Bianca was at her pre-engagement party when she heard the news that Winrich was about to take control of Seymour Group. She found Jude sitting alone in a corner, silently nursing a drink, a far cry from his usual boisterous self.


    She couldn''t understand why his father trusted Noreen sopletely, and from the looks of it, Jude had already epted the decision.<fnf72c> This update is avable on f?ndnovel</fnf72c>


    "I thought you couldn''t stand Noreen," Bianca said, frowning with concern. "With her running Seymour Group, you''ll have to see her all the time. Won''t that drive you crazy? It sounds like she''ll be making all the big decisions, leaving you with no real power."


    Jude looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue. In truth, his own situation was a minor issuepared to the muchrger secret weighing on him, but he didn''t dare speak it. He kept ncing at Seth, trying to read something, anything, in his expression.


    But Seth''s face was unreadable.


    "Noreen is capable," Sethmented evenly. "Mr. Wilder recognized that and entrusted Seymour Group to her. You''d do well to listen to her, Jude. It''ll only benefit you."


    Seth''s praise of another woman made Bianca''s heart sink. She shot him a look, clearly unhappy, especially since the woman in question was Noreen.


    Unfazed, Seth picked a clementine from the fruit bowl and began peeling it, his expression rxed. He seemed to be offering apletely objective opinion as an outsider, with no ulterior motive. After peeling the fruit, he handed a segment to Bianca. "This is sweet. Try it."


    His casual demeanor reassured her, and the sweetness of the fruit melted on her tongue, chasing away her doubts. She shouldn''t have questioned him. He was giving her a publicly-tradedpany worth billions, fighting off pressure from his own board of directors for her sake. He was even willing to sh with Wade Harcourt just to make her his fiancée. All of it was proof of how much she meant to him.


    So what if Noreen had snatched the Port Redevelopment Project from her? The ce she held in Seth''s heart was something Noreen could only dream of.


    Jude mumbled, "Seth, how can you praise another woman in front of Bianca?"


    Bianca smiled faintly. "Seth was just being objective, and I''m not that petty. I''ve always trusted himpletely."


    Jude was so used to their public disys of affection that he was practically immune.


    Bianca sighed dramatically. "It''s my fault, really''ve been so busy with the engagement that I haven''t paid attention to what''s happening with you. Plus, my own misjudgment with the fireworks disy has me caught in a PR nightmare. If I hadn''t been so distracted, I wouldn''t have let someone else swoop in and take advantage."


    She was openly contemptuous of Noreen''s move, seeing it as opportunistic. After all they''d been through she felt Noreen could have show some decency instead of being so ruthless demanding such a massive stake in thepany. All she cared about was profit, with no regard for personal rtionships.


    Jude, however, tried tofort her. "Everyone makes mistakes. Who could have predicted a fireworks show would cause such a public outcry? If it had been anywhere else, you would have been praised You hired a world ss pyrotechnics master, after all.”


    The event had been held in Westbrook because Aetheria was based there. It was just bad luck.


    "It was definitely my mistake," Bianca said earnestly. "But I''ll learn from it. You live and you learn. It will help me think moreprehensively in the future."


    "You''re too modest, Bianca," Jude said, genuinely impressed by her maturity.


    "I just want to be stronger," she dered. "I can''t stand behind Seth and let him protect me forever. I want to stand beside him, a true power couple, and make Aurelion Group and Harcourt Group even bigger and better together."


    ***