How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 429

He left the flower resting quietly on the tabletop, undisturbed.

As for Jarrod and Sylvie, seated a few tables away, neither of them paid any further attention to the whole scene.

After a while, Jarrod finished up a transatlantic work call at their table, left a tip, and stood to go.

Sylvie gathered her things, needing to get back and organize her notes from the conference.

She picked up her flower and walked out with Jarrod. As they passed the table where Elodie and her group had just been sitting, Jarrod noticed the abandoned flower, still lying there exactly where it had been left. He glanced at it for a brief moment, then looked away, heading for the exit.

Sylvie noticed as well, but only in the periphery of her vision; she dismissed it without a second thought. In her mind, Elodie’s behavior was just a last-ditch effort to preserve a shred of dignity—meaningless, really.

—

Back in her room, Elodie and Alexander joined a video call with Esmeralda back home. Even though it was the middle of the night there, Esmeralda—ever the night owl—was wide awake and in high spirits, excitedly asking Elodie to pick up some handbags and clothes for her before coming back.

Elodie hadn’t quite adjusted to the time difference yet, and woke up the next morning with a mild headache.

The conference started at ten. She chose a well-fitted, cream-colored trench coat—safe and appropriate. Their hotel wasn’t far from the venue, and a car had been arranged; the ride took less than twenty minutes.

On the way, Alexander filled her in on the scope of the conference. This was a gathering of the best in the field—renowned academics from around the world, heavyweights from leading companies, and standout students from top universities. The first group were all invited directly; even the brightest students from elite schools had to apply on their own to attend.

The opportunities here would be enormous: exchanging ideas with some of the world’s sharpest minds.

They entered the vast conference hall with their invitation. The main auditorium could easily seat over a thousand, and every seat had been pre-assigned by the organizers.