Chapter 374

Noreen had no intention of responding. Just as she was about to turn away, Bianca’s cheerful voice rang out from behind her. “Seth, you’re here! I’ve been waiting for you! Do you want to come in and say hello to my mom and her friends?”
Noreen let out a soft scoff and turned back toward her room, her disdain for the scene radiating off her in waves.
Bianca saw Noreen but didn’t spare her a second glance. In her mind, Noreen was a non-entity. She was certain, absolutely positive, that Seth’s heart belonged only to her. Noreen posed no threat and therefore warranted no attention.
As the two women passed each other, a waiter carrying a sizzling pot of beef stew hurried toward a private room. “Excuse me, careful, this is hot!” he called out. Just as he spoke, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled, lurching forward.
The stone pot was fresh off the stove, its contents still boiling violently. A splash from that would cause a severe burn. Directly in the waiter’s path were Noreen and Bianca-one with her back to him, the other facing him.
Bianca saw it coming and had a moment to react. Noreen, however, was completely unaware of the danger behind her.
Healy, emerging from the room to look for Noreen, saw the scene unfold. His face paled. “Noreen, look out!” he yelled.
A split second after Healy’s warning, a hand gripped Noreen’s arm, yanking her back. She spun around, landing hard against someone’s chest, her nose colliding with their collarbone. The familiar, cool scent of sandalwood filled her senses.
A muffled groan sounded from above her just as Bianca shrieked, “Seth, are you burned?”
Healy rushed over, his face etched with worry. “Noreen, are you okay?”
Noreen pushed herself out of Seth’s embrace and saw that hot soup had splashed all over his right hand. A large patch of skin was already an angry red. Her brow furrowed, and she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the bar. She immediately ran it under cold water to cool the burn while telling someone to call an ambulance. Her reaction was faster than anyone else’s.
Bianca’s eyes were red with tears. “Seth, does it hurt?”
Beads of cold sweat formed on Seth’s forehead, but he shook his head. “I’m fine. Are you hurt?”
“No,” Bianca said, her voice shaky. As her shock subsided, she replayed the scene in her mind. Had Seth just saved Noreen? The question hung in herthoughts, but before she could ask, Healy spoke up.
“That was close. Seth must have grabbed the wrong person in the heat of the moment,” he said smoothly. “But it was a lucky mistake. Bianca, could have dodged it, but Noreen had her back turned and wouldn’t have seen it coming.”
Noreen kept her eyes down, focused on treating Seth’s burn. *So he saved the wrong person.* She and Bianca had been standing very close to each other in the sudden chaos, it made sense that he would have grabbed the wrong arm.
Seth didn’t deny it.
Bianca visibly relaxed and took Seth’s hand. “Let me.”
Noreen naturally let go. With Bianca there, she wasn’t needed. She had only helped out of a sense of gratitude for what he’d done. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn
Seth didn’t look at her again, his actions reinforcing the idea that it had all been an accident.
“This looks pretty serious. We should get to the hospital,” Bianca said, her voice laced with concern. “Let’s just drive. No point waiting for an ambulance.”
“Okay,” Seth nodded, trying to reassure her. “I’m fine.”
Healy arranged for a car to take Seth to the hospital, and a flustered Yvonne went with them. As he was getting in, he remembered to ask Noreen if she wanted to come along.