Chapter 888
“Sign the papers. Just let me go.”
By the time Carman finally walked out of his office, Noreen was already gone.
She had instructed her secretary to pass a single message along to him.
Winrich was fully prepared to sell off every last share of InnoCore.
Hearing those words, an icy wave of finality washed over Carman’s heart.
All he could manage was a hollow, bitter smile.
Vicious gossip always spread like wildfire.
In less than twelve hours, the explosive scandal surrounding InnoCore’s CEO and his wife was the talk of the town.
It even trended on social media.
Though the posts were quickly scrubbed, sharp-eyed netizens had already taken plenty of screenshots.
The entire internet now knew the sordid, underhanded truth about how Jasmine had trapped her husband.
Naturally, the local socialite circle was feasting on the drama.
And the most vocal gossip of all was Wanda.
“I honestly can’t believe Mrs. Holt is that kind of woman! After pulling a stunt like that, how did she have the audacity to sit there and insult Noreen? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!”
Mrs. Ward, a highly influential and respected figure within the elite circle, finally spoke up. “People always love standing on their moral high ground to preach, conveniently suffering from amnesia when it comes to their own dirty pasts. Not everyone is fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Noreen Gilmore.”
Crystal, who had been sitting in sullen silence, visibly paled at the final comment. Utterly clueless, Wanda asked, “Is this Noreen really that powerful?”
The question was met with a heavy, suffocating silence.
Finally, Mrs. Ward offered a loaded, enigmatic smile. “Why don’t you go home and ask your husband? He understands exactly who she is far better than we do.”
Mrs. Ward’s warning echoed in Wanda’s mind all day, prompting her to wait up for Ivan Lynwood that night.
Ivan arrived home exhausted and uncharacteristically late, his foul mood practically radiating off him.
When Wanda draped herself over him, he shoved her away in irritation. “Back off. I’m not in the mood.”
“What’s wrong, honey?” Wanda
pouted. She had spent an hour doing her hair and makeup, and was
currently parading around in a sheer face nightgown, but the old man wouldn’t even give her a second glance.
“Everything’s wrong,” Ivan snapped, rubbing his temples.
He had faced a string of catastrophic rejections today. Massive deals that had been virtually guaranteed suddenly evaporated without a single word of explanation.
He was losing his mind trying to figure out why he was suddenly radioactive.
Finally, an old business associate took pity on him, secretly advising him to go home and interrogate his trophy wife.
Ivan glared at Wanda. “Did you piss someone off recently?”
Wanda fiercely denied it. “I’ve been an absolute angel! I’ve been networking my heart out in the socialite circle, building connections for you. How could possibly offend, anyone?
“You have no idea! I’ve gotten super close with the wife of the Omniva Bank CEO.
When you need a loan, I can totally pull strings for you!”
Ivan remained fiercely suspicious. “Is there anything else?”
“Oh, right! Mrs. Ward told me to ask you if someone named Noreen is supposed to be a big deal.”
Ivan’s stomach violently dropped. “Noreen?”
“Yeah! She had this huge fight with Mrs. Wilder, so I backed Mrs. Wilder
up and chewed her out. She can’t
even get invited to our tea parties, so
I figured she was basically a
nobody,” Wanda safd, still entirely
convinced of her own logic.
To her absolute horror, Ivan leaped off the couch like he’d been electrocuted. “You
insulted Noreen Gilmore?!”
“Yeah, and I really gave her a piece of my mind too!”
Ivan collapsed back onto the cushions, cold sweat cascading down his face. “I knew
it. It was you!”
“What’s going on…”
“You just destroyed my entire life, you stupid woman!”
Ivan looked like he was ready to strangle her with his bare hands.
“Of course Noreen Gilmore doesn’t attend your pathetic little tea parties! She’s too
busy sitting in the boardroom with the men who own your entire circle!”