<b>Chapter </b>314
Dusk was settling in, and the air had grown noticeably cooler than it had been during the day.
A restless breeze rustled through the trees in the courtyard, their leaves whispering in the night.
“Mr. Harcourt,” Noreen called out.
Wade seemed lost in thought and didn’t respond.
She stepped closer and tried again, “Mr. Harcourt?”
He startled slightly, finally registering her presence. “Oh, Noreen.”
Now that she was near, Noreen could finally see him clearly. He looked thinner–almost gaunt.
“Why are you still out here? It’s getting chilly. You’ll catch cold,” she said, crouching down in front of him with gentle patience.
“I didn’t notice,” Wade admitted, as if only now realizing howte it had gotten.
“Come on, let me help you inside.”
“Thank you.”
As Noreen wheeled him indoors, Evelyn emerged from the kitchen carrying dishes, her face lighting up when she saw Noreen. “You’re just in time! Dinner’s ready–let’s eat!”
“Let’s go wash up first,” Noreen said, tossing her bag onto the sofa with practiced ease before guiding Wade toward the bathroom.
Dinner was plentiful–Evelyn had clearly put a lot of care into the meal.
With Noreen there, Wade managed to eat a little, though it was clear he was only doing so out of <fnff6f> The rightful source is find{n}ovel</fnff6f>
obligation.
Evelyn remarked that this was the most he’d eaten in weeks.
“Mr. Harcourt, you really do need to eat well,” Noreen encouraged him gently. “Whatever happens, your healthes first.” <ul><li></li></ul>
Wade sighed. “Lately I just feel so… drained, like my mind’s running on empty. Maybe it’s my age. My head’s not what it used to be–I can’t focus, and I keep zoning out during meetings.”
He’d had a terrible car ident before–his leg was permanently injured, and he’d suffered a serious head trauma that required multiple surgeries over the years.
The doctors had warned him: too much mental strain would trigger severe headaches.
So after his recovery, Wade had stepped back from the front lines, though there were still important matters at Harcourt Group that only he could handle.
But now, it was painfully clear he was no longer up to it.
Noreen wanted to suggest that he could just hand thepany over to Seth and focus on his health, but she kept those thoughts to herself. After all, it wasn’t her ce to meddle in their family’s affairs.
08:43
After dinner, Evelyn asked Noreen to keep Wadepany with a cup of calming tea to help him sleep. Meanwhile, she packed up some of Noreen’s medication and a few ready–to–eat snacks.
As Noreen went to prepare the tea, she noticed a discarded painting in the trash beside the coffee
table.
“Mr. Harcourt, are you throwing this away?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s just rubbish,” Wade replied without so much as a nce.
Noreen was surprised–the painting looked expensive, beautifully framed and wrapped. Driven by curiosity, she carefully unrolled it for a better look.
The moment she saw it, she froze.
This was the painting Seth had bought at auction for ten million dors.
And it was just tossed out–like garbage?
Ten million dors!
Heart pounding, Noreen checked the painting, terrified it had been damaged. Thankfully, only the right edge was a little damp; it looked like it could be salvaged.
She tried to reason with him. “Mr. Harcourt, this is the painting Seth bought at the auction–he spent ten million on it! Isn’t it a shame to throw it away?”
“To me, it’s just trash. Why keep it?” Wade’s disdain was obvious.
Evelyn entered with a te of fruit just then. When she saw the painting, she sighed. “That was a gift from Seth. I don’t know what happened, but they had another huge argument, and Mr. Harcourt threw the painting out in anger.”
“What was it this time?” Noreen asked, exasperated. She was always the one stuck in the middle, patching things up between father and son.
“Mr. Harcourt, what started the fight?” she pressed gently.
Wade’s expression grew even colder. “He wants to get engaged to Bianca Lowell. He brought the painting to curry favor with me, hoping I’d attend their engagement party.”
<b>08-13 </b>