strike me as someone who gets so busy

almost proud, as if he'd been waiting for the

him a measured look. "That's not necessary,

the jar by her hand. "No need to be polite. The meeting's going to be a long one. If you get hungry,

sheepish shrug. "Sorry, this was a special gift I had in mind for Elodie, so I didn't

lips pressed together as she nodded,

spotted several executives she'd met before, as well as six other engineers. For now, she set the matter aside and

next phase of the project-specifically, the ongoing

at the mercy of foreign suppliers, with strict

his voice grave,

present, all manufacturing

this

the last few years, we've relied on imports from Sólmaris and Verdania. Verdania, in particular, has refused to export to us, and

monopolies-Elodie knew it all too well.

cropped up years