Noreen closed out of the chaotic group chat, but the frustration lingered.


    Justst night, Seth had mocked her, and now, scandalous rumors <b>about </b>her were spreading like wildfire. It was hard not to connect the dots. If Seth really was behind this… Well, that would mean she’d been


    She had nned to confront Seth about it, but before she could, Dn’s call came through.


    She figured it must be about the rumors online. She was right–Dn had called because of the online gossip.


    “I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry or get involved,” Dn said immediately, his tone steady. “Since I took over, I’ve made some tough calls–fired two board members for corruption. I guess they’re holding a grudge and started these rumors out of spite.”


    “So that’s what happened.”


    “I never meant for you to get dragged into this. I’m really sorry,” Dn apologized.


    “It’s, fine,” Noreen said lightly. She’d been the target of this kind of gossip more times than she could count.


    Trying to secure new contracts for the Aurelion Group had earned her plenty of enemies. When those people couldn’t beat her fair and square, they’d stoop to backhanded insults and rumors. Nasty things–ims that she’s an assistant by day and a whore by night. The nder ranged from crude jokes to outright lies.


    Honestly, the scious stuff was the least of it.


    At first, it had hurt. She’d felt wronged. Seth had always seen what she went through, but never once had he stepped in to defend her.


    07.29 1


    She remembered confronting him once, eyes red and voice trembling. What he’d said was still crystal clear in her mind.


    “If you can’t handle the pressure thates with managing projects<b>, </b>then you’d better just stay an assistant for life.”


    It was a cold thing to say. If Seth had only been her boss, she might’ve shrugged it off. But there was more between them, and that’s what made it sting.


    Still, looking back, Seth’s harsh words had toughened her up. Now, they almost felt like a strange source offort.


    Seeing her taking things in stride, Dn sounded relieved. “I was going <b>to </b>invite you to interview at Omniva Group today, but with all this going on, it’s probably not the right time. Let’s wait until this blows over and talk


    then.”


    “You told me to think it over yesterday. I have.” Noreen gave her answer inly. “I won’t be joining Omniva Group.”


    Three more days passed. Noreen didn’t receive a single interview call. Every résumé she’d sent out seemed to vanish into thin air.


    There was really only one exnation. Seth was making sure she had nowhere to go.


    Maybe he even had a hand in the media storm swirling around Omniva Group.


    Noreen was furious, but there was nothing she could do. If the job market was a dead end, she’d have to consider another path.


    Starting her own business.


    But that was easier said than done. The economy had been <b>on </b><b>a </b>downward spiral these past two years. Even well–connected


    entrepreneurs had watched their ventures crumble, <b>some </b>never <b>bouncing </b>


    back.


    07:29


    Chapter <b>102 </b>


    Noreen wasn’t sure if she’d be one of the lucky ones.


    Despite her doubts, she sat down to tally her assets. To be fair, Seth had always paid her well–top sry, generous bonuses, and she’d made a decent amount from dabbling in the stock market. All told, she could pull together a little over a million dors.


    Not a small sum, but hardly enough tounch a full–scale startup–especially in something as cash–hungry as an Al initiative.


    Research and development would burn through money fast, and it could take ages to turn a profit. The risk was enormous.


    Still, Noreen figured she should talk things over with Carman. At the very least, he deserved to know what was really going on.


    Carman had been waiting for her call. They agreed to meet at a <i>cozy </i>café to discuss things.


    But as Noreen reached the café entrance, she spotted Seth and Bianca walking in together. They strolled side by <i>side</i>, deep in conversation, though it was mostly Bianca doing the talking.


    “My parents are already here–just waiting on you,” Bianca said with a smile.


    Noreen froze in her tracks.


    <i>Meeting </i>the parents already? That was fast.


    07.29