But she was a bit allergic to romance these days, so she quickly looked away after a brief nce.
Since it was her birthday, she had tomemorate it somehow.
Noreen asked a waiter to take a photo of the three of them and posted it to Twitter with a simple caption.
[Happy birthday to me.]
Just after she posted, she saw a tweet from the user named Frost right below her
own.
He had also included a picture.
It was a photo of fireworks exploding in the night sky.
But what surprised Noreen was his caption.
Happy birthday.
Someone actually shared her birthday.
Then again, it wasn''t that unusual.
So Noreen just nced at it before turning off her phone to focus on having dinner with Rosalind and Katy.
She had promised Rosalind she would spend the day with her, with no work interruptions.
Rivercrest City.
Bianca was counting the days in the detention center.
Life inside was unbearable.
Though only four days had passed, each day felt like a year.
She couldn''t imagine, let alone ept, the possibility that she might have to go to prison.
Every time a guard walked by or delivered a meal, she would ask if she had any visitors today.
But every time, the answer was no.
This couldn''t be right.
Seth wouldn''t just abandon her!
The situation must be tricky, and he needed some time to pull some strings.
Yes, that had to be it.
Bianca kept telling herself to stay calm, to be patient.
She had to have faith in Seth.
He loved her so much. He would definitely, absolutelye to save her!
Finally, on the fifth day, a guard came to her cell door. "Bianca, you have a visitor."
Bianca''s heart leaped with joy.
She knew Seth woulde.
She even tried to fix her hair, not wanting Seth to see her in such a disheveled state.
But with the limited resources in the detention center, no amount of primping made a difference.
Bianca felt a pang of frustration.
Impatiently, the guard urged her to hurry up and not waste time. She quickly rushed out of the cell.
Before entering the visitation room, Bianca''s heart was fluttering with anxiety.
She wanted to act calm, to not worry Seth.
She took a deep breath before pushing the door open.
As she did, she called out, "Seth, you must have been so busy these past few days, haven''t you?"
Only after her words had left her lips did she see the person sitting across from her. "What are you doing here?"
Henry Brooke leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with scrutiny and contempt.
He must have heard what she just said, because his tone was mocking. "Were you expecting Seth?"
Bianca''s eyes darkened, and she turned to leave.
She didn''t want to see Henry.
And she certainly didn''t want Henry to see her like this.
She knew he wasn''t here to see her; he was here to kick her while she was down.
"Don''t you want to know why Seth hasn''te to see you?"
Henry spoke casually, just as she was about to step out the door.
Bianca froze.
After a long moment of internal struggle, she returned to the room and sat down across from Henry.
Only a barred window separated them.
Henry''s lips curled into a cold smile.
His gaze made Bianca deeply ufortable.
But she had to endure the humiliation of his scorn. Her hands, resting on herp,
clenched into tight fists. "What do you want to say?"
"Three days ago, Winrich and Aether Entertainment went public on the Glenhaven City Stock Exchange. was there in person to watch the ceremony. She''s truly brilliant."
Bianca''s face fell instantly. Her clenching fingers went numb, and her body trembled with restraint. "I don''t want to hear about that!"
"Isn''t that what you once desperately wanted?" Henry mocked her, his expression
grim.
"Just tell me, why hasn''t Sethe?" Bianca knew she was losing herposure, but she no longer cared about her image.
Every second in this ce was torture. She was being driven mad.
She just wanted to get out of here! Immediately!
"Do you know why William suddenly confessed to your affair?" Henry still didn''t
answer her question directly.
Bianca stared at him, her eyes bloodshot. "Why?"
She had been involved with William for five years; she knew what kind of man he
was.
Otherwise, she wouldn''t have so freely engaged in those depraved games with him.
"I beat him up." Henry leaned back slightly, a half-smile on his face that radiated a fierce intimidation.
"After I confirmed that you
giarized your senior''s thesis, the
first thing thought of were all those papers you''d published. So I flew to the university to confront William. The man is quite devoted to you. He wouldn''t talk no matter what S? 1, So beat him to a pulp until he was on the floor begging for mercy. That''s when he finally confessed everything about your affair."
Henry paused, then sneered, "That old man feally cared for you. Even in that state, he refused to provide any solid evidence. So Thad to go after the people around him. That''s how I got the evidence from his wife."
"You''re really... not picky. You could even bring yourself to sleep with an old man like
that."
He had seen the videos beforehand.
Even now, the memory of them made him sick to his stomach.
And to think he had been in love with such a filthy woman for four years.
The feeling was like swallowing a rat dropping. It made him physically repulsed.
Bianca''s eyes burned, and even her insides were trembling.
"Stealing a degree, giarizing a thesis, sleeping with an old man in his fifties for fame and fortune, stringing along every man who could be useful to you..."
"Is there any dirty deed you wouldn''t do?"
Henry''s gaze was sharp, as if he could see right through her.
In that moment, Bianca''s eyes flickered, unable to meet his.
Just as she was on the verge of breaking down.
Henry''s lips curled into a sneer as he told her with absolute certainty, "You''re not
even fit to tie Noreen''s shoes."