Bianca didn''t see Henry''s reply until after she had finished her shower. It had been a long time—a full eight hours, longer than ever before. But she didn''t overthink it, assuming he was just busy. She knew how infatuated he was with her.


    She didn''t reply immediately. Instead, she methodically dried her hair before picking up her phone. With a man like Henry-wealthy, aloof, and with almost no dating experience-one couldn''t be too eager, nor too cold. A delicate bnce of hot and cold was key.


    "Have you been busytely?" she typed, starting with a show of concern rather than getting straight to the point.


    This time, Henry''s reply was instant.


    "It''s been okay. What''s up?"


    "I was just thinking I should treat you to dinner. I''ve been meaning to for a while, but never found the time."


    "Next time you''re in Rivercrest City, let''s have dinner then."


    Bianca agreed readily, then smoothly transitioned to her real topic. "I ran into Padgett Novak at the government building today," she began. "I remember you and him are quite close, right? You''ve known each other since you were kids?"


    "Yeah, we used to be neighbors."


    Perfect. She had found the right person.


    "Padgett''s family background must be quite impressive, right?" Bianca probed. "He''s only in his thirties and already a director. That kind of promotion seems unlikely without family connections."


    Henry considered for a moment before replying. "He didn''t rely on his family. He got where he is on his own." Padgett''s family was a sensitive topic, so he only revealed what he could.<fnc7e8> Updates are released by Find?Novel</fnc7e8>


    Bianca was smart. She immediately understood what he wasn''t saying and knew her suspicions were correct. pang of regret hit her She shouldn''t have cut ties with Padgett so abruptly, making things so awkward between them. Now, he was quite cold to her, and she knew that kind of slight was hard for a man to forget.


    But what bothered her more right now was that Noreen also seemed to have her sights on Padgett. Noreen must have figured out he had connections, which was why she was trying so hard to get close to him. Why else would she be constantly running to the government offices?


    She had underestimated Noreen.


    But it didn''t matter. Padgett''s interest in Noreen was likely just a fleeting fancy. A man from his kind of family would never seriously consider a woman with Noreen''s background.


    Still, as she chatted with Henry, she casually dropped a few key pieces of information.


    "I saw Padgett with Noreen at the government offices today. They seemed really close. Do you think they''re dating?" She even added a shocked emoji to sell it.


    Henry''s brow furrowed. He had already warned Padgett about this. Why was he still so close to Noreen? But it was Padgett''s business, so he couldn''t say much. "I don''t know," he replied.


    After a pause, he added, "It''s probably impossible." Padgett had told him Noreen was still hurt from herst rtionship and was resistant to starting a new one.


    Bianca, however, interpreted his words differently. She thought he meant the gap between Noreen and Padgett was too wide for a rtionship to be possible.


    She scoffed lightly. "I agree. It seems very unlikely."


    The mention of Noreen''s name


    .n


    naturally brought Henry''s mind back to what he''d witnessed at the university The issue had beer weighing on him for a while, and after much thought, he decided he needed to know the truth.


    "Senior," he typed, mustering his courage, "there''s something I''ve been wanting to


    ask you. Were you really the third party between Seth and Noreen?"


    In his mind, Bianca had always been an unattainable goddess, far too noble to ever be a homewrecker.