Chapter 105
Chapter 105
Bianca left with Seth, practically glowing with happiness. As they walked out together, she clung to his arm and playfully chided him, “Seth, you really didn’t have to go all out for this meal. When it’s just family,
something simple would have been more than enough–no need for such a fancy restaurant.”
She was considerate, perfectly poised, and had an impeccable sense of propriety.
Apparently, Seth appreciated her graciousness. His tone was noticeably gentler than when he’d been speaking to Noreen earlier. “It’s nothing. Really, it’s the least I can do.”
After they’d gone, Noreen sat in silence, her mood heavy.
Carman waited a moment before quietly asking, “Miss Gilmore, are you alright?”
“Do I look like I’m not?” Noreen replied, her voice even.
Carman, always honest, admitted, “A little bit, yes.”
“I’ll survive.” Noreen took a long drink of ice water.
Truthfully, she was upset–but it wasn’t because of Seth.
She was grieving for the person she used to be, the woman who had once risked everything for love.
In this whole relationship, the only person she’d truly let down was
herself.
The dinner had ended abruptly with Bianca’s arrival. Noreen lost her appetite, and naturally, so did Carman.
He got up to settle the bill, but Noreen stopped him.
“I’ll get it.”
“I can’t let a lady pay,” Carman protested.
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Chapter 105
“Oh, come on. After you called me Ms. Gilmore? This meal is on me! Don’t be so formal. We’ll have plenty of meals together in the future–you can pick up the tab next time.”
With Noreen’s persistence, Carman relented. “Alright, but next time, I’m paying.”
As Noreen walked over to the cashier, a well–dressed middle–aged man
arrived at the counter at the same time.
He asked the attendant, “Has the bill for the Sapphire Room been settled?
If not, I’ll take care of it.”
The attendant checked and replied, “Mr. Harcourt has already paid.”
The man nodded and turned to go, but he paused when he caught sight of Noreen standing nearby.
He hesitated, his gaze lingering on her a moment longer.
But Noreen’s attention was on the cashier; she didn’t notice him at all.
When the attendant handed her the receipt, she signed her name and left. The middle–aged man stood there, caught by something.
His eyes drifted from Noreen’s retreating figure to the name on the bill
beside him.
Gilmore?
Could it really be such a coincidence?
Carman watched as Noreen’s car pulled away, then took out his phone
and dialed.
As soon as the call connected, he couldn’t hold back his excitement. “Mina, Secretary Gilmore broke up with him.”
He paused, realizing the title wasn’t right, and corrected himself. “Miss Gilmore broke up with him!”
Mina Holt was Carman’s younger sister.
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Back when Noreen was trying to sign Carman’s project, she’d often dropped by his studio.
At the time, Mina was in the middle of a grueling school year, overwhelmed and on the verge of burnout.
She was struggling mentally, listless and withdrawn.
Carman, ever the textbook engineer, had no idea how complicated things could be for a teenage girl. He just assumed it was all adolescent rebellion and tried to force extra tutoring sessions on her.
Under mounting pressure, Mina finally snapped. After a huge argument with Carman, she waited until he left for a meeting, then found his prescription sleep meds in the office and swallowed a dangerous
amount.
It was pure luck that Noreen came by just then to see Carman, only to stumble upon Mina in the middle of her overdose.
While someone called for an ambulance, Noreen acted fast, using first aid skills to help Mina.
Realizing that Mina had just taken the pills, Noreen immediately induced her to throw up.
By the time Carman rushed back, Mina was violently ill, and
Noreen–unfazed by the mess–was right there, gently helping her through it.
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