He went on, “Honestly, I’m almost relieved our partnership with the Aurelion Group fell through. If I’d signed a contract only to find out after that you’d left them, that would’ve been a real mess–hardly worth it.”


    Noreen was genuinely touched by his words.


    But even as that warmth settled in, she didn’t let herself forget the mountain of problems they now faced. She made sure toy them out clearly for Carman.


    First, there was the obvious issue of funding.


    They only had a modest amount of seed money, and once things actually got rolling, it would run out fast.


    If their cash flow dried up, the whole project could copse before it even ‘began.


    That would be thest thing Noreen wanted, especially after all the work Carman had already poured into this.


    So her suggestion was simple: they needed to find new investors as soon as possible.


    If they could partner with someone, they’d have a chance to take this project off the ground.


    Of course, bringing in outside investment meant giving up some control over their data, and that wasn’t ideal–but it was still better than watching the whole thing crash and burn.


    “I’m no expert in business,” Carman admitted, “but I trust your judgment, Ms. Gilmore. Let’s split up the work: you find the investors, and I’ll handle


    the tech.”


    Ms. Gilmore?


    Noreen had to admit, that sounded pretty good.


    For the first time in days, the cloud that had been following her finally


    20:21


    lifted.


    “Then let’s do this. Here’s to a great partnership!” She shook Carman’s hand, her tone sincere.


    “To a great partnership,” Carman echoed.


    Just as Noreen was starting to feel optimistic, someone decided to ruin


    her mood.


    It was Bianca.


    How she managed to find Noreen here, Noreen had no idea. But Biancal made a point of strolling over and greeting her. “Noreen, it really is <i>you</i>! I thought I recognized you, but I wasn’t sure at first.”


    Even as she spoke to Noreen, Bianca’s eyes kept flitting toward Carman, clearly trying to figure out what was going on between them.


    After all, Carman was about the same age as Noreen, and the two of them were eating alone together–it didn’t take much imagination to draw


    certain conclusions.


    Noreen wasn’t in the mood for Bianca’s games, so her expression stayed cool.


    Carman picked up on her reluctance and kept quiet as well.


    Theirbined silence andck of response left Bianca awkwardly hanging.


    Luckily for her, Seth arrived just in time.


    With Seth there, Bianca’s confidence came rushing back. She beamed at him, her voice suddenly softer and sweeter than it had been with Noreen and Carman, as if she were trying to be cute.


    “Seth, guess who I just ran into? It’s Noreen! Isn’t that a coincidence?”


    Seth nced at Noreen and Carman with an unreadable expression, his eyes cold and distant.


    Bianca clung to his arm, swaying it slightly in a familiar, flirtatious way.


    20:21


    “Since we all ran into each other, why don’t we invite them to join us?”


    Noreen instinctively frowned, already preparing to refuse.


    But Seth cut in, “On a day like this, are you sure you want <i>to </i>invite two strangers to join us?”


    His tone was calm, almost casual, but the word “strangers”nded like a needle straight into Noreen’s chest.


    All those nights they’d spent together–suddenly, they felt like a cruel joke. Bianca, on the other hand, was delighted by his answer. Whatever awkwardness she’d felt a moment ago vanished. Her smile was dazzling. “Oh, I was just being polite. Noreen might not want to join us anyway.”


    “Besides, they look like they’re on a date. Seth, aren’t you even a little


    curious?”


    Seth’s face remained impassive. “Why would I be curious about people who have nothing to do with me?”


    Nothing to do with him.


    Just four simple words, but they summed up seven years of Noreen’s life.


    <b>20-21 </b>