How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 23

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.

Elodie's food was always comforting.

Maybe she'd ask Elodie to cook something.

Octavia flopped down on the couch and called Elodie.

At that moment, Elodie 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 she got back to work. That's when she saw Octavia's name flashing on her phone.

She glanced at it and declined the call.

Octavia called again, relentlessly.

It was disrupting her workflow, so Elodie blocked her number and finally enjoyed a moment of quiet.

She got back to work.

Back at the townhouse, Octavia listened to the busy signal on the other end, biting her lip in frustration.

Why was Elodie ignoring her?

Elodie had never refused her calls before. She was always warm and accommodating, eager to please.

Left with no choice, Octavia called her brother.