<b>Chapter </b>156


    The pain and difort were easy to ignore–until she remembered. Then it gnawed at her, impossible to brush aside.


    It had to be dealt with. No other way.


    Whether by chance or some strange twist of fate, Noreen and Bianca drew back–to–back numbers for the presentations.


    Bianca would go first. Noreen would follow.


    Bianca actually liked this arrangement. It gave Seth a front–row seat to the ring difference between her and Noreen–exactly what she wanted. She was determined to show everyone that Noreen just wasn’t in her league.


    Not in education, not in skill–Noreen simply couldn’tpare.


    Just the title alone–PhD in Economics from WT Business School–was a summit Noreen would


    never reach.


    Noreen, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking about Bianca at all. Her mind was fully upied with how to help Carman shake off his nerves for their uing presentation.


    People like her–techies, introverts–always seemed to share the same quirks. They cared about the work, not the spotlight. They thrived in solitude, deep in thought, and rarely mingled with the crowd.


    “We’ve got ten minutes total,” Noreen exined to Carman. “Our speech is about eight minutes, so we have plenty of breathing room. Even if we stumble, there’s time to recover.”


    She nced at the water bottle in his hand. “You’ve been drinking a lot. Better hit the restroom before we go up.”


    “Right.” Carman admired how efficient Noreen was–always thinking three steps ahead.


    “I’ll keep an eye on the other teams‘ presentations,” she added. “We can pick up somest–minute tips.”


    Soon, the main product showcase began.


    The lineup was impressive–every team that made it this far was among the best in the industry.


    Bianca was fifth. When Noreen saw her step up to the stage alone, she was genuinely surprised. Usually, it made more sense for the tech lead to present the technical details. But clearly, Bianca was confident in hermand of the material.


    Noreen remembered Bianca mentioning her project over dinner with Mr. Naylor at Northcrest. Back then, Mr. Naylor had thought the idea needed more polish. Maybe, in the weeks since, her team had worked out the kinks<b>. </b>


    Word had it they’d aggressively recruited new talenttely–some even poached from InnoCore. With Seth willing to throw money at the problem, maybe they’d actually pulled it off.


    As Bianca started her speech, Noreen kept one eye on the time and the other on the stage.


    10:03


    Bianca introduced herself, making sure to highlight her PhD from WT Business School. Predictably, the audience responded with a collective gasp of admiration. It was a credential worth


    unting–even if it had little to do with Al.


    Then sheunched into the product demo.


    Carman still wasn’t back. Noreen nced toward the restrooms–no sign of him. There was still a bit of time, so she turned her attention back to the stage.


    Wait a minute–her brow furrowed in surprise. That product… why did it look so familiar?


    Bianca was in her element, radiating confidence as she spoke. She was striking, aplished, and perfectly at ease in the spotlight.


    The crowd was eating it up.


    Scanning the audience, Noreen spotted a familiar face–he was watching the stage with rapt attention. Just like she used to watch Seth, back in the day.


    But that was a lifetime ago. Now, without hesitation, she tore her gaze away and checked the time again.


    Three minutes left. Still no sign of Carman.


    What was taking him so long?


    Quickly, she dialed his number, urging him to hurry back.


    The call connected, but no one answered.


    A knot of unease twisted in her stomach. With only a minute to spare, there was no time left to


    search for him.


    A staff member tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re up next. Please get ready backstage.”


    Gritting her teeth, Noreen squared her shoulders and walked up.


    10:03