“I know,” Jennifer said firmly. “Noreen, you’re going to make it.”
Jennifer’s investment was a godsend, arriving just in time to pull Noreen out of her financial mess.
Now, all that was left was to wait for Carman to finish building the first
prototype.
To take some of the pressure off Carman, Noreen personally started hiring for the studio.
She hadn’t realized before just how expensive senior engineers were. Every time she signed a new contract, it felt like another chunk of her savings was bleeding away. Money was flowing out so fast, she could barely keep up.
Jennifer’s funding was burning up much quicker than she’d anticipated.
But she didn’t tell Carman–she didn’t want to stress him out–so she kept her worries to herself.
Meanwhile, Mina had been stopping by the studio whenever she had free time, running errands, making coffee, making copies, even tidying up the space. But she was still a student, and Noreen didn’t want her studies to suffer. She told Mina not to come anymore, assuring her that someone had already been hired to help out.
n n s 2 @ S =
Mina didn’t believe her, because, up until now, Noreen had been handling. all the odd jobs herself.
She was only helping out because she was worried Noreen would wear
herself out.
It wasn’t until Noreen showed her the actual job posting that Mina reluctantly believed her.
Truth be told, Noreen had planned to take the listing down after pacifying. Mina.
20:26
Chapter 120
But that very afternoon, someone showed up to apply.
And it was someone she knew.
“Noreen, I missed you so much!”
Sophia swooped in for a big, enthusiastic hug, so exuberant that Noreen almost didn’t know what to do with herself.
“What are you doing here?”
Seeing an old colleague made Noreen genuinely happy.
“Take a guess,” Sophia said, winking at her.
“You came to see me?”
“Nope. One more try.”
“You’re not here for the job opening, are you?” Noreen frowned, voicing her suspicion.
After all, people only showed up here for two reasons: they were either friends or job applicants.
Noreen hadn’t given Sophia the address, which made the latter option far more likely.
“Bingo!” Sophia flashed her a broad smile.
“You’re kidding me.”
Everyone knew that Aurelion Group was a powerhouse–a safe, cushy place to work.
“Why would I joke?” Sophia pouted. “I’m seriously here for the job. I told you before, but you didn’t take me seriously. I’m hurt.”
Noreen had honestly thought she was joking, so she hadn’t paid it any mind.
Sophia’s abilities were never in doubt–Noreen had actually mentored her during her internship at Aurelion Group.
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20:26
Chapter 120
So there was no need for a formal interview process. Still, before signing any contracts, Noreen had to ask why Sophia left Aurelion Group.
Sophia looked genuinely aggrieved. “Because Mr. Harcourt’s been blinded by love, that’s why!”
It had only been a couple weeks since Noreen had heard that name, but it still sounded oddly foreign.
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