Noreen set aside half a day to apany Halley to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. The stubborn old man grumbled the entire way but ultimately couldn''t win against Noreen''s persistence. When the acupuncture began, Noreen kept her distance, but she could still hear Halley''s theatrical cries


    of pain.


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    Jude Wilder, at the hospital to pick up medication for his father, Seymour, spotted her and looked surprised. "Are you sick?"


    "No, I''m with an elderly friend."


    "Oh." Jude had always been awkward around Noreen, and simply greeting her was the extent of his social courage. Noreen didn''t seem inclined to chat, either. After a brief exchange, they went their separate ways.


    Jude returned to Seymour''s room with the medicine and mentioned running into Noreen.


    "Why didn''t you invite her for a meal?" Seymour chided.


    "She was with an elder, taking them to the doctor."


    "Well, did you find out which elder? Should we pay them a visit?"


    "Dad, stop worrying about these things and focus on getting better," Jude said, clearly reluctant.


    Seymour shot him a disapproving re. "You''re hopeless! This is the woman who holds your future in her hands. Can''t you be a little more resourceful?"


    "I know, I know," Jude mumbled dismissively, copsing onto the sofa and pulling out his phone. He saw a new social media post from Bianca and tapped on it. It was a photo of her and Seth ying golf.


    He opened a group chat and tagged them. "Why didn''t you two invite me to y? I''m going stir-crazy in this hospital."


    Bianca replied quickly: "It''s not toote toe now. We just started."


    "On my way!"


    Jude pocketed his phone. "Dad, I''m going to y some golf with Bianca and Seth. I''ll be backter."


    He was already at the door when Seymour''s voice stopped him cold.


    "You will do no such thing!"


    "What? Why not?"


    "Because said so! What have I told you about keeping your distance from that Bianca? Are you deat Seymour''s agitation brought on a violent coughing fit, leaving m breathless.


    Jude rushed over to help him. "Dad, Bianca is my friend. It''s just a normal social outing."


    "A normal outing? Have you forgotten how much money you lost on the projects you invested in with her? You keep ''socializing'' with her, and you''ll lose the shirt off your back!"


    "Dad..."


    "I forbid it! If you walk out that door today, we are done!"


    Defeated, Jude sent a message to Bianca, telling her something hade up and he couldn''t make it. Bianca didn''t seem to mind, suggesting they y another time.


    After Halley''s appointment, Noreen returned to the office to meet with Scott Quigley. Together, they headed to TechVenture to finalize the acquisition.


    The recent disaster had broken Ethan Laurent''s spirit. He lookedpletely.defeated. When he saw Scott, he mistinctively turned away. as if too ashamed to face him. Scott, too, felt a pang of sadness seeing what had be of TechVenture.


    But there was no time for sentimentality. Noreen handled the negotiations professionally, offering a fair price that Ethan epted with almos no hesitation. As he handed over the keys, his eyes reddened. Just then, his phone rang a call from his child''s school. His son had been injured during gym ss. Ethan frantically tried to hail a cab.


    "I''ll drive you," Scott offered quietly. "It''ll be faster."


    Ethan stared at him for a moment, then gave a silent, grateful nod.


    Back in her office after closing the deal, Noreen''s phone buzzed. She nced at the caller ID and her brow furrowed instinctively.