Chapter 933
The other guests at the table leaned in, curious, and Noreen found herself eager to hear this hidden truth.
Mr. Naylor took his time, speaking with a fond nostalgia. “If you were just a secretary, I wouldn’t have paid much attention. But Mr. Harcourt absolutely insisted on introducing us. He dragged me around the entire gala looking for you, and when we couldn’t find you, he called you himself.”
“I remember thinking at the time, what kind of incredible talent could this woman be
to earn such a fierce recommendation from Mr. Harcourt?”
“Later, I understood perfectly. When you showed up at my door with the InnoCore project, I saw exactly what made this young woman so formidable.”
The revelation made Noreen’s mind go completely blank for a second.
She remembered that night.
She had been exhausted from running the event, and her stomach issues had flared up. Feeling awful, she slipped into the lounge to grab a hot water and catch her breath.
Before she could even recover, Seth’s call came through.
His tone had been sharp and demanding, completely ignoring her obvious exhaustion as he barked at her, asking where she was.
He ordered her to get back to the floor immediately.
At the time, she had firmly believed he just needed her to come out and intercept drinks for him…
She truly believed that.
If Mr. Naylor hadn’t brought it up, she would still believe it to this day.
Mr. Naylor’s story echoed the exact same sentiment Jennifer had shared with her later on.
Jennifer had confessed that her initial million-dollar investment was entirely based on their friendship.
But the massive influx of capital that followed was solely because Seth had backed her up as a guarantor.
So Mr. Naylor’s decision to invest in her had also been because of Seth.
This was the other side of the truth.
She had only ever seen the side she was conditioned to see.
Samuel Johnson, the founder of a top-tier headhunting firm sitting across the table, waved a hand dismissively. “That’s nothing. Back when the investment circles were gossiping about Ms. Gilmore
project hitting a wall, everyone was hesitant. So many people quietly approached Mr. Harcourt for inside information. His answer was crystal clear: it was a fantastic project, and whether anyone invested or not, Aurelion Group would have
absolutely no objections.”
The implication was clear-Aurelion wasn’t going to interfere or crush the competition.
At the time, Aurelion Group was the heavyweight champion of Rivercrest City’s investment scene. Everyone gave Seth face when it came to funding.
Since Noreen had just resigned from his company, investors were terrified of stepping on his toes or getting tangled in hidden conflicts of interest. That was why no one dared to pull the trigger.
But with Seth’s subtle blessing, the floodgates opened.
Samuel added, “I remember tipping Ms. Gilmore off about a private investor dinner
once. Technically, that was Mr. Harcourt’s doing as well.”
Mr. Naylor raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“I honestly thought he’d be furious that I tried to poach his secretary,” Samuel explained. “When I ran into him at a dinner, I apologized. Mr. Harcourt just coldly told me that I was terrible at poaching-that I stole his talent but couldn’t even secure. her a proper landing spot, ruining my own reputation in the process. He laid it on so thick I felt incredibly
guilty about Ms. Gilmore, so I quietly leaked the dinner details to her.”
Mr. Naylor laughed, shaking his head. “Mr. Harcourt… he’s a remarkably hard man
to read.”
The conversation had seamlessly shifted from her to Seth.
By the end of the night, everyone was expressing their regrets.
None of them could understand how Seth had gotten tangled up in such a massive corruption scandal.
Mr. Naylor, who had deep connections up north, knew more than most.
He lowered his voice. “Word on the street is that Mr. Harcourt was actually the one who pulled the big boss down. But that’s just a rumor. The real truth is anyone’s guess.”
The details were too highly classified for anyone to dare dig deeper.