?Chapter 129:


    Heads turned the moment Ste stepped inside, her red dress impossible to ignore amid the low, golden light.


    With her eyes fixed ahead, she scanned the bustling, shadowy bar for any sign of Sharon, but the packed room and dim corners made it nearly impossible to pick her out.


    Finding no familiar face, Ste reached for her phone—only to feel a gentle tap on her shoulder.


    She turned to find Sharon standing there, dressed in a tailored brown suit and vest, a beret perched yfully on her head.


    “Stel, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you!” Sharon greeted her, her voice brimming with delight.


    Ste took in Sharon’s gender-neutral outfit, amused to find that nothing about her friend’s style had changed. The only difference was how much time had slipped by since they’dst met—no wonder it took Ste a moment to recognize her.


    “Stel, you’re even more stunning than I remembered!” Sharon dered, looping an arm around her and drawing Ste close for a warm kiss on the cheek.


    Sharon’s boyish charm hadn’t faded; with her sharp suit and confident grin, she easily passed for a dashing young man.


    The men who’d been eyeing Ste from across the bar suddenly thought better of it and backed off.


    Ste simply shook her head with a soft, knowing smile, perfectly used to Sharon’s bold affection. “You haven’t changed a bit,” she teased.


    “Oh, what’s so bad about sticking to your old self? Anyway, rumor has it you finally kicked Marc to the curb. Did that really happen?” Sharon had meant to ask about Marc for ages, but work kept getting in the way. Now that they were finally reunited, she refused to let Ste dodge the topic.


    Ste downed thest of her craft beer, thenunched into a brutally honest recap of everything that had gone down over thest six months.


    Her role at the research institute had been top secret, but with the project wrapped and Sharon still her closest friend, Ste figured it was safe to spill.


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    “You’re serious? Wait—you’re telling me you’re officially divorced and have a whole new life now?” Sharon burst out, eyes wide with shock.


    Ste gave a brisk nod. “Exactly, so keep this to yourself.”


    Sharon shot her a reassuring grin. “Rx—I’d never sell you out! Honestly, I’m relieved you left Walsh Group. Word is, their business is tanking—teetering right at the edge of bankruptcy.” As she spoke, delight flickered across her features.


    Marc had always struck her as deadweight—unreliable, unfaithful, andpletely dependent on Ste’s patent to stay afloat.


    Now that the divorce was official, she couldn’t be happier.


    Sharon pressed on. “When you asked me to cancel Marc’s mother’s membership card, I was stumped for a second. But honestly, it’s for the best. Dealing with his mom was a nightmare—my team at the beauty salon hasined about her more times than I can count.”


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