How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

"No need," Jarrod replied, glancing over at the cabinet. "Would you mind grabbing a blanket and covering Elodie?"

Lucinda felt a surge of annoyance catch in her throat.

"I just got here, and the moment you open your eyes you're already ordering me

to take care of your wife?" Though she complained, she lowered her voice out of respect for the sleeping Elodie.

Jarrod didn't have much energy to argue, his tone lazy and indifferent. "If I were able to move, I wouldn't be asking you."

"...."

Now Lucinda was sure of it.

Jarrod couldn't be that badly hurt-he woke up and the first thing he did was find a way to get under her skin.

She pressed her lips together, but still turned to fetch a clean blanket. Moving carefully, she draped it softly over Elodie.

Then, face still cold, she looked back at Jarrod. "Happy now?"

Jarrod just gave a languid nod. "Thank you for your trouble."

Lucinda huffed and sat down on the other side of the room. She'd already gotten most of the story from Andrea.

Instinctively, she wanted to blame Elodie—after all, Malcom was Elodie's father.

But...

it came down to

was a

could feel worse than Elodie, knowing her own father

she was, had forced herself to The Silverstein Group headquarters, made

were badly injured, the second branch made their move-they secretly allied with some on the board, hoping to get their

was

blame for the stalled project on Jarrod, hoping

they'd have voted to

at headquarters ran too deep; they

lingered on Elodie's face for a moment before he spoke, voice calm. "That sounds

followed his gaze, unable to stand the way he looked at

decisive wife. She stabilized the situation, signed the liability agreement herself,

it clear she was willing to use her connections, reputation be damned. Abthis point, the project doesn't have a choice-it

all

someone like Klein wasn't something you could

only because Elodie

for outside

managed to rally support

ambitions to return and take over at

eyes flickered. He stared at Elodie's pale face and then at

arm.

He swallowed hard.

was barely holding it together herself, yet she'd

falling to her death, and with his own condition so grave,