What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 47

Noelle trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished. She gazed out the window into the night with a touch of emptiness in her eyes. "I shouldn't interrupt your evening. I'll see you at the office tomorrow."

Finnian walked her to the door. "Get some rest tonight. If you hit any technical roadblocks, come to me. I'll smooth things over."

The light sorrow between Noelle's brows vanished as if smoothed by a breeze, replaced by a radiant smile. "Okay. With you here, I'm not afraid of anything."

Finnian nodded. "Don't worry. I'm always here."

Noelle slid into the back seat, and Finnian instructed Dexter, "Take Noelle home. Drive safe."

Dexter acknowledged the order and pulled the car out of the villa's driveway.

Finnian stood in the garden. He looked down, lit a cigarette, and smoked it down to the filter before heading back into the living room.

Kaia brought their daughter down for dinner, while Finnian secluded himself in his study to handle work.

Only after the mother and daughter finished eating did Finnian come downstairs. Passing through the hallway, he checked Kaia's expression and saw that she had no intention of talking to him.

He turned to Brynlee instead. "Sweetheart, are you full? Want to eat a little more with Dad?"

"Nope, I'm stuffed! Feel my tummy if you don't believe me."

Brynlee proudly stuck out her stomach. Finnian bent down and gave it a gentle pat. "Yep, you're definitely full. As soon as I'm done eating, I'll come help you with your homework."

"I don't have homework! I finished it all. But you can watch cartoons with me!"

She was such a clever little thing. Finnian nodded and glanced at Kaia again.

Kaia was lost in thought and completely ignored his look.

Time flew by, and three days passed.

Kaia and Gordon Hayes were in the middle of a handover. Reviewing the massive projects Kaia had managed, Gordon felt a renewed sense of respect for his former university junior.

"Where is it stuck?" Kaia asked.

"It had already passed the initial screening and due diligence. We were at the final payout stage. Then yesterday... they suddenly notified me that the project is being put on hold for a reassessment."

Marcus ran his hands through his hair frantically. "To get stalled right at the finish line—this means the whole thing is going under, doesn't it?"

Watching her uncle's sheer panic, Kaia's heart sank.

Unaware of the shift in Kaia's expression, Marcus rambled on in bewilderment. "I think it's the new boss, that Ms. Lawrence. She claimed there were questions about the technology, said it lacked innovation and carried too high a risk. We already addressed all those concerns during the defense and due diligence phases! Besides, we're not the only ones doing this; plenty of similar models are already in production. Ugh, our botanical sourcing and traceability tech came directly from you, Kaia. The competitive edge is obvious."

At this point, Kaia saw the core of the issue with crystal clarity.

She comforted her uncle in a low voice. "Aethelstan just went through a major executive shakeup. It's normal for some projects to get sent back for review. Uncle, don't panic just yet. I'll look into it."

"Kaia, my entire net worth is tied up in this. Worker salaries, bank interest, land rent—they burn through money every single day. If this funding gets cut off, all our initial investment goes down the drain. This company was left to me by your grandmother. How am I supposed to face her in the afterlife?" By the end of his plea, Marcus was practically choking back tears.