And by doing so, win Wade Harcourt''s approval for their marriage.


    Seth must have been nning this move for a long time. It wasn''t something that could be aplished overnight; it would have required at least six months of due diligence and preparation. This meant he''d been setting the stage for this moment ever since Bianca returned to the country.


    He was truly sparing no expense to marry her.


    The finance group chats were buzzing with discussion. There was envy and jealousy in equal measure.


    "How is Bianca so lucky? We run ourselves ragged, drink ourselves sick just to get a project off the ground, and it''s not even a fraction of what she gets. The gap between people is just insane, isn''t it?"


    "Well, you weren''t born lucky. If you had a high-ranking official for a father, a prestigious degree, and a devoted man like Mr. Harcourt, you could have it all too."


    "Winning the birth lottery is a skill. The rest of us should just resign ourselves to being worker drones."


    Noreen browsed the gossip for a bit before putting her phone down to focus on her work.


    Before she left the office, she received a message from Evelyn, saying a shipment of fresh seafood had been flown in and inviting her over for dinner. At the end, she specifically added that Noreen was the only one invited, pointedly excluding Seth.


    Noreen didn''t reply immediately. She called ire first to ask about her dinner ns. ire said she already had a date and told Noreen to fend for herself.


    "You have other friends in Rivercrest City?" Noreen teased. "Are you cheating on me?"


    "Rx, he''s gay. Your position is safe."


    "Fine, then."


    After work, Noreen drove directly to the Harcourt estate. The route from Winrich took her past Seth''s house. It was rush hour, and traffic was heavy. As she waited, Noreen nced out the window and was surprised to see a construction crew dismantling Seth''s house.


    She stared for a moment. He had only bought the house less than five years ago. It had taken three yearsz to renovate, and he had lived in it for less than two. In fact, since Seth was always traveling for business hed barely spent any time there. The house was practically brand new.


    And now he was tearing it down? Why? Did he have too much money and nowhere to spend it? Noreen couldn''t understand it.


    The puzzle was solved just as she neared the Harcourt estate, thanks to a call from Healy Naylor. He had just flown back into town and called Noreen immediately to ask her to dinner.


    "Some other time, maybe. Evelyn invited me over, and I''ve already epted," Noreen said, her cool tone a stark contrast to Healy''s enthusiasm.


    Healy could sense her deliberate distance, the way she was carefully drawing a line between them. It was frustrating, but he knew he could rush things in that case, please give my regards to Mr. Harcourt," he said instead.


    "Will do."


    "By the way," Healy added, a thought suddenly striking him, "is Seth


    staying at his parents'' ce these


    days?" He was really just trying to


    find out if Seth would also be at the dinner. <fnbd37> Latest content published on find{n}ovel</fnbd37>


    "I don''t know. I doubt it."


    "Then where is he staying? I heard they''re tearing down his house to build a new one for when he gets married."


    Noreen''s answer was the same. "I don''t know."


    Healy sensed she wasn''t in the mood for small talk and politely ended the call.


    So, he was rebuilding it as a matrimonial home. Was it because the original


    design was all based on her preferences, and it bothered him now?


    In that case, the money was well spent.


    Because it bothered her, too.