The room was silent for what felt like ages, the air so still it might as <b>well </b>have frozen solid.


    Seth stared at her, cold and unyielding, his dark eyes glinting with nothing but icy disdain.


    After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice cutting through the night like a de. “Is it because of Dn?”


    For a split second, Noreen’s mind went nk. She couldn’t quite follow<i>. </i>


    It wasn’t until she caught the mocking sneer in his eyes that the meaning


    behind his wordsnded.


    So, in Seth’s eyes, this was the kind of woman she was?


    Utterlyughable.


    Maybe it was the recent cold snap, or maybe it was just him, but as Noreen drew in a sharp breath, it felt like the chill had seeped all the wa into her bones.


    Freezing. Down to her core.


    Who did he think he was?


    He was the one who fell out of love first. The one who betrayed her first.


    So why was he turning it all around on her, throwing usations like dirty water, as if she was the one to me?


    The biting cold helped her keep herposure. She heard her own voice–steady, almost indifferent–as she shot back at him, “I’m just following your lead, aren’t I? Turns out moving on without missing a beat is actually kind of entertaining.”


    Lately, everyone at the office had noticed a change in Secretary Gilmore. She wasn’t the same as before.


    <b>Chapter </b><b>61 </b>


    Now she clocked in and out on time, her style had <b>shifted</b><b>, </b><b>and </b><b>there </b><b>was </b>a new light in her eyes, a vitality that left people baffled.


    After all, as far as everyone knew, her career had hit a rough patch<b>, </b><b>and </b>her love life… well, that was no better.


    Mr. Harcourt had never made their rtionship public, but anyone with half a brain could read between the lines.


    Now that the “real” girlfriend was back, everyone expected Noreen to fall


    apart.


    But instead, she carried on as if nothing had happened. She did her work, stayed busy, and showed not a trace of sadness or regret.


    If anything, it was Mr. Harcourt who seemed off.


    He should have been on top of the world–sessful in business and love–buttely, he’d been walking around with a storm cloud over his head.


    The tension in the executive suite was suffocating.


    Aside from Bianca, the director of Division Three, every other investment director had been chewed out mercilessly.


    In the past, whenever things got like this, everyone would turn to Noreen for help.


    She was the only one who c


    She was the only one who could tolerate Seth’s temper, knew how to calm him down, and always managed to put out fires before they spread.


    But this time, Noreen politely refused, one after another.


    Matthew Cole, the director of Division Two, was on the verge of tears. “Please, Noreen, you have to help me. I’m seriously out of options here.”


    “Sorry,” Noreen replied, ncing at the clock as she shut down herputer. She made her position clear. “I can’t help you.”


    “Noreen, please–Secretary Gilmore-<b>” </b>


    She ignored himpletely. As usual, she gathered the documents


    requiring Seth’s personal attention, added a fresh resignation <b>letter </b><b>to </b><b>the </b>stack, and left them on his desk before heading out right on <b>schedule</b>.


    Matthew Cole was practically pacing holes in the carpet.


    If Mr. Harcourt didn’t approve his funding soon, his project would tank.


    He was counting on that project to put him in the ck this year.


    “Ruby, aren’t you close with Noreen? Go ask her–see if she’ll help!” Desperation had Matthew grasping at straws, sending his subordinate, Ruby Wilder, to plead his case.


    Ruby, of course, was the one who’d posted those snidements about Noreen during thest team–building outing.


    She didn’t dare go.


    She might have forgotten to block Noreen from seeing.her drunken posts, but someone had tipped her off in time to do damage control.


    Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Noreen had already seen everything.


    After all, these past few days, whenever she’d needed anything from Noreen, she’d been met with nothing but cool professionalism.


    When problems cropped up, Noreen wouldn’t offer any pointers or advice like she used to. She’d just send her back with a rejection.


    “What are you waiting for? Go!” Matthew snapped, raking his hands through his hair in frustration. “If this project falls through, it won’t just be you out the door–it’ll be me too!”