What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 246

Hearing this, Pearl looked utterly defeated. She forced a strained smile. "No, it was me. I wanted some water and lost my grip on the glass. Mrs. Sanders, Chloe has plans with her friends, so I need to drop her off. We'll be taking our leave."

Without waiting for Noelle's response, Pearl grabbed her daughter and practically dragged her out of the room.

Peace returned to the suite as the nurse called maintenance to clean up the shattered glass.

Meanwhile, the video of Noelle's fall swept through every inch of the conglomerate like wildfire.

Gossip didn't have legs, but it ran faster than anything else.

By Thursday evening at the Veridian Future R&D Center, Kaia was still in the lab at ten o'clock. Finnian had picked Brynlee up earlier, and Kaia had warned her daughter she'd be working late.

A new batch of experiments was underway, and the animal trial data had shown a significant deviation. Kaia and her team cross-referenced the numbers for hours before finally identifying the issue—a malfunctioning temperature control module.

Seeing Kaia finally return to her office, her assistant Laura hurried over with a fresh cup of tea.

Surprised to see her still at the office, Kaia paused. "Didn't I tell you to head home? Why are you still here?"

Laura smiled. "I'm finishing up a few spreadsheets that we'll need first thing tomorrow morning."

Kaia took a sip of her tea and woke up her computer to draft a quick summary, but noticed Laura still lingering nearby, looking as though she was struggling to speak.

"What's wrong?" Kaia knew her assistant's habits perfectly. That look meant she had something on her mind.

"Dr. Chavez, when I went to the headquarters to deliver some files this afternoon, I overheard some really nasty gossip in the restroom... about you and Mr. Sanders."

Kaia froze, her brow furrowing. "Oh? What did they say?"

Anger flared on Laura's face. "They said the one Mr. Sanders truly cares about is her. They were throwing around garbage phrases like 'true love conquers all'..."

Kaia's fingers stalled over her keyboard. She stared at her monitor, her mind completely consumed by those four words.

True love conquers all.

That was certainly an accurate summary.

"You're my team. I wasn't about to let you get slapped for nothing," Kaia said softly.

Taking the elevator down to the basement parking garage, Kaia sat in her car and rubbed her eyes. It turned out that when the pain reached its absolute peak, there were no tears left to cry.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she pictured her daughter waiting patiently on the steps for her return. She cleared her mind of the suffocating mess and focused entirely on the drive home.

Back in the VIP suite, Noelle leaned against the headboard while Elaine had the estate's chef deliver dinner. A television played softly in the background.

Suddenly, an entertainment news channel aired the viral clip of her dancing and falling.

The host narrated the event with a mix of playful gossip and faux-seriousness.

"When Aethelstan's executive Noelle Lawrence fell during her performance, it looked absolutely agonizing. Fortunately, the CEO of The Sanders Conglomerate, Finnian Sanders, happened to be on site. He immediately rushed forward, scooped her into his arms, and rushed her to the hospital. Our reporters are currently staking out the building, and we've heard Ms. Lawrence is in stable condition. I'm sure everyone has rewatched this specific moment several times. The dynamic between Ms. Lawrence and Mr. Sanders has sparked a wave of speculation. Are they just in-laws? Close friends? We've also heard they were childhood sweethearts who practically grew up together. In such a complex web of relationships, one has to wonder if their bond has transcended..."

Elaine's face darkened drastically, and she aggressively jabbed the power button on the remote.

The hospital room fell into instant silence.