Henry felt a wave of disappointment wash over him when he heard the answer–he’d really been hoping to see Bianca at such a public and important event.


    He wanted to ask Halley a few more things about this senior of his, but it was obvious she didn’t want to talk about it, so he held back.


    After sharing two cups of tea with Halley and chatting a bit about his studies, Henry said goodbye to the Joyners and made his way out.


    The first thing he did once outside was call Bianca.


    It rang for a while before she finally picked up. Her voice sounded cheerful, and when she said his name, it carried a distinct lilt.


    Something fluttered in Henry’s chest.


    “What’s the asion, Henry? Didn’t expect a call from you.”


    He tried to steady himself before speaking. “Just wanted to see if you’re free to grab dinner with <i>me</i>.”


    “You’re in Rivercrest?”


    “Yeah, just got here.” <fn607c> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? f?ndnovel</fn607c>


    “That’s a shame. I’m not in Rivercrest right now–I’m overseas.”


    Bianca’s tone grew even lighter, almost bubbling with excitement. “Yep, I’m here looking at options for my engagement party. I won’t be back for another two days. If you’re still around by the time I return, dinner’s on me.”


    “…Alright.” Henry felt the flutter in his heart slowly subside, leaving behind a quiet, unnameable sadness.


    “I’ve got to run. See you soon, okay?”


    With that, she hung up, leaving Henry standing alone in the chilly wind for a long while.


    So that’s why Father said she wouldn’t be at tomorrow’s birthday celebration–she was out of the country, nning her engagement.


    She looked happy.


    So, maybe there really was no hope for someone like him.


    Early the next morning, Dn called to ask if she wanted toe to the birthday celebration.


    “I’ll skip it. Just pass along an extra bit of good wishes for me, okay?”


    Dn knew her temperament well. “Alright, you’ve already seen him. I’m sure that made him happy.”


    Noreen simply replied, “I hope so.”


    After all, she’d disappointed him badly back then. She didn’t expect forgiveness toe so easily.


    08:44


    “If he hasn’t kicked you out, there’s still hope.”


    Noreen could only hope so.


    She ended the call and headed out to drive to Naylor Automotive Group.


    She’d just met up with Matthew Cole and Carman Holt when Healy came out to greet them.


    “I heard Ms. Gilmore would being today, so I made a point to arrive early. Didn’t expect you to be here so soon, Ms. Gilmore.”


    There was unmistakable delight–and a hint of admiration–in the way Healy looked at Noreen.


    Carman had seen that look before, in Padgett Novak’s eyes. He recognized it all too well.


    His heart sank. How many rivals was he supposed to have?


    “It’s not that early,” Noreen replied politely. “Let’s head straight to the testing site. Time’s tight.”


    “Of course, right this way.” Healy took the lead, guiding Noreen inside.


    Everything on the floor was already set up, just waiting for Noreen and her tech team to run the tests. There were five cars to be tested. Noreen had nned to ride with Carman, but Healy assigned one of their own engineers to join Carman in his car for easier technical discussion.


    So Noreen settled for the second car, about to call for Matthew Cole, but Healy slid in first.


    Matthew, a seasoned professional, read the situation immediately and tactfully moved to the third


    car.


    Healy was eager to introduce the features of their newly developed vehicle to Noreen. He even leaned over to fasten her seatbelt himself, taking the chance to show off a hidden safety feature.


    Henry arrived just in time to see this scene through the car window. His brow furrowed once again.


    <b>08:44 </b>