Whatpany could possibly persuade him to turn down both the industry leader, Ascendancy Group, and the cash-rich powerhouse, Brooke Group?


    "Miss Gilmore."


    Padgett Novak had arrivedte, attending as a representative of the government. From the moment he entered, his eyes had been fixed on Noreen. He waited until the crowd around her thinned before making his way over. He gave a brief nod to Henry as well.


    "Director Novak," Noreen greeted him.


    "Is your head still bothering you?" he asked, his focus clearly different from everyone else''s.


    Noreen smiled. "It''s much better, thank you for asking."<fn05d4> Get full chapters from find?novel</fn05d4>


    "Good to hear."


    Henry listened to their exchange, a sense of unease creeping over him. He had known Padgett Novak for years and had never seen him show such personal concern for anyone. The way he looked at Noreen was... different. Henry''s brow furrowed. He suddenly remembered Padgett mentioning he had met a woman in Rivercrest City who had captured his interest. A terrible premonition began to take hold.


    Padgett seemed to want to continue the conversation, but someone approached Noreen to discuss a speech. After ensuring Ron wasfortable, she excused herself and left with the staff member. Padgett could only watch her go.


    Henry, stewing over his suspicion, couldn''t stop himself from asking, "Are you and Noreen close?"


    "We get along," Padgett answered vaguely. He couldn''t say they were close, but "not close" didn''t feel right either.


    To Henry, however, the answer was a confirmation. Padgett was famously guarded in his rtionships due to the nature of his work. "We get along" was as good as a confession. It was an unbelievable, iprehensible development. What did Padgett Novak see in Noreen? What kind of spell had she cast to bewitch a man as discerning and principled as him? It had to be because Padgett had so little experience with women; he had fallen right into her trap.


    As a friend, Henry felt it was his duty to intervene. "You should be careful with her, Padgett. She''s not as simple as she seems. It''s best to keep your distance."


    Padgett frowned, clearly displeased. "Perhaps you''ve misunderstood her."


    "There''s no misunderstanding," Henry insisted. "Just stay away from her. You don''t want to end up getting yed."


    Across the hall, Healy still hadn''t found an opportunity to speak with Noreen But he wasn''t a hurry He found a quiet corner where he could watch her, feeling a surprising sense of contentment.


    Jude, however, was getting restless. "Let''s get out of here," he whispered to Healy. "We could be at a club right now instead of stuck here."


    "You go ahead. I''m staying," Healy replied without hesitation.


    Jude eyed him suspiciously. "A minute ago you were bored out of your mind. You said you were going to leave as soon as you said hi to Mr. Harcourt."


    "Did I say that?" Healy feigned ignorance. "I don''t think so. I''m finding this quite interesting."


    Jude stared at him, wondering if he was losing his mind. He was about to argue when the lights in the hall brightened and a host stepped onto the stage Distinguished guests, esteemed friends, wee to the annual assembly of the Rivercrest Chamber of Commerce.


    "Harcourt is about to speak," Jude nudged Healy.


    ver


    The entire room turned its attention to the stage. Bianca was among them her expression more eager than anyone''s. She smoothed her dress and checked her hair, determined to make a good O impression.