"Let him in," Maximo Olson said as the office door swung open and Lionel Ross and Vivienne Powell stepped inside. Both looked caught off guard to see Norah Fisher already there.
"Norah, what are you doing here?" Vivienne blurted, clearly thrown.
Before Norah could answer, Lionel stepped in front of her, irritation radiating off him. "What business do you have here?" he demanded.
"Oh, so you can be here, but I can't?" Norah shot back, ice in her voice.
Lionel's irritation spiked. "This isn't your place, Norah. I don't want to do this here, so just leave."
Norah let out a short, hollow laugh. "Really, Lionel? After everything?"
Maximo, picking up on the tension, cut in, "You two know each other?"
"She's my fiancée," Lionel said, his confidence strained.
"Lionel, you've got some nerve. We're done. I'm not your fiancée," Norah spat, hating the label.
Lionel's voice cut through the room, sharp with frustration. "Norah, you're making a scene. There's a limit to your theatrics, and this isn't the place."
Vivienne chimed in with a condescending edge. "Norah, you can't keep acting like a pampered princess everywhere."
Norah's hands curled into fists, but she forced herself to stay calm.
Lionel turned to Maximo with an apologetic smile. "Mr. Olson, I apologize for the unnecessary drama."
Maximo chuckled, letting his gaze settle on Norah. "Ms. Fisher, your personal life seems rather... lively."
Ignoring the mockery, Norah held her ground. "Mr. Olson, believe what you want, but Lionel and I are done. I'm here to discuss a possible collaboration on the Western District project. Here's the proposal. If you're interested, we can talk another time."
Norah handed him the document, hoping against hope. She knew her first impression probably wasn't great, but maybe she still had a shot.
Maximo accepted the proposal.
The Western District development project caught Lionel's attention, and his expression darkened.
"Mr. Olson, I'll leave you to it," Norah said, moving to leave.
Outside G.K International, she let out a long breath, though her anger still simmered just below the surface. She pulled out her phone and called Elia Dean.
"Hey, Elia, are you out of the hospital yet?"
She hadn't had a real chance to catch up with Elia in the chaos of the proposal these past few days.
"I'm fine, as you well know. I could've left ages ago, but Matthew insisted I stay until today. We're just finishing the discharge paperwork now," Elia replied, a smile in her voice.
Norah could hear the happiness in Elia's voice, almost feel it through the phone. Lionel had been that attentive once, too—before Vivienne came back and changed everything.
"Want to celebrate my discharge later?"
"Are you sure Matthew's going to let you out of his sight?" Norah teased.
"He can't keep me tied down! Let's meet at our usual spot."
"Perfect."
Smiling, Norah ended the call and was about to get into her car when the door slammed shut. Lionel grabbed her arm, his grip tight enough to make her stumble. There wasn't a trace of gentleness in it.
"Norah, what's this Western District project all about?" Lionel demanded, anger thick in his voice.
Vivienne appeared at Lionel's side, her tone scolding. "Norah, how could you do this? Lionel has supported this project for years. How could you just turn around and look for other investors?"
"Oh? So you back out of the partnership, freeze the funding, and expect my company to just grind to a halt?" Norah shot back, her voice cool.
Lionel hesitated. "Back out? Freeze funding?"
Norah laughed bitterly. "Don't tell me you really didn't know the partnership was canceled, Lionel."
Lionel's pride wouldn't let him admit he'd been kept in the dark, but it was obvious he'd been left out of the loop.
"Even so, do you really think G.K International would consider a project like yours? Come back with me, and I'll resume funding. We'll see it through together," Lionel offered, as if he were making some huge concession.
Norah couldn't help but laugh. All this time, Lionel had seen the partnership as some kind of charity. If he never truly believed in her project, what was the point?
"If you don't see the value in the project, then let's end it here. We're both free now, Lionel. Your business and your life are no longer my concern."
Her words weren't just about the project—they were about the end of their relationship.
"Norah, stop throwing tantrums. There's a limit to this behavior," Lionel scolded.
"Are you coming with me or not?"
Just then, Jamie Olson showed up, breaking the tension.
"There you are, Norah. What took you so long? I was starting to think something happened."
Norah beamed at Jamie, grateful for the distraction. She linked her arm through his and faced Lionel with no trace of distress. "Lionel, I have a boyfriend now. Please don't bother me anymore."
"Jamie, let's go."
"Sure."
Norah left with Jamie while Lionel watched them go, his expression torn between rage and disbelief, a vein pulsing at his temple.
"Norah's just trying to rile you up, Lionel," Vivienne said, clearly annoyed. "How could she move on that fast? She's still in love with you."
Lionel looked at her, confused. "Why would she want to provoke me?"
"Don't you see? She's playing hard to get. Norah's loved you for fifteen years. There's no way she'd fall for someone else overnight," Vivienne said, offering him a reassuring smile.
"She's just using reverse psychology to get your attention."
Lionel relaxed, soothed by the thought. Of course Norah wouldn't move on that fast. She'd been devoted to him for so long; this was just her way of getting him to chase her.
"By the way, do you know what's going on with the Western District project?" Lionel asked.
Vivienne nodded. "Marshall mentioned it. He's doing this to wake Norah up. Throwing a drink at your mom at that party was humiliating for her, and it made you look bad by association."
"Yes, she does need to learn a lesson," Lionel said, agreeing with Marshall's plan.
Vivienne murmured, "I didn't expect Norah to be this determined, even going as far as trying to get G.K to invest."
Lionel waved it off. "G.K International won't be interested in her project."
"Let her fail a little. It'll be a valuable lesson."
