Chapter 1058

She didn’t even have to guess; she knew immediately that this was from Mrs. Harcourt’s private collection.

She remembered visiting the Harcourt family years ago when Evelyn would casually chat with her.

Evelyn had mentioned that Mrs. Harcourt loved collecting all kinds of fine jewelry, with a particular obsession for sapphires.

She had traveled the world acquiring top-tier, museum-quality sapphire sets.

And she always said she planned to pass them down to her future daughter-in-law.

And now, Wade had handed over his late wife’s most treasured heirlooms directly to Noreen.

Noreen spaced out for a moment.

Wade asked her gently, “If you need anything regarding the Winrich situation, just say the word.”

Noreen snapped back to reality and offered a warm smile. “Thank you, Wade. I can handle it.”

Wade didn’t push the issue.

As more guests approached, he gestured for her to go tend to them.

Evelyn sighed softly. “Noreen is definitely too proud to ask for help.”

Wade thought the exact same thing. He discreetly dialed his lawyer’s number, his voice steady. “Release that will on Monday.”

The guests were steadily pouring in. Even Dylan Wilder and Healy Naylor had arrived.

Rosalind Gilmore found a quiet moment to pull Noreen aside. “Noreen, there are so many outstanding young men here tonight. Has anyone caught your eye? Mom can do a little networking for you.”

The champagne flute in Noreen’s hand trembled slightly.

Seth Harcourt wasn’t here tonight.

Not because he didn’t want to come.

It was because she had explicitly forbidden him from showing up.

Seth had been hurt and miserable, but he had no choice but to accept it.

After all, he was the one who voluntarily agreed to play the role of her secret lover.

A man forced to stay in the shadows had no right to stand beside her at her birthday party.

“Mom,” Noreen sighed helplessly.

Rosalind clicked her tongue. “I guess there’s no one here your type.”

She sighed. “I know being single right now is fine, but I still want you to find someone who truly understands you.”

She added wistfully, “Do you know

why I’ve been traveling so much

lately? I wanted to give you the

space to actually go on dates and experience romance instead of spending every now working second hovering around me.”

Eventually, she would have to leave this world before Noreen did.

She was terrified that once she was gone, Noreen, left without any immediate

family, would feel a crushing emptiness.

If she waited until then to seek emotional support, she might act out of desperation and end up with the wrong man.

Faced with her mother’s genuine concern, Noreen felt a pang of guilt.

She didn’t know how to even begin explaining the situation with Seth.

Just then, Sophia Cole rushed over from the entrance, looking urgent She told Noreen that a Mr Hughes was outside claiming he had an incredibly important matter fo discuss with her.

Noreen frowned slightly. “Did he give a full name?”

“Howard Hughes.”

The name sounded incredibly familiar.

Noreen racked her brain and finally pieced it together.

Years

busSeth had handed her a

business card, telling her that if she ever ran into any trouble or needed help, she should find this man

She had barely glanced at the card before tossing it right in front of Seth’s face.

Printed clearly on that card was the name: Howard Hughes.

Not long after that, Howard had actually called her, asking if she was facing any difficulties and offering his assistance.

He explicitly stated that Seth had instructed his team to provide Noreen with unlimited support whenever she needed it.

She had politely declined and hadn’t given the incident a second thought.

Over the past five years, her career had skyrocketed flawlessly, and she had never run into an insurmountable wall.

Naturally, the name Howard Hughes had faded from her memory.

If he hadn’t shown up out of the blue tonight, Noreen probably never would have remembered him.