Chapter 486

What else could it be? When it came to Bianca, of course he would rush.
Noreen’s mind was elsewhere. She continued consulting with Wade, and by the time she left his suite, the sky had grown dark. She had an important meeting first thing in the morning, so she stopped by Rosalind’s room to let her know she was leaving. Then she checked in with the nurse on duty to confirm when the remaining test results would be ready for pickup.
As she stood at the nurses’ station, Bianca and Seth walked by.
“Seth, thank you for all the trouble you went to for my mother,” Bianca was saying.
Seth’s tone was uncharacteristically gentle. “It was no trouble at all. Your problems are my problems. You should have told me sooner, then your mother wouldn’t have had to suffer.”
A warmth spread through Bianca’s chest, and she instinctively looped her arm through his. “I was afraid of disturbing your work, so I didn’t want to keep calling.”
“Don’t ever hesitate. If you need anything, just tell me.”
The VIP wing was so quiet that their conversation carried clearly to Noreen’s ears. She felt nothing, simply noting the pickup times the nurse gave her in her phone.
“We can collect the results for you,” the nurse told her kindly. “Miss Gilmore, if you’re busy with work, you can just come by later. No need to rush.” Newest update provıded by.net
The nurse’s comment drew the couple’s attention. When Bianca saw Noreen, her gaze turned frosty before she deliberately pressed closer to Seth. He glanced at Noreen as well, but his expression was one of pure indifference. They walked away without a word.
Another nurse, returning from her rounds, complained to her colleague, “I thought we were full. How did *they* get a room?”
“I heard Mr. Harcourt pulled some strings.” The two didn’t say more, likely because Noreen was standing there, but their displeasure was obvious.
It finally clicked for Noreen. Seth had left in such a hurry to arrange a VIP suite for Bianca’s mother. He was certainly dedicated to his future mother-in-law.
The next day was a whirlwind of back-to-back meetings for Noreen. She had planned to visit Rosalind after work, but a last-minute call came in about a minor accident at the port construction site. She rushed over to handle it, and by the time she was finished, it was already late evening.
She was about to head to the hospital when Rosalind called. She told Noreen not to bother coming, adding that all her test results had come back clear.
Noreen breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, I’ll come see you as soon as I’m done here.”
“See me for what? I’m being discharged tomorrow. Just go home when you’re finished,” Rosalind insisted.
“Alright.”
But for Noreen at this stage, work was never truly finished. She was so busy that she didn’t even have time to see Claire off at the airport when she flew to Northcrest to handle a contract termination.
It wasn’t until Friday that she was finally able to get to the hospital to pick up Wade for a dinner meeting with the head of Sylvan Core Technologies. Knowing she was coming, Wade was already waiting by the entrance A moment later Bianca and Yvonne emerged from the building.
“The doctor said everything looks good. I feel so much better,” Yvonne said, a weight lifted from her shoulders. “It’s all thanks to Seth. When your father gets back we should all have a family dinner.’
“Okay, I’ll tell him.”
As they were talking, they spotted Wade. Both women stopped in their tracks. After a moment’s hesitation Yvonne decided to approach him. “Mr. Harcourt, are you being discharged today as well?” She had been trying to find anopportunity to speak with him all week, and she wasn’t about to let this one pass.
Wade, still in his wheelchair, slowly lifted his gaze to her. His expression was
blank, but it was enough to make Yvonne want to retreat.
“Mr. Harcourt,” Bianca said, her voice soft and deferential.
Wade didn’t even look at her, his demeanor utterly detached. Undeterred, Bianca pressed on. “Seth will be here any minute. Why don’t you let him drive you home?”
Evelyn cut her off, her tone icy. “That won’t be necessary. Mr. Harcourt has a ride.”
Just as she spoke, Noreen’s car pulled up smoothly in front of them. She got out and walked toward Wade. As Evelyn helped him to his feet, the cold, distant look on his face melted into one of warmth.
“You’re here,” he said to Noreen.
“Let me help,” Noreen said, taking his arm and guiding him to the car. Evelyn quickly followed.
Bianca and her mother were left standing on the curb, their smiles frozen on their faces. Bianca was trembling with rage. Yvonne, though equally furious, managed to keep her composure.
“Seth will be here soon,” she reminded her daughter. “Get a hold of yourself.” Her eyes followed Noreen’s car with a venomous glare. “She won’t be smug for long.”