Noreen didn''t respond much, merely ncing at her watch.
It was already one in the morning, hardly the time for a reunion.
Healy caught on and quickly said, "It''s gettingte. You should get some rest. See you tomorrow!"
Noreen gave a polite nod in response.
As she turned to leave, her room key slipped from her hand.
She bent to pick it up, but Healy was a step ahead of her, retrieving the key and handing it back.
"Thank you," Noreen said courteously as she took it.
"Of course."
Only after Noreen had walked away did Healy slowly lower his hand.
His gaze fell to his fingers, where a faint warmth lingered.
He instinctively clenched his fist, as if trying to hold onto that fleeting sensation.
The Northcrest Venture Capital Conference was thergest of its kind in the country, boasting the highest amount of capital raised.
The participating projects were all carefully vetted, and with strong government support, their prospects for growth were exceptional.
This was why Noreen had returned to attend.
Noreen arrived at the conference on time, assuming that after three years out of the public eye, few would recognize her.
She couldn''t have been more wrong. The moment she arrived, she was identified.
A crowd quickly formed around her, with people eagerly greeting her and trying to start conversations.
It took Noreen a long time to manage the crowd, and it was only as the conference was about to begin that people started to disperse.
Sophia handed Noreen a ss of water.
After a few sips, Noreen sighed. "I really thought no one would know who I was."
Sophia reminded her, "You have no idea how famous you are."
She wasn''t exaggerating.
Winrich Capital had long been at the pinnacle of the industry, an absolute benchmark for everyone else.
Its every move sent ripples through the entire sector.
Even after a three-year absence from the public stage, Noreen''s unshakable
position in the industry had not diminished in the slightest.
To put it dramatically, it seemed there was no one in their world who didn''t know Ms. Gilmore.
Just as Noreen took her seat, the conference officially began.
The person presiding over the meeting was another familiar face.
It was Padgett Novak, whom she hadn''t seen in a long time.
The past three years had given him an even moreposed and mature air.
A brief silence fell over the hall as Padgett Novak entered.
His eyes scanned the room and immediately found Noreen. A slight
disturbed the calm do liet
"ckerd
bis gaze.
When Noreen looked his way, he gave her a subtle nod.
Noreen nodded back in acknowledgment.
of
Only then did Padgett Novak walk to the main podium to deliver his
fevel.ne
opening address releasing Suneo
key
policies and an industry white paper:
Padgett should have been incredibly busy, given the importance of the conference.
Yet, he still managed to find a moment to meet with Noreen.
They didn''t get to say much, but Padgett had been the one to initiate the conversation.
He was simply too in-demand.
Too many people were vying for his attention.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, Padgett was called away again.
After that, another opportunity never presented itself.
Healy, on the other hand, seized every chance he could to get close to Noreen.
Unfortunately, Noreen was just as busy, surrounded by people wanting to speak with her.
So he didn''t get to talk to her much either.
Toward thetter half of the conference, Castle Joyner arrived.
After a brief chat with Padgett Novak, he walked straight over to Noreen.
"Katy came with me. How about we all have dinner together after the conference ends?"
"Okay," Noreen agreed.
She hadn''t seen Katy in a while and wouldn''t pass up such a rare opportunity.
Standing nearby, Healy heard the exchange and cursed himself for ot
asking herto dinner fisket
Son
had beaten him to it.
As his mother would say, he was always a dayte and a dor short.