Before he could finish, Padgett''s phone rang. He answered it, and his expression quickly grew serious. After hanging up, he announced, "I need to go to Winrich."


    "Perfect,” Henry said immediately. "I was heading there anyway. I''ll go with you." When he hade alone, Noreen''s assistant had said she wasn''t in. But now that he was with Padgett, the story changed. It was clear the assistant was ying favorites, a petty and unprofessional move. Henry scoffed internally.


    Padgett was there on official business, so Noreen naturally had to see him. And since Henry had arrived with him, it would have been rude to turn him away. So, she had them both shown into the conference room.


    "Ms. Gilmore, a safety team from the capital will being down soon to inspect all major projects. I wanted to make sure you were prepared."<fne172> Read full story at FindN()vel</fne172>


    This was serious. Noreen was grateful that Padgett hade in person to warn her. "Thank you for the heads-up, Director Novak. We''ll be ready."


    "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime," Padgett added. "I have some experience in this area."


    "I will."


    Only after they had concluded their business did Henry get a chance to speak. "Ms. Gilmore, do you have a moment? I''d like to talk to you."


    "Mr. Brooke, if you''re here to propose the same n as before, I''m afraid we have nothing to discuss," Noreen stated inly.


    Henry''s expression tightened. "I''ve... revised the n. I''m proposing a joint development between the Brooke Group and Winrich."


    In other words, he had cut Bianca out of the deal entirely. It was a significant concession. But was she supposed to simply ept it?


    "Mr. Brooke, have you considered that Winrich is fully capable of developing this project independently?"


    For the first time, Henry felt the full force of Noreen''s sharp intellect. Her smile was gentle, her demeanor calm, but her words were like de precise and almed straight for the heart. The unspoken message was clear: *I have no


    intention of including you in this.*


    The answer left Henrypletely stunned, his face hardening into a cold mask.


    ***


    Four days after the fireworks


    incident erupted, an official statement was finally released promising a full investigation. At the same me digital cleanup began online. Officially, it was to remove harmful rhetoric. Unofficially, everyone knew it was to kill the


    story''s momentum.


    By the fifth day, the topic had all but vanished from public discourse. That was the nature of the information age: stories exploded fast and spread wide, but they also disappeared just as quickly. Every day brought a new crisis, and the old ones were buried until noone


    all As for the


    remembered them at all As for promised investigation it would be a slow one, dragged out until the public forgot. Then, an ambiguous report would be released, and the case would be closed forever.


    Noreen wasn''t surprised by the oue. Seth must have pulled some strings.


    Because of the impending safety inspection, Noreen had to postpone her trip to Glenhaven City to meet with Mrs. Joyner. She spent the next two days overseeing preparations at the port project, ensuring everything was up to code.


    She had just wrapped up for the day when she got a call from Evelyn. The moment Noreen answered, she was met with sobbing. "Noreen, can you pleasee to the Harcourt estate?"


    Noreen calmed her down and asked what was wrong.


    Through choked sobs, Evelyn exined that Wade and Seth had had another fight. Wade had used the fireworks scandal as leverage, insisting that Seth cancel the engagement with Bianca. Seth had refused, and things had escted.


    Noreen sighed. She used to think she was a fool for love, but Seth was on another level entirely. He was a lost cause.