"You think I didn''t try?" Seth''s voice was even more wistful. He had spent several days searching theke back then. He ended up sick for over half a month afterward. The weather then wasn''t as mild as it was now, and the water had been bone-chillingly cold. In the end, he had found nothing.


    It took a great deal of persuasion from Jude to finally get Seth to leave thekeside.


    "Seth, if you''re not staying at the Harcourt estate, where are you living? If you don''t have a ce, you can stay with me." That way, he could keep an eye on him.


    But Seth refused without a second thought. "I have a ce."


    "Huh? Where could you possibly live?" After all, all of his known assets had been seized, including his former marital home.


    Seth''s only answer was the sight of his car speeding away.


    Jude muttered to himself, "So where exactly are you living?"


    Noreen had just returned to thepany and was swamped with work, spending a solid week in back-to-back meetings.


    Sophia knocked and came in to ask about the arrangements for thepany''s relocation. Winrich Tower had beenpleted in the first half of the year, and some departments had already moved in. However, Noreen''s office had remained at the old location, so the official move-in celebration had been postponed. Everything revolved around her.


    "Just follow the original n." Over the years, Sophia had be more than capable of handling things on her own, and Noreen had given her full authority over many matters.


    "In that case, we should probably keep this office for you. This location will still be a Winrich branch, so it''ll be convenient for you when you''re here on business," Sophia suggested.


    Noreen had no objection. She was quite fond of the ce. It was, after all, where her new life had begun, and it held a special significance. Besides she loved the decor, which was why she had chosen it in the first ce. More importantly, she felt it brought her good luck.


    "By the way, you were the one who signed the original lease with thendlord. It should be expiring soon, so we need to contact them about a renewal," Sophia reminded her.


    Noreen pulled the old lease agreement from a file cab and called thendlord to discuss renewing the contract.


    To her surprise, thendlord soundedpletely baffled. "Didn''t you sign a 20-year lease from the start?"


    "That''s impossible!" Noreen denied it immediately. The price had been a good deal, but back then, she didn''t have much capital and was


    uncertain if thepany won


    even survive. So she had only signed for five years, not daring tomit to a long-term contract. She


    remembered it very clearly.


    But thendlord was adamant. "I''m positive it was for 20 years! The rent was quite high-thirty percent more. than other properties in the area. S when you offered to pay for all 20 years upfront, my whole family agreed. We used that money to buy several other office spaces. Are you sure you''re not mistaken?"


    "Could you please send me a copy of the lease agreement?" Noreen realized there was a major discrepancy.


    Thendlord agreed. A few minutester, Noreen received a digital copy of the lease. She scrolled through it, page by page, confirming that the terms were exactly as thendlord had described.


    It was a 20-year lease. The rent was not only much higher than she remembered, but it had been paid in full, upfront.


    But the real shock came at the very end, with the signature.


    It wasn''t her name.


    It was the name Evelyn Fowler.


    And as it happened, Noreen knew exactly who that was.