Whats She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Kaia delivered the words flatly before returning to taking off her jewelry.

Finnian’s eyes darkened. Did she forget? Or was it intentional?

Kaia removed her earrings, turning back to see him still leaning against the doorframe. “Is there anything else?”

Finnian stared at her in silence for a long moment before his voice dropped to freezing temperatures.

“No.”

With that, the tall man turned on his heel and walked away.

He hadn’t made it two steps before the master bedroom door clicked shut behind him.

Finnian stopped in his tracks, looking back at the tightly closed door.

An inexplicable, burning frustration twisted in his chest.

With less than ten days until the holiday break, the results of the massive review board showdown finally came back. Veridian Future had secured three major contracts.

Noelle, furious and refusing to accept defeat, demanded her team ask the review board for an explanation. The experts gave them exactly two sentences: “The vision was there, but the execution lacked a solid foundation. It was ambitious but structurally hollow–a castle built on sand that couldn’t withstand the pressure of the real market.”

Hearing that, Noelle, who was wildly arrogant and whose entire identity was tied to her career, turned completely pale. It was a devastating, humiliating blow.

It had been half a month since the pitch, and Noelle’s fighting spirit had totally cratered.

Lately, aside from doing the bare minimum at the office, she attended executive meetings at the conglomerate with a permanent look of melancholic despair. Whenever she looked up at Finnian at the head of the table, her eyes were swimming with vulnerability and reliance.

She wasn’t the type to loudly play the victim or complain, but Finnian easily picked up on the profound sense of defeat in her tone.

Finnian wasn’t an idiot. He could see through any strategic business move instantly.

Aethelstan lost because their pitch was fundamentally weak. They didn’t deserve to win.

However, the optics were incredibly messy. Finnian had personally put Noelle in that CEO chair. Her absolute failure was, in a way, a direct hit to his own reputation.

Two days later, a highly classified envelope stamped with Finnian’s personal seal was delivered to Noelle’s office.

Surprised, Noelle tore it open. A second later, a spark of euphoric excitement lit up her beautiful eyes.

It was a letter of intent for a strategic partnership with Cytogene AG, a century–old European pharmaceutical titan.

Noelle’s fingers shook as she traced the paper. This partnership involved the integration of

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Chapter 80

cutting–edge gene-editing therapies and next–gen biologics manufacturing. In terms of both technical prestige and market value, it was an absolute goldmine.

Noelle immediately called Gordon Hayes into her office.

Gordon read the letter, unable to hide his excitement. “Ms. Lawrence, this isn’t just a business deal This catapults Acthelstan into the absolute epicenter of global R&D. We’ll be the first company in the country to pull this off.”

The gloom that had been hanging over Noelle vanished completely. She leaned back in her white leather executive chair, crossing her arms, her face glowing with arrogance. “Compared to this, those little projects Veridian fought so hard for look like absolute pocket change.”

“How did you even secure a partnership like this?” Gordon asked, genuinely awed.

Noelle’s eyes shifted. She stood up, a dark, unreadable smirk playing on her lips.

“That’s above your pay grade. Just get the team ready to execute the handover, Noelle said, switching fully into boss mode, her expression turning strictly professional.

Gordon paused, then lowered his head respectfully. “Understood.”

Noelle pulled out her phone and quickly typed a text: “I got your gift. Thank you, Finnian.”

Finnian replied instantly with a single word: “OK.”

Noelle set her phone on the desk, picked up her hot coffee, and took a sip.

He had literally handed her the very first domestic contract for this project. The depth of his affection was undeniable.

Noelle sat in her office for a long time, her fingers repeatedly tracing the red wax seal of Finnian’s authority and his sharp, aggressive signature. A complex knot of emotions twisted inside her.

The double–edged nature of this ‘gift‘ made Noelle both ecstatic and deeply insecure.

In Finnian’s mind, did he truly believe she was incapable of beating Kaia with her own strength?

Was that why he was giving her this massive handout to soothe her ego after her humiliating loss?

Noelle closed her eyes. It tasted like charity, but it also proved that precisely because she wasn’t as perfect as Kaía, she could extract far more protection and leverage out of him.

She couldn’t wait to see the look on Kaia’s face when she found out.

Regret? Devastation?

Noelle composed herself and hit the intercom. “Tell the core team to meet in Conference Room One in ten minutes. I have a major announcement.”

By the time the meeting ended, the news had already begun spreading through their exclusive industry circles.

Laura was one of the first to hear it. She had already decided to resign and follow Kaia to Veridian

Future.

But when she heard the news, she still felt a wave of furious injustice for Dr. Chavez.

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Had Mr. Sanders lost his mind? He was literally using the Sanders family’s private empire to build golden pedestals for Noelle to stand on. He had just casually handed the Cytogene partnership over to her on a silver platter.

Kaia had barely hung up the phone with Laura when Silas walked into her office. The tall, lanky executive hopped right onto the corner of her desk, a cynical smirk on his handsome face. “What is this? She loses the game, so he just hands her the championship trophy? My cousin’s really pulling out all the stops to carry her, isn’t he?”

Kaia looked up, her clear eyes entirely devoid of emotion. “It’s exactly what I expected. There’s nothing to be surprised about.”

Silas shrugged. “Are you really that okay with it?”

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