“I know,” Jennifer said firmly. “Noreen, you’re going <i>to </i>make it.”
Jennifer’s investment was a godsend, arriving just in time to pull Noreen out of her financial mess.
Now, all that was left was to wait for Carman to finish building the first
prototype.
To take some of the pressure off Carman, Noreen personally started hiring for the studio.
She hadn’t realized before just how expensive senior engineers were. Every time she signed a new contract, it felt like another chunk of her savings was bleeding away. Money was flowing out so fast, she could barely keep up.
Jennifer’s funding was burning up much quicker than she’d anticipated.
But she didn’t tell Carman–she didn’t want to stress him out–so she kept her worries to herself.
Meanwhile, Mina had been stopping by the studio whenever she had free time, running errands, making coffee, making copies, even tidying up the space. But she was still a student, and Noreen didn’t want her studies to suffer. She told Mina not toe anymore, assuring her that someone had already been hired to help out.
n n s 2 @ S =
Mina didn’t believe her, because, up until now, Noreen had been handling. all the odd jobs herself.
She was only helping out because she was worried Noreen would wear
herself out.
It wasn’t until Noreen showed her the actual job posting that Mina reluctantly believed her.
Truth be told, Noreen had nned to take the listing down after pacifying. Mina.
20:26
But that very afternoon, someone showed up to apply.
And it was someone she knew.
“Noreen, I missed you so much!”
Sophia swooped in for a big, enthusiastic hug, so exuberant that Noreen almost didn’t know what to do with herself.
“What are you doing here?”
Seeing an old colleague made Noreen genuinely happy.
“Take a guess,” Sophia said, winking at her.
“You came to see me?”
“Nope. One more try.”
“You’re not here for the job opening, are you?” Noreen frowned, voicing her suspicion.
After all, people only showed up here for two reasons: they were either friends or job applicants.
Noreen hadn’t given Sophia the address, which made thetter option far more likely.
“Bingo!” Sophia shed her a broad smile.
“You’re kidding me.”
Everyone knew that Aurelion Group was a powerhouse–a safe, cushy ce to work.
“Why would I joke?” Sophia pouted. “I’m seriously here for the job. I told you before, but you didn’t take me seriously. I’m hurt.”
Noreen had honestly thought she was joking, so she hadn’t paid it any mind.
Sophia’s abilities were never in doubt–Noreen had actually mentored her during her internship at Aurelion Group.
<b>2/3 </b>
20:26
So there was no need for a formal interview process. Still, before signing any contracts, Noreen had to ask why Sophia left Aurelion Group.
Sophia looked genuinely aggrieved. “Because Mr. Harcourt’s been blinded by love, that’s why!”
It had only been a couple weeks since Noreen had heard that name, but it still sounded oddly foreign.
“What happened?” she asked.
Sophia finally exined.
After Noreen left, the chief secretary position at Aurelion Group had stayed vacant. Recently, Bianca had managed to get her own cousin ced in the secretarial department, and Sophia was told to train her.
But this cousin was utterly ipetent. Not only could she not do the job, but she threw her weight around, yed favorites, and turned the whole department into a toxic mess.
Noreen’s frown deepened. “And Mr. Harcourt? He’s just letting this happen?”
He was always so strict–it was hard to believe he’d allow things to get so out of hand.
Sophia rolled her eyes dramatically. “What do you think? That’s Bianca’s cousin we’re talking about!”
Well, of course.
Seth cared about Bianca, so naturally he’d tolerate her family.
Still, Noreen couldn’t help but sigh.
To think Seth would let his personal feelings cloud his judgment like that. She and Sophia exchanged a nce, perfectly in sync as they spoke in unison.
“It’s only a matter of time.”
<b>3/3 </b>