Whats She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Silas and his entourage left the lab, but Kaia’s mind was completely derailed.

She retreated to her office under the guise of grabbing some tea and leaned heavily against the wall.

She knew Gordon’s personality well enough.

He would absolutely never abandon his prestigious research institute for a profit–driven medical corporation just for a bigger paycheck. Not unless Finnian had offered him terms that were completely impossible to refuse. The sunlight glaring through the window was blinding, but inside, Kaia’s heart was freezing over.

That evening, the welcome dinner for Gordon was held at The Chef’s Nook, a high–end private restaurant near the office.

Finnian was hosting the dinner.

Naturally, Finnian sat at the head of the table. To his left were Silas, Noelle, and a few Aethelstan executives. When Kaia walked in, Silas immediately stood up. “Kaia, come sit over here.”

Kaia looked over. She hadn’t expected Finnian to be here. As the CEO of the entire conglomerate, Aethelstan didn’t even rank in his top three priorities. The fact that he was personally attending a welcome dinner for a technical director was almost unbelievable.

“Kaia, why don’t you sit next to me? I can make room,” Noelle offered gracefully, starting to stand up.

Kaia looked at her. Noelle had clearly gone out of her way to change out of her work clothes. She was wearing a stunning, dusty–pink velvet gown, her hair falling in loose, elegant waves over her shoulders. Her makeup was flawless, giving off an aura of effortless luxury that made it seem as

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if she were the guest of honor tonight.

“No thank you, I’ll sit right here.” Kaia took a seat next to the VP of R&D.

Kaia instantly regretted coming. When Silas invited her, he made it sound like a casual dinner and suggested that since she and Gordon were colleagues and old university friends, they could catch up on industry

talk.

Looking at the setup now, the main character of the night had clearly been swapped.

Noelle was murmuring something to Finnian, her head tilted toward him, casually using her slender, manicured fingers to cover her mouth as she spoke. Finnian leaned in, responding to her in a low voice.

The atmosphere between the two of them was so intimate it was as if they existed in their own private bubble.

The dinner conversation mostly revolved around the company’s upcoming projects. Gordon remained quiet for the most part, only offering brief, highly analytical answers when directly asked a question.

Silas was undoubtedly the one carrying the room’s energy.

He was charismatic and quick–witted, effortlessly pivoting between heavy technical jargon and joking around with the executives.

Halfway through the meal, Noelle gently raised her glass, a perfectly measured smile on her lips. “Gordon and I are old friends. I know exactly how capable and principled he is. Having him join Aethelstan means we are stepping into incredible new opportunities.”

Gordon looked at Noelle, his eyes flashing briefly before he raised his glass in return. “You’re too kind, Dr. Lawrence. And thank you for your trust, Mr. Sanders. I’ll give it my all.”

Gordon downed his entire glass of wine in one go, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

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Finnian accepted Gordon’s toast. His tone carried his usual stoic, commanding authority. “Welcome to Aethelstan.”

Kaia sat silently, taking all of this in while taking small sips of her tea.

Silas’s sharp eyes darted around before landing on Kaia with a smile. ‘Speaking of capabilities, Kaia is the anchor of Aethelstan. Dr. Hayes, you should definitely pick her brain. The projects she runs are the real heavy–hitters.”

Gordon turned to Kaia. “I look forward to learning from you, Kaia.”

Kaia glanced at Silas. Was he doing this on purpose?

You’re too modest, Gordon. I wouldn’t presume to teach you anything; we’ll learn from each other.”

Gordon gave her a stiff nod.

Kaia clutched her teacup, completely having lost her appetite for the

ncredible food on the table. Gordon was the man Finnian had

headhunted to replace her.

The sheer weight of that realization made Kaia look up at the man sitting at the head of the table.

Finnian reached over and adjusted the turntable, making sure Noelle’s Favorite dish stopped right in front of her.

Chapter 36

Chapter 36