How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

When you're trying to network, a drink or two is pretty much unavoidable.

Anticipating this, Esmeralda had the waiter prepare some mocktails for Elodie to pass off as the real thing.

Esmeralda herself, though, made the rounds with a glass in hand.

It wasn't long before the alcohol caught up with her, leaving her a little

lightheaded. "We traded a few contacts," she said, her words a little slurred but satisfied. "I'd say we made some headway tonight. Productive, really."

Elodie handed her a glass of water and patted her on the back. "It's fine. Just relax, okay? Take it easy."

Esmeralda seemed mostly fine, just rubbed her temples and muttered, "I'm going to the bathroom-be right back."

Elodie watched her go, a flicker of concern crossing her face.

She turned away, only to spot Ivan approaching from across the room.

He was still in the middle of a toast with someone, but his eyes landed on Elodie.

As Ivan started to make his way over, Elodie pretended not to notice and slipped off in the opposite direction, effectively blocking his approach.

Ivan's gaze followed her, his jaw tightening. He gripped his glass so hard his knuckles went white.

"Mr. Harcourt? What's caught your eye?" someone asked, raising their own glass in a friendly salute.noveldrama

Snapped out of his trance, Ivan gave a nonchalant smile. “Just family."

"Oh, I see!" The man's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. "Someone special, then?"

Ivan just gave an easy, careless smile, saying nothing.

Meanwhile, Elodie spent some time chatting with the CEO of an Al firm. Clean energy was the new frontier, after all, and the potential was enormous. Their visions for the future aligned remarkably well.

After exchanging contacts, Elodie realized Esmeralda still hadn't returned.

She turned and caught sight of the waiter who'd helped Esmeralda earlier. "Excuse me, did you see Ms. Mercer? Which restroom did she go to?"

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The waiter paused. "Ms. Mercer? I actually helped her to a lounge; rest. She was feeling dizzy, so someone escorted her there He pointed down a hallway.

Elodie followed his gesture. The event had booked the entire third floor, and there was a lounge area on the left.

She frowned. "Which room?"

If Esmeralda felt that unwell, why hadn't she called? Surely she could manage a phone call.

"Room 3007," the waiter replied. His radio crackled with a new task and, with a quick bow, he hurried off before Elodie could ask anything else.

She was left with a nagging sense of unease. As she made her way toward the lounge, she pulled out her phone to call Esmeralda.

Admittedly, Esmeralda sometimes kept her phone on silent, so it wasn't unusual to have trouble reaching her.

No answer. Elodie tried a video call instead as she walked toward room 3007.

She knocked on the door.

No response. She tried the handle—it turned easily, and the door swung open.

"Esmeralda?" she called, peeking inside.

Just then, the video call connected. "Elodie? Where are you?" Esmeralda's voice came through, sounding perfectly normal.

Relief flooded Elodie. She was just

about to step out of the room when someone brushed past her from behind, nudging her forward. She stumbled fully into the lounge just as the door clicked shut behind her.

Her brow furrowed as she turned around.

A voice caught her off guard. "What are you doing here?"

Elodie spun to see Ivan emerging from the bathroom, shirtless, revealing a lean, muscular frame. His dress shirt, streaked with dark red wine, hung damply in his hand-clearly, he'd come in to change.

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"Are you with someone?" Esmeralda's voice crackled from the phone, confusion

in her tone. "Where are you? I'll come find you—"

Suddenly, another voice-sharp and disgruntled-cut in nearby. "Jarrod? What are you doing here, too?"