What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 273

"Yeah," Silas agreed, knowing his own lack of influence had contributed to this outcome.

The awards ceremony took place three days later. Noelle's leg was fully healed. She wore a stunning pale gold gown, her hair swept up elegantly to highlight her slender neck. She looked positively radiant on stage, offering a flawless, practiced smile.

Today was the ceremony for the group awards; the individual awards were scheduled for tomorrow.

Photos and videos from the event were instantly flooded back to the corporate channels.

Noelle held the trophy, beaming graciously while standing alongside several high-ranking officials from the medical administration board and other VIPs, all clapping for the cameras.

The caption beneath the photo read: 'Aethelstan's Ms. Lawrence accepts the National Pharmaceutical Innovation Award on behalf of the company.'

Kaia stared at the picture for a long time, her eyes burning.

The images sparked a wildfire of gossip and speculation across the entire conglomerate.

Kaia happened to be at headquarters handling some paperwork. As soon as she stepped into a restroom, she heard eager, hushed voices gossiping outside.

"Did you hear? That award was entirely Dr. Chavez's project. Who knew Ms. Lawrence would sweep in and take the credit, soaking up all the spotlight?"

"Seriously? Dr. Chavez must be crying in a bathroom stall somewhere."

"What can she do? Ms. Lawrence has Mr. Sanders backing her up. Dr. Chavez just has to swallow it. Being Mrs. Sanders is just a title; it doesn't mean she actually has any power."

"Exactly. She's just a figurehead. I knew it! An incredible PR opportunity like this, especially in the pharmaceutical sector—how else would it fall into Ms. Lawrence's lap unless she had connections?"

"Keep your voice down. Don't spread that around."

Inside the stall, Kaia looked down and clenched her fists. These rumors were spreading like a virus, and everyone was watching her become the punchline of a cruel joke.

Being forced to surrender her rightful honor to that woman was humiliating enough.

But the unseen layer of sympathetic, suspicious, and downright gleeful stares wrapped around her like a suffocating shroud.

Finnian hadn't attended the morning ceremony. Silas had barged into his office to argue about the decision.

After watching an angry Silas storm out, Dexter brought in a cup of coffee. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Mr. Sanders, did Ms. Lawrence really go accept the award?"

"Yes," Finnian replied, his eyes locked on his computer screen.

"That award... I remember it being Dr. Chavez's project," Dexter said carefully, stealing a glance at his boss's face. "I heard she dug through countless ancient medical texts for it. By all rights, the award should have..."

Finnian lifted his head and shot him a look.

The glare was so freezing that a chill shot down Dexter's spine. He immediately shut his mouth and backed out of the room.

Kaia took the call simply to see how utterly shameless the woman could be.

"What do you want?"

"Well, Aethelstan won the National Pharmaceutical Innovation Award today, and the company is hosting a six-table Celebration Dinner tonight." Noelle paused, chuckling softly. "Since you're the primary contributor to the project, I wanted to invite you to join us. I hope you're free."

Kaia found the entire charade laughable.

"I'm busy," she rejected coldly.

Noelle fell silent for two seconds before pressing on. "Are you sure? A lot of people in the R&D department are hoping you'll come. Please think about it. I'll send you the address, so you can just head straight over if you change your mind."

Noelle added one last remark. "It would be a real shame if you didn't show up. You played a big part in this award, and I just wanted you to experience the joy of..."

Kaia hung up. She actually thought Noelle might offer an apology or an explanation, but instead, she just threw out a patronizing comment about Kaia being the 'primary contributor' who should come eat dinner.

She sounded so entitled, as if accepting the award in Kaia's place was her divine right.

Then again, Finnian's silent approval was her ultimate hall pass. She didn't need to apologize to anyone.

At nine o'clock, Finnian brought Brynlee back to the villa. He had taken his daughter to the Celebration Dinner, fully expecting Kaia to show up. But she never did.