Chapter 24

“Is Secretary Gilmore not feeling well?” Ramsey asked, noticing the pallor in her face, concern evident in his voice.
“It’s nothing serious, just a bit under the weather,” Noreen replied, trying to sound tough–her usual habit.
The cleaning lady, fussing nearby, shook her head. “Bad cramps are no small matter, dear. You really ought to take care of yourself.”
Seth frowned, finally saying something human for once. “If you’re not feeling well, you should see a doctor. No point pretending you’re fine.”
Noreen stood up. “Going to a doctor won’t help. Are we done with the tour?”
All she wanted was to finish up here and retreat to her hotel for some much–needed
rest. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on
Bianca chimed in, “We haven’t seen the other side yet.”
“That’s the new workshop,” Ramsey explained. “It’s still under construction, nothing much to look at.”
But Bianca’s curiosity was piqued. “I’d like to take a look. Everything we’ve seen so far was all prepped in advance–doesn’t really give me a genuine picture.”
Ramsey looked awkward. “It’s a mess over there, honestly. Not safe.”
“I don’t mind. I just want a quick look,” Bianca insisted. “I’ll be taking over this project soon, so I need to understand it better.”
Seth’s face was unreadable, but he clearly had no intention of stopping her.
Ramsey had no choice but to lead them over. “It’s still a construction site. We’ll need to wear hard hats.”
Bianca leaned in to whisper to Seth, “Will I look ridiculous in a hard hat? Promise me you won’t stare–I don’t want to ruin my perfect image in your eyes.”
Seth looked down at her with a rare softness. “You could never ruin it. You’re perfect to me, hard hat and all.”
Bianca broke into a smile, clearly reassured and no longer bothered about her
appearance.
Noreen, on the other hand, had no desire to go.
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Chapter 24
Before she could refuse, Bianca called out, “Come with us, Secretary Gilmore! You explain things so much more clearly–Mr. Caldwell gets lost in technical jargon half the time and I can’t keep up.”
Up until now, Noreen had never had any issues with Bianca. After all, it wasn’t Bianca’s fault the man’s affections had shifted.
But this time, she could feel Bianca deliberately singling her out. As a fellow woman, Bianca had to know how miserable menstrual pain could be–yet she still insisted on dragging Noreen along.
When Noreen glanced at Bianca, searching her face for a hint of intention, she was met with the same innocent, unbothered expression as always. Perhaps Bianca truly just needed her help, nothing more.
The new workshop was unfamiliar territory for Noreen–she’d never even been inside, so there wasn’t much she could explain.
The site was chaotic, tools and materials everywhere. Ramsey kept warning everyone to be careful.
Noreen lagged behind, her discomfort slowing her down. She found herself trailing the group, watching Seth and Bianca walk side by side ahead of her.
Halfway through, Bianca tripped over a stray wire. Seth’s reflexes kicked in; he reached out and caught her around the waist.
“Careful,” he said gently.
“ Got it,” Bianca replied, sticking out her tongue in a playful gesture.
Noreen purposely slowed her steps, wanting to put more distance between herself and the pair.
“Excuse me!” someone called out as a forklift rumbled by.
Noreen stepped aside. The forklift was loaded with a mountain of materials and backed up toward a towering shelf, which was also piled high.
The overloaded supplies blocked the driver’s view–he didn’t notice when the rear of the forklift clipped the shelving.
The whole rack tilted dangerously. Boxes and metal parts began to tumble down.
Noreen didn’t have time to think. Instinct–seven years of ingrained habit–propelled her to reach out for Seth.
But her hand closed on empty air.
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A shower of heavy materials rained down, one sharp edge slicing across her arm.
In the chaos, Bianca’s panicked cry rang out. “Seth!”
“Don’t be scared.” Seth’s voice was steady as he pulled Bianca into his arms, shielding her with his own body as the debris crashed down on his back.
The thud of falling boxes echoed around them.
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