Chapter <b>232 </b>
Bianca’s face turned pale. “So what do we do now?”
Seth considered for a moment before answering, “I’ll go talk to Noreen in person about the Ascendancy Group. Things haven’t blown up publicly yet, so there’s still plenty of room to negotiate.”
He paused, frowning slightly. “As for SkyMind, let’s see if we can settle things privately. If this really goes to court, a lot of people could go down with it.”
On Monday, Noreen went to Carman Holt’s studio for a meeting, and unexpectedly ran into Bianca near the lobby downstairs.
Bianca saw her too. Her expression cooled, and she quickly looked away.
Sophia Cole leaned in, whispering to Noreen, “What’s she doing here?”
“Probably here to see Carman,” Noreen guessed.
Her hunch was soon confirmed.
Carman exined that Bianca had tried every way she could think of to get in touch, wanting to talk about the SkyMind infringement case.
He’d turned her down every time, telling her to go through Noreen directly.
Apparently, Bianca’s pride wouldn’t let her do it, so Noreen had never received any messages.
Now Carman wanted to know how Noreen nned to handle things.
“Taking it to court is thest resort,” Noreen said. “It’s time–consuming and exhausting. If we can talk it out, we should, but… she’s not qualified to negotiate with me.”
“You mean you want Seth toe to the table?” Carman asked. “Will he actually show up?”
Noreen’s expression was cool. “That depends on how much Bianca matters to him.”
If Seth cared about Bianca as much as everyone thought, swallowing his pride for her sake was the least he could do.
Honestly, Noreen had to thank Bianca. If Seth hadn’t paved the way for her, Bianca would never have had a shot at partnering with the Ascendancy Group. When they signed, every use in the contract favored Winrich and InnoCore. That’s exactly why Noreen felt so confident sending Seth that legal notice.
“I’m not great at this kind of thing,” Carman said, as always siding with Noreen. “You call the shots.”
Noreen and Carman talked for over an hour. When she headed downstairs, Bianca was still there, waiting patiently.
While Sophia went to get the car, Seth arrived to pick Bianca up.
He got out himself, gently opening the car door for her with all the tenderness in the world.
Watching the scene, Noreen figured it wouldn’t be long before Seth came looking for her.
13:02
Chapter <b>232 </b>
Turns out, it was even sooner than she’d thought.
That evening, just as she got home, Seth’s call came through.
Noreen didn’t answer. She didn’t n to.
She was off the clock.
Who takes work calls after hours these days? She wasn’t the pushover she used to be.
She tossed her phone onto the couch and headed for the shower.
By the time she was done, there were six missed calls and three messages from Seth. Noreen ignored them all, turned off her phone, and went to bed without a care.
The next morning, she arrived at Winrich early and found Seth already waiting.
He’d beaten her in, and he wasn’t even driving the same car he’d used to pick up Bianca, but the old silver Maybach from before.
Noreen didn’t slow down for him. She walked straight past, heading inside.
Seth hurried to catch up, following her all the way to Winrich’s doors. When he saw she still had no intention of acknowledging him, he had no choice but to speak up. “Can we talk?” <fn891c> The source of th?s content is find·novel</fn891c>
“Sure,” Noreen replied, not missing a beat.
But before Seth could say anything else, she reminded him, “Don’t forget to make an appointment with my assistant.”
“I’ll do it right now<i>,</i><i>” </i>Seth said, surprisingly cooperative.
Noreen turned to Sophia. “Check my schedule.”
Sophia flipped through the calendar. “You’re fully booked. First avable slot is a week from now.”
Noreen looked at Seth, her tone cool and unhurried. “In that case, Mr. Harcourt, pleasee back in
a week.”