Chapter 467

The air conditioning in the conference room was actually blasting, but her extra layer made her feel a bit warm and uncomfortable. At her reply, Seth asked his assistant, Gillian, to lower the temperature again.
Noreen had just come in from outside, and the wave of frigid air that hit her made her shiver. To make matters worse, the seat Gillian directed her to was directly under an air vent. A steady stream of cold air funneled straight down her neck, and she could feel her entire back starting to go numb.
After just five minutes, Noreen couldn’t stop sniffling and tried to speed through the business discussion. Fortunately, Seth was efficient, and they wrapped things up in under twenty minutes.
Seth closed the file and shifted to small talk. “I hear InnoCore is preparing for its IPO?”
“That’s right.” It was inside information, but Noreen knew it would get out eventually.
“How’s the internal team coming along?” Seth asked, his tone sounding genuinely interested.
Even Bianca shot him a curious glance.
Noreen found his questions intrusive. Her brow furrowed slightly. “You don’t need to concern yourself with that, Mr. Harcourt.”
“I am, though,” Seth said candidly. “It’s your first IPO. As your former boss, I’d like
to see you succeed. I have more experience in this area, so if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.” The source of thɪs content is.net
“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Harcourt,” Noreen replied curtly. The subtext was clear: she wanted nothing to do with him and certainly wouldn’t be asking for his help.
Seth, however, seemed oblivious to her rejection and continued on the same topic. “If InnoCore goes public successfully, you’ll break my record for the fastest IPO.” He paused, his gaze fixed on her. “You did it. Congratulations. And I’m deeply sorry for ever doubting you.”
Noreen looked at him, bewildered. It was as if he had lost his mind. In front of Bianca, he was offering help and apologizing. What was he playing at?
While she was still trying to figure it out, Gillian knocked and entered again, followed by Mr. Summers from NaviTech.
“Oh, are you all finished? Am I late?” Hugh Summers apologized for his tardiness. “We’ve covered most of it,” Seth said.
Hugh was surprised. “That fast?” He was only twenty minutes late, but they were already done.
Seth explained, “Ms. Gilmore is very familiar with my work habits, which makes communication much smoother.”
Hugh had to agree. “Well, Ms. Gilmore did work under you for seven years. I’m sure she understands more than just your work habits.”
Bianca cleared her throat pointedly.
Hugh caught on and gave an awkward laugh. “Well, as long as you’re all on the same page. I have no issues on my end.”
Seth glanced at his watch. “It’s about lunchtime. Mr. Summers, would you care to join us?”
Hugh readily accepted, but then
noticed Seth made no move to invite
Noreen. *Weren’t they just saying how well the meeting went? Then his eyes fell on Bianca, and he understood. Seth was holding back because he was being considerate of Bianca’s feelings.
Of course, Noreen didn’t care either way. Even if Seth had invited her she would have refused. So, she pretended not to hear them gathered her things, and gave Hugh a slight nod before leaving
The moment she stepped out of the office, she let out a sneeze. She was freezing to death.
On her way out, she stopped by the restroom. When she came out, she saw Bianca standing in front of the mirror, touching up her makeup the high collar she’d worn so primly before was now slightly unbuttoned, revealing just enough of the ambiguous red mark on her neck.