Noreen was no longer surprised by his choices. Since they had reached an agreement, she stood up crisply. "Then I wish you and Ms. Lowell a long and happy future together."


    Seth''s eyes crinkled at the corners. "Thank you," he said, his tone deliberately casual.


    When they returned to the dining room, Bianca and Mr. Galloway were deep in conversation.


    "I can''t believe we''re both alumni!" Bianca was saying. "That definitely calls for a toast."


    Mr. Galloway chuckled. "It certainly does."


    Seth sat down beside Bianca. "What are you two so happy about?"


    "Mr. Galloway also studied at WT Business School," Bianca shared excitedly. "We''re practically ssmates. Isn''t that a coincidence, Seth?"


    "It certainly is," he agreed, before adding gently, "But you shouldn''t drink. Haven''t you been feeling unwell thest couple of days?"


    Mr. Galloway sighed wistfully. "I''ve always heard you two were very close, and now I see it''s true."


    Bianca blushed prettily. "You''re too kind, Mr. Galloway."<fnbc95> Fresh chapters posted on f?ndnovel</fnbc95>


    "Not at all. It''s a wonderful thing." Mr. Galloway then turned to Noreen, his expression curious about the oue of their negotiation.


    Noreen cut straight to the chase. "Mr. Galloway, perhaps we can work together another time."


    He understood immediately. "Of course! Let''s just consider this an opportunity to be friends." Seeing her about to leave, he added, "Since you''re here, Ms. Gilmore, why don''t you join us for dinner?"


    "Thank you, but I have other matters to attend to. Please, enjoy your meal."


    As Noreen walked away, Bianca''s lips curved into a triumphant smile. Seth might have had some admiration for Noreen in the past, but that''s all it ever was. The only person he truly cared for was her. Noreen was no threat at all.


    Padgett Novak somehow got wind of Noreen''s decision to pause InnoCore''s IPO and rushed over to Winrich to find out what was going on. Noreen was surprised. She had just made the deal with Seth yesterday; how did he know already?


    "How did you hear about this?" she asked.


    Padgett frowned. "I didn''t have to ''hear'' about it. It''s the talk of the town."


    "What are they saying?" Noreen had been too busy with the Centribo acquisition to pay attention to gossip.


    "Everyone''s buzzing about the


    High-Temperature


    Superconductivity project," Padgett exined with a sigh. "Ms. Lowell has been making wavestely. Mr. Harcourt has been introducing her to his


    s''entirework, taking her to one business dinner after another. I ran into themst night, and Ms. Lowell happened to mention that Sylvan Core Technologies dropped InnoCore to go with herpany, PerseTech."


    The implication was clear. Anyone at that dinner would assume Sylvan Core had dropped InnoCore because something was wrong with thepany. No wonder Padgett hade running. Bianca was using InnoCore as a stepping stone to elevate PerseTech. Cunning.


    "Was Mr. Harcourt there when she said that?" Noreen asked, her voice carefully neutral.


    Padgett nodded. "Yes, he was."


    So, Seth had been present and said nothing, tacitly allowing Bianca to spread the


    rumor.


    "InnoCore hasn''t paused its IPO ns," Noreen rified for Padgett. "We''ve only ended our potential partnership with Sylvan Core Technologies."


    Padgett let out a breath he didn''t realize he was holding. "So, there''s nothing wrong with thepany?"


    "No. InnoCore is doing just fine."


    "That''s a relief," he said, this time for her sake.


    The next day, Noreen flew to Glenhaven Gity to give Mrs. Joyner the news about the sessful Centribo merger. She found the old woman lying in her hospital bed, frail and gaunt. Mrs. Joyner clutched the agreement in her thin hands and finally modded, a look of satisfaction on her face. "Thank you for all your hard work."


    "It was nothing," Noreen said softly. "You just focus on getting better. You still have


    to be there to ring the bell when Centribo goes public."


    Mrs. Joyner only smiled, offering no reply.


    The following morning, just as Noreen''s ne touched down in Rivercrest City,


    she got a call from Castle Joyner. His voice was hollow with grief. "Awan is gone."


    Noreen''s heart plummeted.


    ***