Noah stiffened in his seat. Surprise crossed his face. Then a smile spread across his lips.

"What? Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes," Tessa replied enthusiastically. "We got the appointment. Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting him."

Excitement coursed through him. At this point, nothing mattered more than securing a partnership with Novacrest Global.

"This is a great opportunity," he said with hope lacing in his tone. "We can’t let this slip away. I’ll do whatever it takes to secure a partnership deal."

"How about we offer them the AI project?" Tessa suggested eagerly. "The one we were planning to sign with Zenith Core?"

Noah thought for a while. "Alright. Tell the team to prepare everything perfectly. I won’t tolerate a mistake. This deal must go through."

Tessa nodded firmly. She would do everything in her power to make it happen because this was her chance to regain Noah’s trust, and perhaps win him back completely.

"Leave it to me. I won’t give you a reason to complain."

Tessa came out of the office, a sly glint flashing across her eyes. She scrolled through the contacts and dialed a familiar number.

"Thanks for the help," she said as the call connected. "We got the appointment."

"Congrats," the man’s voice said from the other end of the line. "Where is my reward?"

"You’ll get an unforgettable reward," she purred. "Just be patient. Let me secure the deal first."

"Fine. I’ll wait. But once you secure the deal, you will come see me. Or I’ll come find you."

The smile on Tessa’s face faded at once. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby.

Seeing the hallway empty, she quickened her pace, entered her office, and shut the door behind her.

"Don’t be so impatient. We can’t meet right now. If Noah suspects anything, we are done. You need to wait."

"Waiting is exactly what I can’t do anymore," the man groaned impatiently. "You are now pregnant with my child. Yet, you are with another man. It’s driving me insane."

"Stop saying that," she hissed, her voice low and cold. Anger surged. "Don’t ever mention it again. I have not secured our future yet."

"You always say that," the man snapped back, his voice rising. "Every time I ask to see you, you reject me. Do you know how hard it is to watch you with him?"

Tessa scratched her forehead, her irritation building. At that moment, she wished she could get rid of him altogether.

But this was not the right time. She still needed him.

This man was useful to her.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "We’ll meet soon. I’ll let you know when."

After a moment of pause, she said, "But I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Check on the man Elena married. I want to know what kind of man has taken an interest in her."

"Alright. I’ll look into him."

The smile on her face appeared. She lowered the phone. "You’ve always been useful to me, Dante," she said softly. "But don’t push me too far."

A malicious look replaced the smile on her face.

"The day I find you are no longer useful but a danger will be the day I get rid of you."

Later that day...

Elena had just finished a meeting and returned to her office. She was discussing a report with Nina when her phone rang.

The caller ID made her frown.

It was Catherine.

A complicated emotion surfaced inside her chest.

She didn’t want to keep any touch with the Sinclair family. Yet she couldn’t ignore the fact that they had raised her.

Whatever Noah had done, Catherine wasn’t responsible for his actions.

She couldn’t ignore Catherine’s call. But she didn’t answer it right away. Instead, she returned her focus to Nina.

"Check the data again," she instructed. "Correct any errors. I need the final report on my desk tomorrow."

"Understood."

"You can leave now."

Nina nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

When Elena was alone inside the office, she answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Elena..." Relief was evident in her tone. "Thank God, you answered. I thought you wouldn’t want to talk to me anymore."

Catherine’s voice started shaking. "Elena, I am sorry. I truly am."

She sobbed. "I never imagined Noah would betray you."

Elena tightened her grip on the phone subconsciously. The old wound still stung.

"What Noah did to me was terrible. But I don’t blame you for that."

"I am so ashamed," Catherine breathed—each word laced with guilt. I failed as a mother. I didn’t raise a good son."

"It’s in the past," Elena said flatly. "I no longer want to think about it. I’ve already moved on."

Silence followed. Several seconds later, Catherine spoke again, her tone pleading.

"Elena, can you come and see me? I want to talk to you." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Elena frowned. She found herself hesitating.

Part of her wanted to refuse. Another part remembered all the years she had spent in the Sinclair household.

Whatever had happened, Catherine had cared about her once. Besides, she had never properly said goodbye.

"Okay. I’ll come."

She dropped a message to Elias before leaving the office.

Several minutes later, she arrived at the Sinclair mansion. Catherine was waiting for her in the hall.

The moment she saw her, she stood up and hurried to her.

"Elena." She grinned. "You came."

She instantly held her hands, the smile morphing into sorrow. Tears gathered in her eyes.

"I-I..." Words failed her. She broke into sobs. "Noah shouldn’t have done that. He made a terrible mistake. But Elena... You have been part of this family for all those years. Why didn’t you tell us anything about the divorce? Why didn’t you mention his affair with Tessa?"

Her lips trembled as she tried to stop herself from sobbing.

"If you had told us, we could have stopped him."

Elena thought for a while. She really wondered if things would have been different if she had found out the truth sooner. Then she dismissed the thought.

’Nothing would have changed,’ she muttered to her mind.

She pulled her hands back. "I only found out after my miscarriage," she replied flatly.

There wasn’t a trace of hatred or resentment in her eyes, only indifference.

"By then, it was far too late to correct anything. I had already given up on him."

Catherine broke down completely. Covering her mouth, she sobbed harder.

"I am sorry. I am so sorry."

Her shoulders shook.

"I thought the two of you were just doing well, happy," she choked out. "I thought he was only grateful to Tessa for saving him. But I never imagined he was having an affair with her."

A pang of sympathy tugged at Elena’s heart.

"Catherine." She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the sofa. "Sit down."

Once Catherine settled onto the sofa, Elena took her seat beside her.

"What has happened can’t be changed. There is no use in wallowing over it. Noah has already married Tessa. She is now pregnant with his child. You should accept her."

Catherine stopped crying. But the guilt in her eyes only deepened. She gave a slow nod.

"Yes, she is carrying the Sinclair family’s bloodline. We will not ignore the child. But... we won’t ignore you either. You were my child for fifteen years. And that relationship will never change."

She caressed her cheek. "So what if you are no longer my daughter-in-law? You’ll always be my daughter."

The walls Elena had formed around her heart cracked. Emotion surged through her. She bit her lower lip and pulled her chin down.

Catherine had always showered love on her ever since she was a child. Because of Catherine and Aunt Sarah, she had never truly felt the absence of a mother.

When she looked up, she forced a smile. "Thank you for loving me so much."

Catherine picked up a file from the coffee table and handed it to Elena. "This is for you."

She handed her the file. "Richard and I decided to give you the villa downtown and a three percent share of the company."