Noreen was in charge of the entire event, so naturally, she had to be thest one to leave.
After seeing the final guests out the door, she finally let herself exhale and headed back inside to find Sophia. As she rounded a corner, she unexpectedly overheard Jude talking.
He was asking Seth, “Seth, do you think Noreen actually wants to quit, or is she just saying that?”
“Would she really leave thepany for good? I just can’t believe it,” he went on, sounding skeptical.
Then, with a mockingugh, Jude added, “Honestly, you should’ve just agreed to let her go and watched how she tried to talk her way out of it! Knowing her, even if you agreed, she’d find a way to stay. And if she did leave, you can bet she’d try toe back somehow.”
Noreen walked past the group, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing, and went off to look for Sophia.
A few minutester, Bianca and Jude stepped outside and spotted Dn waiting by the entrance.
Bianca’s eyes lit up. She called out, “Dn, you’re still here?”
Jude grinned. “Dn’s waiting for me. I’ll leave you two to talk—I don’t want to be the third wheel.”
Bianca’s smile never faltered. “You guys go ahead. I’m waiting for Seth–he should be out soon.”
Just as Jude was about to get in the car, he seemed to remember something and turned to Dn. “Oh, by the way, Dn, have you decided who you’re bringing as your date to the Omniva Group g? The board members are a handful, and if you show up solo, they’ll be all over you, trying to set you up to strengthen their connections.”
He nced at Bianca. “But you just got back to town, so you probably
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don’t know many people. Why not ask Bianca? She’s trustworthy, and it’ll look good.”
Bianca looked at Dn, her hopes rising.
The Omniva Group g was all aboutworking and making deals–there was no telling what opportunities mighte up, and it would be the perfect way for her to reinforce her position at Aurelion Group.
And, if she was honest, she also hoped Dn hadn’tpletely moved on from their past.
It was Bianca who broke things off, but she still felt a twinge of regret.
Dn hadn’t tried to win her back. It was as if–well, as if their rtionship had never really mattered to him.
But Jude always insisted Dn returned to the city right after Bianca did, which could only mean he came back for her.
That thought kept Bianca guessing.
Dn, however, just nudged Jude. “Are we leaving, or what?”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go. It’s impossible to get a ride at this hour anyway.” Jude hopped into the car and waved goodbye to Bianca.
Dn didn’t invite her to the g, and Bianca couldn’t help feeling a stab of disappointment.
But that feeling vanished the moment Seth appeared.
“Seth, looks like it’s going to rain. It’s getting chilly out here,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Don’t worry, the car will be here any minute,” Seth replied, his tone gentle and patient as always.
The driver pulled up just in time, and Seth personally opened the door for Bianca.
Momentster, the rain arrived, sudden and heavy.
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When Noreen and Sophia finally stepped outside, the downpour was already in full force.
Sophia was on the phone with her boyfriend. “I’m at the entrance<i>. </i>Can you see me? Yes, right here.”
A car pulled up right where they stood. Sophia turned to Noreen and offered, “Do you want a ride? It’s going to be hard to get a cab right now.”
Noreen shook her head. “No, you two aren’t headed my way. If you drop me off, you’ll be getting home after midnight. You’ve been on your feet all day–go home and get some rest.”
Sophia nodded. “Alright. Just be careful, okay?” She gave Noreen a quick hug before getting into the car and driving off.
The rain wasn’t all that heavy, but the dampness crept in, cold and biting, seeping through her clothes and up her neck.
Noreen kept refreshing the ride–share app, but no one was epting her
request.
So this was Rivercrest City–a city so vast, yet not a single car would stop
for her.
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