The surrounding murmurs andughter made Bianca''s skin crawl. She struggled


    to keep herposure. "You have absolutely no ss," she hissed.


    ire justughed. "And you''re so ssy, acting as the other woman?"


    The crowd''s chatter grew louder.


    "She looks so put-together, but she''s a homewrecker?"


    "That''s disgusting. I can''t stand people like that."


    "We should probably avoid herpany. I wouldn''t want to work for someone like that."


    Bianca''s carefully constructedposure began to shatter under the weight of the public judgment. Just before shepletely lost her cool, a voice cut through the noise.


    "The other woman? I think the real homewrecker here is someone else!"


    It was Henry. He had just arrived to find Bianca being cornered and publicly shamed. Without a second thought, he had stepped in to defend her.


    Noreen, having just finished her phone call, returned to this scene. She looked straight at Henry, meeting his usatory and disdainful gaze. She paused, confused.


    Was Henry calling *her* a homewrecker? The audacity.


    ire also heard the implication in his voice and stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. How could anyone be so clueless?


    "What are you talking about? Spell it out! Who''s the homewrecker?" ire demanded.


    Bianca frowned, a coldness in her eyes, but she put on a show of grace and maturity, gently tugging on Henry''s arm. "Let it go. There are too many people here. It''s not worth stooping to their level."<fn0bca> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? findnovel</fn0bca>


    But the more magnanimous she acted, the more Henry felt she was being wronged. He shot a piercing re at ire. "That''s a question you should be asking Miss Gilmore."


    Now, Noreen was certain. He was talking about her.


    "Is that what Miss Lowell told you, Mr. Brooke?" Noreen asked, her voice steady. She didn''t seem angered by the usation. Her eyes flickered to Bianca, who was hiding behind him. That one nce was razor-sharp.


    Noreen had never med Bianca for her breakup with Seth. It was Seth whose heart had changed; if it hadn''t been Bianca it would have been Some other woman. But that didn''t give Bianca the right to spread lies and nder her behind her back.


    Bianca, already on edge, flinched under Noreen''s gaze.


    Henry immediately jumped to her defense. "This has nothing to do with her! Bianca would never stoop to gossiping!" He turned back to Noreen "You can''t hide the truth forever. You know what you did, so stop ying the victim."


    She knew Seth was Bianca''s fiancé, yet she kept pursuing him. What else could


    you call that but the behavior of a homewrecker?


    Noreen looked at him, her eyes cool and detached. "I''m genuinely confused. Perhaps Miss Lowell can rify for us. Who, exactly, is the other woman here?"


    Bianca''s expression froze.


    ire added fuel to the fire. "Yeah, Miss Lowell, why don''t you tell us? I''m curious too."


    Their relentless questioning made Henry''s brow furrow. Noreen had no morals, and her friends were just as bad. Birds of a feather.


    He was about to retort when Bianca suddenly spoke, her voice directed past them. "Seth, what are you doing here?"


    In an instant, she left Henry''s side and linked her arm through Seth''s, her tone softening. "I thought you said you had a meeting today."


    Noreen''s gaze shifted to Seth. No one knew how long he had been standing there, but judging from his impassive expression, he''d been there for a while. He might have even heard everything.


    He had only appeared at the precise moment Bianca had been cornered, with no way out. Until then, he had been a bystander, watching as if it had nothing to do with him. Ev when Noreen was being used of being a homewrecker, he had never stepped forward to defend her.