No matter how bitter she felt, Bianca hadn''t forgotten why she was here tonight.


    Suppressing her jealousy, she walked directly toward Noreen.


    As she drew near, she was about to call out.


    Suddenly, a crowd of people rushed out from the side.


    They were carrying cameras and equipment, swarming toward Noreen.


    Caught off guard, Bianca was knocked to the ground.


    In the momentary chaos, something hard struck her across the face, making her


    eyes water with pain.


    Someone was apologizing to her.


    "I''m so sorry, I didn''t mean to."


    It was a cameraman, and he was carrying a tripod.


    It was the tripod that had hit her.


    The cameraman apologized sincerely and offered a hand to help her up.


    He then said, "You look really familiar."


    Bianca immediately turned her face away. "I''m fine."


    Seeing that she wasn''t seriously hurt, the cameraman''s attention shifted back to his


    job. He was in a hurry to get a good spot to interview Noreen.


    After he left, Bianca breathed a sigh of relief.


    Thank goodness he hadn''t recognized her.


    She had seen the press pass hanging around his neck; he was from a major financial news channel.


    If he had recognized her, she would have been in trouble.


    The scandal over her academic fraud hadn''t died down yet, and Bianca had been avoiding the media, hoping the story would eventually fade from public memory.


    The side of her face where the tripod had hit her throbbed with pain, but she had no time to check the injury. Her eyes were fixed on Noreen.


    The group of reporters had quickly surrounded Noreen, firing questions at her one after another.


    She was handling them with poise.


    A momentter, Professor Joyner and his colleagues came out. Seeing Noreen


    being interviewed, they all came over to show their support.


    Halley rarely spoke to the media, but this time, he was willing to make an appearance for Noreen''s sake.


    It was clear how highly he regarded her.


    Moreover, all the reporters were from major mainstream media outlets. A quick nce revealed dozens of them.


    There were even some from Northcrest!


    The day she went to Rivercrest


    Universit


    to check her scores,


    vel


    Yvonne had also arranged for


    reporter from a financial channel to be there content belongs


    But it had taken pulling a lot of strings just to get one.


    And yet, Noreen had all of this so easily.


    Bianca could only watch as Noreen was showered with praise, surrounded by industry titans and a circle of admirers.


    How utterly glorious.


    It only made her own situation seem all the more pathetic.


    Halley, feeling for Noreen after a long night of socializing, kept hisments brief and ended the interview.


    Once the reporters had dispersed, Noreen was finally free to leave.


    Bianca seized her chance and called out, "Noreen, we need to talk."


    Noreen turned her head. Seeing it was Bianca, the smile in her eyes faded slightly.


    "I don''t think we have anything to talk about."


    To her, the current Ascendancy Group held very little value.


    When Bianca had poached her lead underwriter, Seth had already made a


    concession by giving her Ascendancy Group''s resources.


    Being rejected again and again, Bianca''s resentment toward Noreen reached its breaking point.


    She was so used to being on top that she forgot she was the one asking for a favor. Her words came out sharp and confrontational.


    "Noreen, I expect you to be


    professional and keep your personal and business life separate. Don''t let personal grudges interfere with your work. I unfair


    Even now, Bianca was convinced that Noreen was deliberately shunning her out of jealousy for having won Seth''s heart.


    Noreen, who had been about to


    leave,


    as shaped. Her gaze turned looked at Bianca, a frosold


    chill creeping into her beautiful e