Chapter 454

Noreen was in the middle of planning the next day’s work. Graduation season was approaching, which meant the company’s recruitment drive was about to kick into high gear, and there was a lot to do.
Still, she played along. “To get you this excited, it’s got to be one of two things: either you won the lottery, or that jerk Seth went bankrupt.”
Claire cackled. “Oh, it’s so much better than Seth going bankrupt!”
Her tone piqued Noreen’s curiosity. “Alright, spill it. Don’t keep me in suspense.” “Seth got cheated on! Hahahahahahaha!”
After laughing until she was out of breath, Claire hung up. But then she thought, an event this momentous deserved to be shared. She opened WhatsApp, found Seth’s number in her contacts, and sent him a friend request. She’d gotten his number from Sophia Cole back when Noreen was in the hospital, but he never answered. She had considered deleting it after they broke up but decided to keep it, sensing it might come in handy one day. For origınal chapters go to ⓝovelFind.net
And now, it had.
Seth accepted the request surprisingly fast, without even asking who she was. Weren’t powerful CEOs supposed to be harder to get ahold of? Whatever.
As soon as he accepted, Claire sent him a single, pointed sticker: a smiling clown. It felt incredibly appropriate.
A moment later, a question mark appeared from Seth.
Claire didn’t reply. Instead, she went to her social media and posted a long string of twenty clown emojis. A few minutes later, a comment appeared from a contact saved as ‘Jerk Quigley.’
“?”
Birds of a feather really do flock together. They even ask questions the same way. Pathetic. Men.
Miles away in Northcrest, Jerk Quigley let out a sudden sneeze.
Since Claire was on a forced vacation, Noreen dragged her along to Rivercrest University to help with Winrich’s recruitment drive.
“You’re a co-owner of Winrich, you know,” Noreen had said. “You can’t just coast forever.”
Claire knew Noreen was just trying to keep her busy so she wouldn’t sit around dwelling on things. Since it was their alma mater, she was happy to go.
When they arrived, a large banner was stretched across the main gate: *A Warm
Welcome to Professor William for his Visit and Academic Exchange!*
“Judging by the fanfare, this guy
must be a big deal,” Claire
commented. The university had
even assembled a welcoming
committee of student ambassadors
at the entrance.
Noreen’s attention was elsewhere. She called Halley to ask if he was attending the ceremony.
“Nope. I go every year, and I’m tired of it. Taking a break this year,” he grumbled.
“That’s fair,” Noreen said. “Get some rest. When I have some time, I’ll take you to see Dr. Wilder for another acupuncture session.”
Halley hung up without another word.
Henry, who was playing chess with Halley, noticed his mentor’s foul mood. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Focus on the game,” Halley snapped. “How do you expect to win when your head is in the clouds?”
Henry’s mind was indeed elsewhere.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Bianca. Five minutes later, a
message from her popped up. She told him Professor William was Visiting Rivercrest University and asked if he had time to swing by.
Henry immediately became restless, his next move on the chessboard completely random.
Halley threw his piece down in frustration. “That’s it, I’m done! Playing with you is no fun at all!”
“Sorry, Master. Something’s come up,” Henry said apologetically. “I’ll make it up to you with a proper game another day.”
Halley just waved him off dismissively and retreated to his study.
Henry rushed over to Rivercrest University. He was about to call Bianca to ask where she was when he spotted her in the crowd.