Bianca, who had been silent until then, finally posted after Seth. "We haven''t all gotten together in ages. We should have a reunion now that you''re back in Rivercrest."


    Jude was the first to jump on board. "I''m in! I''m free whenever!"


    Healy and Dn, feeling obligated, also agreed.


    Afterwards, Bianca sent a private message to Jude, asking if he wanted to invest


    in the high-temperature superconductivity project. Jude, who usually followed


    Seth''s lead without question, was uncharacteristically hesitant.


    "Bianca, I really want to, but you know I don''t have a say at Seymour Group. It''s not my decision to make."


    Bianca''s eyes darkened. She adopted the tone of a concerned friend. "Don''t forget, Seymour Group''s name is Wilder, not Gilmore."


    ...


    As soon as there was a slight bit of progress with the acquisition, Noreen immediately called Mrs. Joyner to report. This time, however, it was Castle Joyner who answered the phone.


    He told Noreen that his mother was in the hospital.


    Noreen''s heart sank.


    "You know something about her condition, don''t you?" Castle asked.


    "She told me it was breast cancer," Noreen replied, her voice heavy.


    "That''s not the whole story. She has a severe heart condition, which means she can''t have surgery."


    Noreen''s mind went nk. No wonder. No wonder Mrs. Joyner had said she didn''t have much time left. She wanted to say something-words offort, of encouragement-but they all got stuck in her throat.


    "Centribo is thest thing she''s holding on for. Please, Noreen. I''m counting on you," Castle pleaded.<fnf208> This update is avable on Find_Novel(.</fnf208>


    "Okay," Noreen choked out.


    The call left her reeling, and she couldn''t shake the feeling of dread. She was still sitting in a daze when ire finally came home.


    She had been gone for three days.


    ire tiptoed in, clearly feeling


    guilty. The living room was dark, as Noreen had been sitting on


    Weinfe


    balcony without the lights on. Thinking Noreen was asleep, ffe breathed a sigh of relief.


    Just as she was about to sneak to her room, Noreen''s voice cut through the


    darkness. "Spill it. Where have you been messing around?"


    "God, you scared me!" ire jumped, her heart pounding. She was already on edge, and Noreen''s sudden voice nearly gave her a heart attack.


    Noreen flicked on the light, her eyes


    sharp and scrutinizing. The intensity of her gaze made ire shrink, but she stuck to her story. "I wasnt messing around. I was with


    me


    grandma, praying at the monastery


    in Southmont."  s?novels


    "Grandma? I''ve never heard you mention a grandma before," Noreen said, skeptical.


    "My neighbor grandma." It wasn''t aplete lie; she used to be her neighbor. To prove it, she pulled out a blessed charm. "See? I got one for you too."


    The charm looked familiar; Noreen had one just like it in her car.


    ire put on a pitiful expression. "My knees are all scraped up from praying for


    this. And instead of feeling sorry for me, you''re interrogating me!"


    Noreen didn''t reply, simply turned and walked away.


    "Where are you going? Are you abandoning me?"


    "To get the first-aid kit."


    "Oh." ire''s mood brightened instantly. She flopped onto the sofa,


    waiting for Noreen to tend to her


    wounds As Noreen dabbed at her


    scraped knees, ire hissed


    "Gently! That hurts!"


    "Why do you even do this? Kneeling on ny-nine steps at this time of year to


    get a charm? Are you trying to ruin your knees?"


    "Hey," ire said, surprised, "how did you know it was ny-nine steps?"


    Noreen fell silent.


    ire''s expression soured. "That jerk Seth is really something else," she muttered.


    Noreen motioned for her to switch legs, but as she did, she noticed a suspicious mark high on ire''s inner thigh. "How did you get that red mark on your thigh?"