The thought had crossed Bianca''s mind before, especially after seeing how closely Seth was following Noreen''s progress, even offering to help with InnoCore''s IPO. Now that Yvonne had said it aloud, their minds were perfectly aligned.


    "When is Dading back to Rivercrest City?" Bianca asked.


    "Next week."<fn607c> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? FιndNovel</fn607c>


    "I remember Dad is good friends with that old family friend of his at the SEC, right? Ask him to have a word," Bianca schemed.


    Yvonne nodded, having already considered it. "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of that. But you have something much more important to do. Right now, everyone is wondering if Noreen will break Seth''s record for the fastest IPO. If you can beat her to it, you''ll stun everyone-including Wade. If you pull this off, you''ll leapfrog right over her and stage the most brillianteback."


    Noreen spent the weekend at the hospital with Rosalind for a series of follow-up tests, including a painless colonoscopy. Noreen had instructed Sophia to book the appointment a month in advance, but the nurse in the VIP wing informed her they could have done it without a reservation. The suite came with priority ess to all procedures. It was so convenient that Noreen briefly considered keeping a VIP suite on retainer, given Rosalind''s recurring health issues.


    After the procedure, as Noreen was wheeling Rosalind back to her room, their path was blocked by a crowd of people in the corridor. A nurse went to investigate. "A patient is causing a scene," she reported back. "Something about cutting in line. Security is on their way to clear the area. We''ll just have to wait a minute."


    Since the tests were done, Noreen didn''t mind waiting. The hospital staff was efficient, and within a couple of minutes, the onlookers had dispersed. Through the thinning crowd, Noreen spotted Bianca and her mother their faces flushed with anger. Their usual polished elegant appearances were gone. Their hair was a mess, and their designer clothes were torn and disheveled.


    Bianca was in a particrly sorry state. Her skirt was ripped all the way up to her thigh, and she was clutching her handbag in front of her to avoid beingpletely exposed.


    Yvonne was arguing with a hospital manager, insisting the other party had started the fight.


    "You''re the ones who have no


    manners, cutting the line!" the other


    patient shot back, refusing to back


    down "We''ve been waiting here Since early this morning! Then you two show up, iming your son-inw owns the hospital, and demand to go first. On what grounds?"


    Others in the line chimed in, backing up the user. The manager, looking stressed, tried to cate the crowd before turning to Yvonne. "Ma''am, there is a queue. Trying to bypass it is bound to cause conflict."


    Yvonne was about to argue further when Bianca caught sight of Noreen. Her expression froze, a flicker of humiliation crossing her face. She grabbed her mother''s arm and pulled her away. "Mom, let''s go back," she hissed, desperate to escape Noreen''s gaze.


    1.n


    Yvonne noticed Noreen then, too, her face twisting in annoyance. Without another word, she allowed Bianca to lead her back to their roomust as they arrived, kana walked in and stopped short staring at their disheveled state. "What on earth happened to you two? You look like you''ve been through a war."