Chapter 509
“She left,” Seth said, his expression flat.
Gillian stared at him, incredulous. “Left? How is that possible?”
Back when Noreen was at Aurelion Group, she would have stuck to Mr. Harcourt’s side twenty-four-seven. Forget a car crash—if he so much as had a headache, Noreen would have been there to take care of him personally, refusing to let anyone else help. Having witnessed Noreen’s unwavering devotion, Gillian was utterly stunned by this change.
Seth seemed unfazed. He gestured to the caregiver. “I have someone looking after me, don’t I?”
“Still, she shouldn’t have just abandoned you,” Gillian protested. “You were injured saving her.”
“I don’t want to hear that again,” Seth said, his voice suddenly sharp and cold.
Gillian flinched, realizing she had overstepped. Mr. Harcourt was engaged now, and deeply in love with his fiancĂ©e. If Bianca were to find out he’d been hurt protecting Noreen, it would undoubtedly cause problems. The source of thɪs content is
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Gillian said quickly. “It’s just… Ms. Gilmore seems different than before. Almost like she’s lost her human touch.”
Seth leaned back in his chair, his eyes half-closed. “This is how she should be,” he said, his voice raspy. “This is what it takes to survive in the corporate world.” He paused, his tone hardening. “She doesn’t owe me anything.”
Not in love, not in life.
Gillian was confused. Mr. Harcourt’s words felt profound, but she couldn’t grasp their meaning. He had saved Noreen’s life-how could she not owe him? But before she could ask, Seth changed the subject, inquiring about the accident. “The driver of the Mercedes has been detained,” Gillian reported. “They say he was driving under the influence.”
Seth’s eyes snapped open, a cold glint gathering in their depths.
Drunk driving, was it?
***
The next morning, Noreen called Seth to check on his injury. He answered, his tone laced with a cool formality. “It’s nothing serious. You needn’t worry, Ms. Gilmore.”
“That’s good to hear,” she said.
Just as she was about to hang up, she heard Bianca’s soft, sleepy voice in the background. “Who’s calling so early?”
Noreen didn’t wait to hear Seth’s reply. She ended the call. She had called out of a sense of obligation and now that she knew he was fine, that obligation was fulfilled. Anything else was none of her business.
The following days were a whirlwind of work and study for Noreen, and she quickly put the incident out of her mind. She did ask Colby about the accident once, and he told her the police report concluded it was a Du with the driver facing severe penalties. With the official verdict in, Noreen let it go. The law would take its course.
Buried under a mountain of paperwork, she found herself working late again. She asked Sophia to bring her a coffee. When the cup was handed to her, Noreen noticed three or four bandages on Sophia’s hand.
“What happened to your hand?” she asked with a frown.
Sophia quickly hid her hand behind her back, her eyes darting away. “Oh, it’s my boyfriend’s birthday soon. wanted to make him something special so I’ve been learning woodcarving. I just nicked myself with the knife, that’s all. It’s nothing.”
Noreen was silent for a long moment before saying, “I hope you don’t lose.”