What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 5

"This is Finnian's phone," Kaia said, her voice turning cold.

"He was taking care of me all night and fell asleep from exhaustion," Noelle replied, a hint of guilt and apology in her tone.

"Are you sick?"

"I drank too much last night, and I wasn't thinking clearly." Noelle paused before continuing. "I slit my wrists. Luckily, Finnian got here in time and took me to the hospital."

Listening to her explanation, Kaia couldn't find a single flaw in her story.

The image was perfect: a widow unmoored by grief, and a brother-in-law who hadn't left her side for a single moment.

"Is that so?" Kaia said coolly. "Well, you should get some rest."

Noelle murmured an agreement and hung up.

The click of the phone ending the call felt like a hammer blow, shattering the last of Kaia's peace of mind.

Noelle had borrowed her husband, and she didn't even offer a word of apology.

Her entitled tone just now almost made Kaia feel like she was the one who was out of line.

In that moment, sorrow and rage were replaced by a cold, clear-headed resolve.

She stared out the window, knowing she couldn't afford to lose her composure now.

Her daughter was still so young, her world simple and beautiful. Kaia wouldn't let anyone destroy it.

Perhaps it was time for her to tear away the veil herself and find out what had really happened between Finnian and Noelle in the past.

At nine in the morning, Kaia arrived at the company for a meeting.

In the conference room, Finnian sat at the head of the table, his handsome face showing signs of fatigue.

He wore a high-end, charcoal-grey suit with a subtle pattern. His tie was off, giving him an air of casual authority.

After the passing of the old Mr. Sanders, Finnian's influence within the group had grown steadily. Now, with Rafael's death, even more power had fallen into his hands, lending him the calm and control of a true leader.

Today's meeting was to review the resource allocation and budget for several ongoing research projects.

The first few projects were progressing smoothly.

When it was time for the Targeted Therapies and Innovative Formulations R&D center to report on a new tumor inhibitor, the atmosphere in the room grew tense.

"Your reasons."

Kaia met his gaze and picked up the documents in front of her. "I have prepared three points."

"First, the data issue is not a simple batch variance. Data anomalies occurred six months ago, and with the discrepancies in these three latest experimental groups, we have breached the statistical threshold."

As she spoke, several executives beside her fell into deep thought.

"Second, resource allocation. My department's Project Elysian has just completed its clinical trials. The data shows significant immunomodulatory effects with a high safety profile. It now requires a concentration of resources for data mining."

"Third," Kaia looked directly at Finnian, "the project lead, Noelle Lawrence, has been absent on multiple occasions. This is inconsistent with prudent R&D management principles. We should consider having her return to clarify the data issues before we proceed with any further evaluation."

The conference room fell silent.

Everyone knew that Noelle was a top talent cultivated by the Sanders family. In the past, Kaia had only ever offered supplementary comments on Noelle's projects, never once condemning her for a mistake.

Finnian's expression remained unchanged.

"Dr. Chavez's analysis is very professional," he began, his voice steady but with a new edge of coldness. "We will form a temporary technical review committee. You will be a part of it, responsible for cross-review. I want to see detailed data and a risk assessment within two weeks."

After the meeting ended, Kaia remained in her seat.