They chatted a little longer.
But Noreen noticed how exhausted Mrs. Joyner looked, so she gently steered the conversation to a close and urged her to get some rest.
As Noreen stepped out, she ran into Henry, who had clearly been waiting for quite a while.
Neither of them bothered to hide their disdain; they barely nced at each other, each silently judging and resenting the other.
Yet, as Noreen walked away, her steps were unmistakably lighter.
Henry’s assistant approached with a polite apology, exining that Mrs. Joyner wasn’t feeling well and suggesting they reschedule. But Henry was insistent-he wanted to see Mrs. Joyner right then.
The assistant had no choice but to go back inside and exin the situation.
Two minutester, Henry was finally ushered into the room.
“Mr. Brooke,” Mrs. Joyner began, her tone formal but not unkind, “I must apologize, but I’ve already made my choice for the Centribo acquisition. There’s no need to take up any more of your time.”
Henry froze. He remembered the spring in Noreen’s step as she’d left, and suddenly everything clicked into ce.
His eyes darkened, but he pressed on. “Mrs. Joyner, if I may-your preferred candidate is Noreen, isn’t
it?”
Mrs. Joyner didn’t deny it.
Henry let out a short, scornfulugh. “Mrs. Joyner, perhaps you’re unaware, but this Ms. Gilmore is hardlypetent. Her education is nothing to write home about. Are you really nning to hand Centribo over to someone so utterly unremarkable?”
His words wereced with obvious prejudice and hostility, making Mrs. Joyner’s brows knit together. “Mr. Brooke, you seem to have some sort of bias against Miss Gilmore. Is there some
misunderstanding between you?”
The contempt on Henry’s face only deepened. “No misunderstanding, really. I barely know her, but I’ve heard enough stories to gather that she’s not exactly a person of integrity.”
Mrs. Joyner leaned back against her pillows, her gaze cooling. “That’s quite a contradiction, Mr. Brooke. If you admit you barely know her, how can you be so sure of her character?”
Henry clearly hadn’t expected Mrs. Joyner to defend Noreen so strongly. Thinking he hadn’t made himself clear, he decided toy his cards on the table.
“To be blunt, when I arrived earlier, I saw Noreen in the hallway-in a public area-making advances toward your husband.”
“Is that so?” Mrs. Joyner’s tone remained calm, almost indifferent. “Are you implying that I should be concerned about my rtionship with my husband?”
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Henry quickly backtracked. “Of course not.”
Everyone in Glenhaven knew that Mr. and Mrs. Joyner, the city’s most prominent couple, had been sweethearts since childhood-their bond was legendary.
Still, his words sounded suspiciously like an attempt to sow discord.
But he had, after all, seen Noreen throw herself at Castle with his own eyes.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Henry suggested Mrs. Joyner check the security cameras to verify his story.
But Mrs. Joyner beat him to it, immediately instructing her assistant to pull the relevant footage.
Her assistant was efficient; in less than ten minutes, the recordings were ready. <fn48c5> Checktest chapters at F?nd-Novel</fn48c5>
“Mr. Brooke, let’s make a wager,” Mrs. Joyner said, turning to him instead of reviewing the footage right away. “If it turns out, as you im, that Noreen made advances toward my husband, I’ll let your handle the Centribo deal.”
Henry was taken aback.
He didn’t even bother to ask about the other side of the bet-he agreed instantly, certain he was right
about Noreen.
“Fine. But if Noreen isn’t as you described, you’ll apologize to her in person,” Mrs. Joyner continued, her expression turning icy, her gentle eyes now cold and sharp.
She was, after all, the matriarch of a powerful family-her presence left no room for doubt.
Henry, convinced he’d win, agreed without hesitation. “Deal.”
And with that, Mrs. Joyner revealed the truth.
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