Yes-man 169
See? No matter how hard Noreen tries to prove herself, Seth won’t even spare her a glance.
Relief settled over Bianca, washing away the frustration she’d felt when Noreen outshone her at the summit. Now, it all seemed so trivial.
In her mind, Noreen’s victory was nothing more than a stroke of luck.
So after coming back, Bianca refused to let that setback get to her. If anything, it fueled her drive to prove herself even more.
She was determined to show everyone that Seth’s choice–picking her–was the best decision he
could have made.
Last time, she’d underestimated Noreen, letting her swoop in and snag the golden InnoCore project. Bianca wasn’t about to make that mistake again. She went back through all the projects she’d previously dismissed, giving them a second look, and handpicked a few promising ones.
One of them happened to be TechVenture’s new gaming project.
That’s why she found herself at TechVenture today.
But what caught her off guard was running into Noreen here as well.
Could Noreen be eyeing TechVenture’s project, too?
Now, this was getting interesting.
If Noreen really thought she could compete with her for TechVenture, she clearly didn’t know her own limits.
This time, Bianca was determined to outshine Noreen–and do it in style.
On a whim, she changed dinner plans, booking a table at Sakura Tempest–the very same restaurant where Noreen was hosting her own dinner.
Seth didn’t question it, only glancing over and asking, “Since when are you in the mood for sushi?”
She smiled, “I just suddenly had a craving, that’s all. What, you don’t want to join me?”
“When have I ever told you I didn’t want to do something with you?” he replied, all focus on the road but responding to every word.
That answer lifted her spirits instantly.
She quickly called Joyner, Evergain Capital’s CEO, to let him know about the change in dinner venue.
Since coming back from Harborcrest, Bianca had been pushing forward with the SkyMind partnership. Even though SkyMind had lost out to InnoCore at the summit, with Aurelion Group backing them, their future was secure.
With the right resources, who’s to say they couldn’t surpass InnoCore in the end?
After all, out of all the projects launched each year, how many actually make it to a successful IPO?
In this game, the last one standing is the real winner.
1/2
“Director Lowell, I’m really sorry, but something urgent just came up and I won’t be able to make it tonight. Can we reschedule? I’ll treat you next time and make it up to you,” Joyner apologized over the phone.
Bianca frowned. “That’s unfortunate. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, there’s an issue with one of our projects and I need to handle it. Sorry about this.”
With Joyner’s tone leaving no room for argument, Bianca had no choice but to agree to a rain check.
After hanging up, she texted Dylan, hoping to invite him to dinner as well. She had an ulterior motive–she wanted in on Omniva Group’s major new project.
But Dylan’s reply came quickly: “Busy tonight. Maybe next time.”
That made three times he’d politely turned her down.
Bianca stared at the message for a long moment before slipping her phone back into her purse, expression cooling.
“Looks like it’ll just be the two of us for dinner tonight,” she told Seth.
“What happened?”
“Joyner and Dylan both have other plans. They can’t make it.”
Seth just grinned. “So isn’t that perfect?”
Whatever gloomy mood she’d had vanished at his words.
“You’re right. It’s perfect.”
Perfect for a date.
Noreen arrived at Sakura Tempest first, reserving a private dining room before heading to the entrance to wait for Carman and the others.
Carman’s car pulled up soon after.
Mina was the first to hop out, bounding over and throwing her arms around Noreen in a happy hug.
“Noreen! I missed you so much!”
Her affection was honest and exuberant, making Noreen smile as she gently patted Mina’s head. “How’s school? Is it stressful?”
“It’s okay,” Mina replied, still clinging to her.
“If you ever run into trouble or feel upset, remember–you can always talk to me.”