Even Bianca, who was usually glued to his side, was nowhere to be seen.


    Noreen didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.


    She hesitated for barely a second before deciding to ignore him.


    But Seth spoke first. “Noreen, drive me home.”


    The words felt both familiar and strange.


    Familiar, because he used to give her orders like this all the time.


    Strange, because… he hadn’t asked her for anything in a long while.


    His eyes weren’t as cold as usual; the corners were tinged red.


    He’d clearly been drinking and seemed to have forgotten she was no longer his assistant.


    Noreen stood motionless, staring at him with utter detachment, as if he were just another stranger on the street.


    “Noreen. I’ve been drinking. Drive me home!” His tone sharpened–less a plea, more an order.


    Just then<i>, </i>Noreen’s car pulled up. She got in without a word, right in front of Seth, and closed the door with calm finality, shutting him out


    That night, Noreen slept soundly for the first time in ages.


    The next morning, she stopped by the studio to draft the contract.


    Sophia came in, all mysterious. “Noreen, are you still short one invitation to the Al Summit?”


    “Yeah.” Noreen nodded.


    She’d been trying to find a way, though she’d already braced herself for disappointment. If she really couldn’t get another invite, she’d just send Carman–he was the tech expert, after all, and perfectly capable of


    08 39


    representing their work.


    “What if I told you I have one?” Sophia teased.


    Noreen didn’t even nce up from her keyboard, fingers flying, clearly not buying it.


    Sophia, frustrated that her suspense had failed, whipped out an envelope and dropped it on Noreen’s desk. “I’m not kidding. See for yourself!”


    Noreen picked it up and looked it over, her eyes widening. It was real—an


    actual summit invitation.


    “How did you get this?” she asked, curiosity piqued.


    Sophia grinned andunched into her story. “Remember the day I told you I was quitting?”


    “I remember.”


    Seth had her handling not just his business trip but travel arrangements for Bianca and her whole entourage. Mixing business with pleasure, as usual.


    “There was so much going on that day. I was managing travel for over a dozen people, prepping my resignation–I totally forgot to return this invitation! Only found itst night when I was unpacking my stuff from Aurelion Group!”


    “You just… forgot?” Noreen eyed her skeptically.


    Sophia could be scatterbrained, but not that careless. She’d never have passed Aurelion Group’s internship program otherwise. And with invitations this exclusive, wouldn’t someone at Aurelion Group have noticed if one went missing?


    “I’m serious! I was supposed to go to the Al Summit with Mr. Harcourt in Harborcrest City, so I got an invite. And honestly, Aurelion Group gets these in stacks. They won’t miss one!” Sophia replied,pletely unbothered.


    That part, Noreen had to admit, sounded usible.


    <b>08:39 </b>


    Sophia grinned. “See? Even fate thinks we deserve a break. This is yours–it’s only fair!”


    Noreen epted it without guilt. After all those years at Aurelion Group, this invitation felt like a fitting bit ofpensation.


    With the summit sorted, she could finally focus on finalizing the contract with Omniva Group.


    She wrapped it up in two days and delivered it in person.


    Dn greeted her himself. His desk nt was thriving as always.


    After reviewing the contract, he signed it right away and promised the payment would hit their ount within days.


    Everything went more smoothly than Noreen had dared hope.


    The next day, half the payment was already in their bank ount.