“<b>What </b>on earth was Noreen doing there?!” Jude waspletely baffled.


    This kind of gathering–it was way out of his league. Truth be told, even his father only <b>managed </b><b>to </b>get a seat at the table thanks to the family name and a bit of shameless persistence. As for <b>Jude </b>himself? He didn’t stand a chance.


    So, when Healy casually mentioned that Noreen was also present, it was like an earthquake <b>had </b>rocked Jude’s world.


    Healy exined, “Mr. Harcourt brought her along.”


    The room fell silent.


    Dn, however, wasn’t interested in any of that.


    “So why were you and Noreen being set up on a date?”


    “My dad’s ying matchmaker again.”


    Dn rxed, even cracking a joke. “Let me guess–you got turned down, didn’t you?”


    Healy shot him a look that said, “You already know the answer.”


    With a smirk, Dn lost interest in their conversation and went back to scrolling through his phone.


    Bianca’s shock was no less than Jude’s.


    Her rtionship with Seth was steady, but even now, she’d never actually met Wade. Her mother, Yvonne, had brought it up several times–hoping both families could sit down together and settle the wedding ns sooner rather thanter.


    Bianca wanted that too. Who wouldn’t want things to be official as soon as possible? But as the woman, she felt she couldn’t be the one to bring it up first.


    So she’d been patiently waiting for Seth to make the move. Yet, she was still waiting.


    After a moment’s hesitation, Bianca asked, “Seth, should I go over and say hello to Mr. Harcourt? I never got the chance to visit him when he was in the hospital, and I feel like it would be the polite thing to do.”


    Seth, busy polishing his cue, simply replied without looking up, “No need.”


    Bianca couldn’t help feeling disappointed.


    Jude chimed in, “Seth’s just looking out for you! Mr. Harcourt’s temper is legendary–most people can’t handle it. Seth probably just doesn’t want you to get caught in the crossfire. Besides, the two of them aren’t exactly on the best of terms.”


    Hearing that, Bianca felt she might’ve been overthinking things.


    “Alright, I’ll wait a bit longer.”


    As long as Seth’s heart was with her, that was enough.


    Still, she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy toward Noreen.


    <b>19:31 </b>


    Wade’s status? He was the chairman of the Rivercrest Chamber of Commerce, with ess to the city’s most exclusive business circles. Every investor dreamed of getting close to him.


    And Noreen had done it–just like that.


    How could Bianca not feel envious<b>? </b>


    That little revtion put her off her game. She spent the rest of the time sitting on the sidelines, fiddling with her phone.


    Dn and Healy were deep in conversation. Only Seth and Jude were still ying.


    Dn asked Healy about the dinner.


    “We’ve all underestimated Noreen. Her Al Initiative is making serious waves!”


    After all these years, it was the first time Healy had ever praised Noreen.


    Bianca paused mid–text.


    “My dad wants to partner with them. He’s hoping to bring in their technology and give our automotive R&D a real boost.”


    “InnoCore is a powerhouse,” Dn said, clearly impressed. “Unless something crazy happens, it’s going to be the breakout project next quarter.”


    Healy saw the opportunity too. “I’ll have my dad set up a meeting with Noreen and InnoCore’s founder.”


    Bianca closed her chat with Lillian and messaged a headhunter friend instead.


    “Any chance you can get me Carman’s contact info? I’d really like to talk.”


    Meanwhile, Noreen stepped out to call Carman, telling him to get ready–tomorrow they’d be meeting with the CEO of Naylor Automotive Group to discuss a coboration.


    She ended the call and turned around, only to nearly run straight into Seth.