She had always seen Noreen as an uneducated, simple-minded woman from a painfully ordinary background. Someone who wasn''t even worthy of being her


    rival.


    That''s why she''d always looked down on her.


    Even when her mother, Yvonne Laurent, had warned her that any woman who could stay by a man''s side for seven years shouldn''t be underestimated, she''d dismissed it. Bianca was convinced Noreen had only managed it through self- sacrificing devotion—a cheap, pathetic tactic that men didn''t actually value.


    Men, she believed, wanted women who were beautiful, cultured, and from good families. Women who could advance their careers and be an asset on their arm.


    Not a decorative vase like Noreen, beautiful on the outside but empty within.


    To think... Noreen had also received an offer from WT Business School.


    How could Bianca not be shocked?


    Equally stunned was Henry. He had been walking with the group, as he was also invited to the dinner Provost Ferris was hosting for Professor William. He was the first one to spot Noreen, but he''d instinctively looked away, as if gued by guilt.


    He never expected the Provost to stop and chat with her, casually dropping this bombshell from her past.


    Before this moment, Henry''s opinion of Noreen had mirrored Bianca''s. He saw her as a woman with nothing to her name, who had wed her way to sess through unsavory means.


    But today, she had repeatedly shattered his perceptions.


    First, from his bystander''s perspective, he had judged her as an interloper in someone else''s rtionship. Then, just an hour ago, she had called him out directly, making him a witness as she revealed she was not the third party, but rather the victim.


    The moment she''d said his name, it felt like a boomerang had just hit him in the chest. It was especially sharp given that, less than an hour before, he had been sneering at her for being a homewrecker.


    That came back to bite him fast.


    Henry''s mind was a chaotic mess. And now, to find out she had also been epted into a top business school...


    His entire understanding of her was upended in an instant. He found he didn''t even have the courage to look at her.


    Noreen was oblivious to their inner turmoil, nor did she care. When the Provost mentioned it, she simply replied with a nonchnt, "Yes, that did happen."


    Provost Ferris sighed with genuine regret. "What a shame! Such a<fn75ad> Checktest chapters at ?ovelFind</fn75ad>


    fantastic offer. If you hadn''t given it up, you could be a doctor of finance by now Perhaps you would have even been Professor William''s student, and you and Miss Lowell would have been ssmates."


    How... unfortunate that would have been.


    Noreen just managed a faint smile.


    "Thinking about the timing, Miss Gilmore and Miss Lowell must have received their offers in the same year the Provost mused aloud, then sighed again. "And yet your paths turned out so differently."


    "Oh, by the way," he added suddenly, remembering the reason she had given up her studies, "have you and your boyfriend gotten married yet? You''ve been together for so many years, it must be about time, right?"


    Before Noreen could answer, ire jumped in, her words sharp and quick. "Nope.


    He turned out to be a heartless bastard. She gambled her future on him and wasted seven years of her youth."


    The Provost''s face darkened instantly, and he cursed with indignation. "What an absolute scoundrel!"


    ire nced at Seth''s icy expression, feeling a surge of satisfaction. "Tell me about it! He''s like a stray dog, goes home with whoever holds the leash."


    Bianca, who had been holding Seth''s arm, inexplicably let go. Realizing what she''d done, her expression flickered with annoyance. She found Noreen''s friend incredibly crass.