It was only after she was gone that Sanford realized Henry hadn't said a word to Noreen.

"What was wrong with you just now? You didn't say anything. We found the Brooke family's benefactor, and you showed no gratitude at all?" Sanford scolded Henry.

Henry had no idea how to explain himself to his father.

If Sanford knew how he had treated Noreen before, he'd probably be kicked out of the family by tomorrow.

"We have to thank Noreen properly," Sanford mused, his mind set on this matter he had been dwelling on for eight years.

After a long pause, Henry finally spoke. "Yes, we should thank her properly."

Healy had chased after Noreen.

He had missed too much today, and now that he finally had a chance to see Noreen, he wanted to spend more time with her. He asked where she was going and offered her a ride.

Noreen politely declined. "No, thank you, Mr. Naylor. My driver is already here. I appreciate the offer."

She was incredibly busy; she didn't have time for this.

In the end, Healy could only watch as she got into her car and drove away.

A moment later, Mrs. Naylor called to ask about his progress.

Healy recounted the day's events to her.

Mrs. Naylor flew into a rage, berating him. "How did I end up with such a useless son? You let such a golden opportunity slip through your fingers? At this rate, you'd be late to your own funeral!"

"Mom..." Healy sighed, a headache coming on.

"What? Am I wrong?"

Healy was silent.

This was her brand of tough love...

Meanwhile, Jude left Rivercrest University with Dylan.

Jude was uncharacteristically quiet during the drive, which made Dylan feel a bit uneasy.

"What's wrong? Feeling crushed?" Dylan knew what was on his mind.

Jude mumbled, "I feel like a complete idiot!"

Dylan chuckled. "You're pretty harsh on yourself, aren't you?"

"Dylan, did you know all along?" Jude was finally starting to see the bigger picture.

Dylan played dumb. "Know what?"

"That Noreen is brilliant."

Dylan admitted it freely. "She's always been exceptional. It's not like it just happened today."

His words made Jude feel even more like an idiot.

"Then why didn't she show it at all

when she

was at Aurelion Group?

Was she deliberately hiding her talent? bude just couldn't figure it out.

Dylan's grip on the steering wheel

tightened. "She wasn't hiding her et

talent. She was just so focused on Seth that she forgot to shine.

Jude wanted to argue with that explanation.

But when he thought about how

n had worked tirelessly formet

Nore complaint all thonet

Seth

year without

I those years, the words wouldn't come o

After a moment of gloomy silence, he asked Dylan, "What about you, then? Why didn't you make a move first back then?"

He remembered that Dylan had met Noreen first.

The traffic light ahead turned red, and Dylan stopped the car at the crosswalk. He let

out a soft sigh. "You think I didn't try?"

"What do you mean?"

"That email... she only just saw it today."

At the mention of the email, Jude remembered and pressed, "What did it say?"

"[I'll be waiting for you in Meritania.]"

It wasn't a confession of love, but it was something more.

The time wasn't right to talk about love, so Dylan had been more subtle.

But he knew Noreen would understand.

He just never imagined that she would never even open that email.