Seth seized the chance to end the conversation. “That’s it. No one is to bring this up again,” he ordered, his tone final.


    Not once did he speak up for Noreen.


    That was all she needed to know.


    It felt as if something inside her was tearing apart, ripping through her chest and leaving every nerve raw and aching.


    She lost the will to keep searching for the truth.


    What was the point of exining? Seth had already condemned her in his mind. Why waste her breath?


    For a moment, she almost wished she really had done what they used


    her of at least then, Seth could fire her and be rid of her.


    Wouldn’t that be a kind of freedom?


    Bianca let out a regretful sigh, fiddling with her evening dress. “The celebration’s tomorrow. What am I supposed to do if this dress is


    ruined?”


    Seth nced around the wardrobe, his gazeing to rest on a white satin dress. “Try this one.”


    He was pointing to the gown Noreen had designed for herself–the one that matched his suit, the one no one else was supposed to wear.


    Bianca’s eyes lit up the moment she saw it. “Oh, this is beautiful too! I think it’ll look great on me.”


    Without a care for Noreen’s presence, they began discussing the new dress, as if she didn’t exist.


    She was left alone, caught in the wake of that emotional storm, unable to break free.


    Noreen couldn’t take another day of this.


    14:27


    She longed for an ending–any ending.


    So she cut through their cozy back–and–forth, her voice sharp enough to slice ss. “Mr. Harcourt, when are you finally going to approve my resignation?”


    The words had barely left her mouth before both Seth and Bianca turned to look at her.


    Seth narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her expression as if trying to read her mind.


    Bianca was surprised that Noreen would choose this moment to bring up leaving, but she assumed it was just a bluff–a way to test Seth’s reaction. After all, she knew how women yed these little games.


    But what mattered now was Seth’s answer.


    Noreen didn’t care to decipher whatever was flickering in his eyes. She was done wasting her energy on him.


    Afraid he might not realize how serious she was, she spelled it out. “I’ve been waiting every day for you to approve my resignation. It’s been ages. In case you missed it, I print a new copy every morning. It’s getting wasteful. Why not just sign it and be done?”


    Seth’s eyes turned dark, swirling with something cold and unreadable. He let out a low, mockingugh. “So, you’ve found another job already? Did Johnson pull some strings for you? Offer you some great incentive to ditch Aurelion Group?”


    Of course Seth knew she’d been in talks with Johnson–everyone in Rivercrest City knew everyone’s business.


    He took a step closer, his gaze icy enough to cut. “Do you really think anyone in Rivercrest would dare hire you if I say no?”


    “Noreen, don’t tter yourself. Thepany won’t fall apart without you.”


    That was the problem–she had always thought she mattered, that she meant something to Seth. She’d been dead wrong, and it had cost her everything.


    ???


    14:27


    She’d remember that lesson.


    “You’re right, Mr. Harcourt. Thepany won’t miss me. I’m not


    important. So there’s no reason not to approve my resignation. Let’s not. drag this out.”


    Sophia, standing nearby, sucked in a sharp breath. She wished she’d slipped out of the room earlier.


    Seth’s voice dropped, cold and razor–sharp. “If you want <i>to </i>leave that badly, I won’t stop you.”


    14.07