He often shot down her ideas, dismissing her hard work as if it meant. nothing.


    But Noreen wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge.


    The more he belittled her, the more determined she became to prove herself.


    So the obstacles she faced in starting her own business didn’t bother her much. She’d expected things to be tough.


    Tonight’sworking event was packed with familiar faces.


    Among those she knew were Mr. Quigley from Qunda Group, Joyner, the CEO of Evergain Capital, Yves from Monarch Capital, and a handful of other executives from various investment firms.


    The invitation, in fact, hade from Johnson. He was probably trying to make up for letting her down before.


    Of course, these seasoned yers easily guessed that Johnson was behind Noreen’s presence tonight, and teased him for not keeping things fair.


    Noreen raised her ss in mock–penitence, downing three shots and exining to the group that she’d asked Johnson for the favor.


    Johnson chimed in on her behalf, “Come on, folks, starting a business isn’t easy for Miss Gilmore. Why not give her a hand? There’s plenty of money to go around.”


    Mr. Quigley, who always wore a sly smile, replied, “When has starting a business ever been easy? We all crawled our way up the same way. Even Mr. Harcourt from Aurelion Group went through it–Miss Gilmore probably knows better than any of us about his infamous ‘rm clock discipline.”


    He leaned back, his toneced with mockery. “If you can’t handle the


    pressure, Miss Gilmore, maybe you should just go back to being Mr.


    20:24


    Harcourt’s chief of staff.”


    The jab was deliberate–a petty payback for Noreen’s past refusal to work with him.


    Noreen just smiled, unruffled by his sarcasm. “Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Mr. Quigley. I’ll do my best.”


    Someone else piped up, “Miss Gilmore, if you don’t want to go back to Aurelion Group, you’re wee to be my assistant. I could use someone smart and attractive on my team.”


    “If we’re talking about hiring her, you’ll have to wait in line. I made Miss Gilmore an offer ages ago,” another cut in, grinning.


    “I’ve never had the honor of a toast from the chief of staff at Aurelion,” someone else joked. “Ourpany was so small back then, we barely registered on Secretary Gilmore’s radar.”


    Thisst remark came from a manager whose partnership proposal Noreen had rejected years ago, and it was clear he hadn’t forgotten.


    “So tell me, Miss Gilmore, am I finally worthy of a toast from you tonight?” Johnson started to step in, but Noreen took the initiative. She picked up her ss, lowered her stance, and offered him a toast herself. “You’re giving me too much credit, Mr. Wolfe. I’ll drink as an apology.”


    She downed the drink in one go, leaving him with nothing more to say but a grudging, “Well, it’s certainly an honor to be toasted by Aurelion’s former chief of staff.”


    As the group continued to drink, someone else called out, “Are wete to the party?”


    Jude entered, making Noreen’s brow furrow instantly.


    “Well, look who it is–Noreen. Haven’t seen you in a while. Didn’t expect to find you ying hostess at a party like this,” he said with a sneer, even nastier than before.


    20:25


    Noreen’s expression grew cold, but with so many people watching, she kept herposure. After all, Jude was backed by the powerful Wilder family; everyone here was eager to stay on his good side.


    “Aren’t you going to have a drink with me? Or am I not good enough for you?” Jude pressed, making things deliberately difficult.


    “What are you staring at? Pour me a drink! Or do you need me <i>to </i>teach you how to do your job? Not very professional, are you?”


    Jude was clearly set on humiliating her, and the others kept their heads down, unwilling to get involved.


    Noreen clutched her ss, fighting to keep her emotions in check as the room fell into an awkward silence.


    Just as Jude prepared to push further, two figures appeared at the door.


    One of them called out, “Jude, knock it off. Bianca’s not feeling well–she’s had too much to drink.”


    ???? ??? ???? ??????


    At the sound of that familiar voice, Noreen felt her blood run cold.


    Seth didn’t look her way, but his presence alone made her ufortable. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his sudden appearance was a


    deliberate reminder of her failures, as if he were silently saying, See? This is what you’ve been reduced to without me.