Jude''s eyes widened in rm at his words.


    Seeing the look on his face, Seth knew what he was thinking. He closed his eyes. "I''m tired. Don''t bother me."


    Jude was speechless. He hadn''t even said anything.


    He rubbed his nose sheepishly and settled back into his chair, not daring to disturb Seth further. After all, the man was a fragile patient right now.


    Noreen returned to Rivercrest City on Friday, and this time, Sophia came to pick her up from the airport personally. Likely feeling guilty, Sophia was exceedingly cautious around her.


    Her behavior made Noreen feel a bit sorry for her.


    "We''ll put that incident behind us, but don''t let it happen again," Noreen told her inly.


    Sophia''s eyes instantly reddened. "Noreen, I''m so sorry. I promise it won''t ever happen again. Mr. Harcourt came by the other day to give me another lucky charm, and I refused it!"


    Noreen froze.


    So... the charm he had been praying for in the rain that day... had been for her?


    A wave of irritation washed over Noreen, and she instinctively pinched the bridge of her nose.


    Sophia bit her lip, hesitating for a long moment before deciding to confess everything.


    "Noreen, there are two more things I have to tell you."


    Sophia figured she might as well go all in. Working with Noreen all these years had expanded her horizons and given her valuable experience. It had also given her a deep understanding of Noreen and where her boundariesy. She had agonized over this decision, but she was ready to face the consequences, whether Noreen forgave her or not.


    "First, when you left Aurelion Group to start your ownpany, I resigned not long after and joined you at Winrich. I told you at the time that I couldn''t stand working at Aurelion anymore. That was a lie."


    Aurelion Group was an industry leader back then, apany people were desperate to get into. Sophia had fought tooth and nail for her position and would never have resigned so recklessly to join a tiny, unproven startup.


    Sophia lowered her gaze in shame. "It was Mr. Harcourt. He approached me and asked me to go to Winrich to help you. He said that since I''d been working with you for a while, I understood your habits, and it would be easier for you to have someone familiar around."


    "Why you?" Noreen asked,pletely baffled. She didn''t understand Seth, nor any of his actions.


    "I think Mr. Harcourt approached me because he saw that I was always on your side," Sophia said.


    "What''s the other thing? Just get it all out," Noreen said, struggling to process the bombshells Sophia was dropping.


    Sophia stammered, "After I became your assistant, I was always bringing you those nourishing soups, right? Well... I wasn''t the one who made them. Mr. Harcourt did." Noreen was at aplete loss for words.


    "There was a time when my hand was injured remember? You asked me what happened, and I said I''d cut it with a knife. That wasn''t true The truth is Mr. Harcourt told me he couldn''t make the meals for you anymore, and he said it was time for me to start learning."


    Thinking back, Sophia felt a wave of


    misery. During that period, she was ving away at Winrich all day, and then she had to go to Seth''s ce to ve away learning how to cook those special meals. For someone who had never stepped into a kitchen in her life, it was an unimaginable challenge. She''d nearly chopped her fingers off!


    To make matters worse, Seth was an incredibly strict teacher. Every single dish had to taste exactly like his before he would approve. She nearly went insane learning to Cook The only saving grace was that Mr. Harcourt paid very well. Otherwise, she never would have made it through.


    After Sophia finished, a heavy silence filled the car. Her heart leaped into her throat.


    Noreen didn''t speak. Instead, she turned to look out the window. She didn''t know what to say. Her mind was aplete mess.


    From beginning to end, she couldn''t fathom why Seth had done any of it.