<b>Chapter </b><b>263 </b>
Noreen always kept her word.
As soon as Seth transferred the money, she epted it in a heartbeat and immediately blocked him–no hesitation, not even for a second.
Instead of making her anxious, Seth’s little phone call to “gather intel” left her more fired up than ever, pouring every ounce of energy into the project.
The week that followed was pure chaos–she barely had time to catch her breath<b>, </b>sprinting between Winrich, InnoCore, and the government offices in a relentless triangle.
With so many meetings and site visits, it was inevitable she’d bump into Bianca now and then. But neither woman acknowledged the other. They both treated each other like empty air.
She also crossed paths with Seth a few times, almost always when he was there to pick up Bianca. Noreen herself barely noticed; it was Matthew Cole who pointed it out.
“I heard Bianca’s really invested in the project–workingte every night, schmoozing at dinners, pulling out all the stops.”
“Mr. Harcourt seems pretty attentive too. He’s been at her side the whole time. He even set up a ce for her to nap in his office at Aurelion Group, so she can rest when she’s working overtime.”
Noreen couldn’t help but scoff internally.
A ce to nap? Sure. More like someone to nap with.
That so–called office “rest area“-she’d been the overtime queen at Aurelion Group for seven years
and had never so much as set foot in there.
What was it Seth used to say? He was worried about appearances. More like he was worried about maintaining his image as the devoted, faithful man.
And now? He could grandly announce to Bianca: “This little haven–you’re the only woman who’s ever slept here.” How perfectly possessive. Bianca must be swooning.
Noreen drifted for a moment, amused by the over–the–top romance novel ying out in her mind.
Matthew Cole shot her a puzzled look. “What’s so funny?”
She smiled. “Just thinking about something dirty that made meugh.”
Matthew looked perplexed. Dirty things could be funny? Had Ms. Gilmore finally lost it after too manyte nights?
“Oh, by the way, I ran into Bianca in the elevator this morning. She must’ve beening to TechVenture for due diligence.”
Since TechVenture and Winrich shared the same building, running into her wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Matthew mused, “I remember you used to handle that project, before she shut it down. Strange that she’s suddenly picked it back up.”
Noreen gave a half–smile. “She just loves picking through the trash.”
15:07
Matthew fell silent.
***
On the day of the bid opening, the weather was uncharacteristically bright–a rare treat in Rivercrest City.
Padgett Novak sent Noreen a video early that morning. He’d spotted a magpie outside his office and, thinking it was a good omen, recorded it for her, hoping it would bring her luck.
Noreen was surprised–she’d never pegged someone as straiced as Padgett as the superstitious type. Still, it was a nice thought. She appreciated the sentiment.
When she arrived at Winrich, Sophia greeted her with a breakfast delivery.
“Victory cake for you today! Eat this and you’re sure to win!”
“You’re superstitious too?” Noreen teased.
Sophia corrected her, “It’s not superstition–it’s a blessing!”
If it was a blessing, who was she to refuse? Though when she opened the box and saw the lopsided cake, she had to stifle augh. “You’re great at making soup and cooking dinner, but your baking could use some work.”
Sophia looked sheepish. “I did my best.”
“Thank you.” Noreen ate it anyway. It tasted better than it looked.
By 10 a.m., Noreen, Matthew Cole, and Carman arrived right on time at the government’s procurement center for the bid opening.
As they checked in, the Aurelion Group team swept in–making a grand entrance, a whole crowd bustling in together.
Jude was among them. Noreen couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ordered champagne this time. They made such a racket arriving that she nced over almost involuntarily. Judging by the rxed confidence on every face, they must’ve had a lot of faith in Bianca. <fn1ef9> Content originallyes from FindN()vel</fn1ef9>