Now, she’d lost every shred of dignity she had.


    Forrest, on the other hand, was no stranger to public spectacle. Even in a situation like this<b>, </b>he managed to keep hisposure far better than Yvonne.


    “Let’s go,” he murmured, shielding her as they stood.


    Yvonne had been itching to leave for ages. The moment Forrest spoke, she grabbed her coat and


    hurried out with him.


    There were only a handful of guests at the main table. With the couple gone, it was just Jude and


    Seth left behind.


    Jude still hadn’t processed what had happened. He sat there, dazed, utterly bewildered.


    He had no idea what was going on.


    Meanwhile, Seth walked up onto the stage amid a flurry of whispers, gently taking the microphone from Bianca and stepping protectively in front of her to shield her from anyone trying to snap a photo.


    “Sorry, everyone,” Seth said, his voice steady, “Director Lowell’s been working under a lot of pressuretely and isn’t feeling her best. I’ll take over the rest of tonight’s program.”


    The mood in the room shifted again.


    Everyone already knew Seth and Bianca were close–rumor had it their rtionship went far beyond friendship. And with talk swirling about a possible marriage alliance between the Lowells and the Harcourts, this was the kind of news that made waves among Rivercrest’s elite.


    The Lowell family, thanks to this connection, had be the toast of Rivercrest.


    Seth’s appearance on stage, and the way he looked after Bianca, only fueled the rumors further.


    So what if Bianca had made a bit of a scene tonight? With Seth on her side, it barely mattered.


    Despite the curiosity–people were itching to slip next door to catch a glimpse of the business tycoons, or maybe sniff out a new business opportunity–no one dared leave just yet.


    After all, no one wanted to cross Seth.


    So, the celebration wasn’tpletely deserted. Still, it was clear that everyone’s mind was elsewhere.


    Some made excuses to sneak out, calling their assistants and urging them to get over to the neighboring event as quickly as possible, fearful they’d miss out on something big.


    Others secretly pulled up InnoCore’s livestream on their phones right there at the party.


    Jude was among them. He just couldn’t help himself–he desperately wanted to know what was happening.


    The moment he saw the number of viewers on InnoCore’s livestream top ten million, he thought his eyes were ying tricks on him.


    <b>1/2 </b>


    <b>17:37 </b>


    Jude’s shock wasn’t unfounded–he’d once partnered with friends to start an influencer agency, even poaching a few top–tier inte personalities at great expense. Despite pouring a fortune into marketing, he’d never seen numbers like these.


    And it’s not like Noreen had the money to fake the stats.


    So this was the real deal. Genuine numbers, every single one.


    But that wasn’t all.


    On one of the split screens, Jude spotted two familiar faces–Dn and Healy, sitting together in the second row, focused on the speaker at the front.


    So that’s why they hadn’t answered his calls–they were at InnoCore’sunch event!


    Unbelievable.


    But that wasn’t even the most shocking thing.


    In the front row sat a lineup of heavyweights, each more influential than thest. The entire Rivercrest Chamber of Commerce was there, with Wade himself presiding.


    Even government officials had shown up.


    And there, seated right in the center, was the very person Jude had always looked down on–Noreen.


    She was right in the spotlight, surrounded by the city’s most powerful.


    Jude was so stunned, he didn’t even notice Bianca hade down from the stage.


    He forgot to lock his phone screen, and Bianca caught a glimpse.


    Already humiliated, her expression turned even paler.


    A suffocating sense of shame pressed down on her.


    Jude fumbled, hastily snapping his phone shut, but in his panic, he knocked over his ss of <i>expensive </i>champagne.


    He’d never even had a sip–the whole thing spilled across the table.


    “Let me see,” <i>Bianca </i>said, her voice trembling.


    Jude didn’t dare show her. He stammered, “I–I was just, uh, watching a… a borderline stream. Not really something you’d want <i>to </i>see.”


    <b>17.37 </b>