How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 129

As soon as Jarrod arrived, Alexander glanced over at Elodie.

He noticed she showed not a flicker of emotion, fully absorbed in analyzing the data on military-grade products, which made Alexander's lips curl with satisfaction.

He'd always known Elodie was a woman of strong will. Once she set her mind on something, she could detach herself in an instant. Maintaining her composure had always been one of her strengths.

Still…

He couldn't help but glance at Jarrod.

Jarrod, from the moment he walked in, was perfectly aware Elodie was there. Yet his gaze skimmed over her with complete indifference, never lingering for even a second.

To anyone watching—whether they were in the know or not—it would seem as though he and Elodie were total strangers. The ease with which he kept his distance, the effortless unfamiliarity, was almost cruel.

"Has he ever brought you a cup of coffee or something?" Alexander gave a short, sardonic laugh and turned to Elodie. "Mr. Silverstein does have a reputation for being a thoughtful man."

Elodie kept scribbling in her notebook, not even glancing up. "No. Never."

She was just being honest.

Other women's attentive boyfriends—her own ex-husband had always been cold and distant. The difference was simply in the person.

Alexander gave a theatrical sigh and patted her shoulder. "Look at you, Elodie. You've grown up. To celebrate you finally kicking that hopeless romantic phase, dinner's on me tonight."

Elodie shot him a teasing look. "Are you ever going to stop with the jabs?"

Their easy banter and relaxed atmosphere made it clear they were close friends.

Joseph couldn't help watching them for a moment longer, then let his gaze drift to Jarrod, who stood at the edge of the group, head bent in quiet conversation with Sylvie.

He seemed completely uninterested in anything happening on Elodie's side, utterly unconcerned with how close she and Alexander appeared.

"Everyone, let's all take a seat over here and share some thoughts on today's tour," Patrick called out, stepping in to get everyone organized.

One by one, the group gathered.

Elodie felt she'd gained a lot today, her mind buzzing with new ideas. She jotted them down in her notebook as she walked.

Alexander caught a glimpse of what Elodie was writing and couldn't hide his shock. If anyone else saw those notes, it would be a disaster—core technical secrets, the kind of thing that would have every major corporation clawing for a copy. Elodie's ability to connect the dots was almost frightening.

No wonder his old man still couldn't let her go after all these years.

Grady had also noticed Elodie scribbling away and whispered to those nearby, "If you didn't know better, you'd think she was the technical director around here, the way she's always so eager to learn."

Sylvie caught sight of Elodie's notebook and let out a soft, silent laugh. She understood Grady's implication—Elodie was "putting on a show."

"I learned a lot today," Grady said as he approached, "but I'm even more curious about this—U.N2's developer has never been publicly identified. Are they from the institute too? Maybe… it's Dr. Charles?"

Naylor and the others turned to Patrick, intrigued.

Jarrod's expression didn't change, but he cast a cool glance in Alexander's direction. Alexander had already made it clear last time that he wasn't the U.N2 developer, and no new rumors had surfaced since.

"May I be so bold as to ask if it's possible to meet this teacher?" Sylvie looked sincerely at Patrick. "I'd love to exchange some ideas."