Nora kept her expression neutral as her gaze briefly passed over Arnold and Linda. She refused to let their presence affect her, nor did she want to give Linda the satisfaction of thinking she had the power to unsettle her. Without pausing, she looked away and continued forward, acting as if she hadn''t seen them at all.


    Linda, on the other hand, did not possess the same level of control.


    Usually, Linda carried herself with an air of effortless confidence-prideful, dismissive, as if nothing in the world could shake her.


    But tonight, her expression was colder than usual, her lips pressed into a firm line, and there was something restrained about the way she held herself.


    Nora caught the way Linda''s fingers tightened ever so slightly around the clutch in her hand, the way her shoulders stiffened the moment their eyes met.


    *Anger."


    Linda wasn''t merely irritated-she was suppressing something stronger.


    Nora immediately understood..


    Arnold''s interference had clearly gotten under Linda''s skin. He had demanded that Linda''s family cease their targeted attacks on Alexander, and now Linda had no choice but toply.


    For a woman who prided herself on control, being forced into submission, especially by Arnold.. must have felt like an unbearable humiliation.


    But that wasn''t all.


    It wasn''t just about business.


    Linda didn''t want to see any lingering ties between Arnold and Nora.


    That thought alone seemed to infuriate her.


    And so, as if to prove a point, Linda turned away from Nora and focused all her attention on Leo.


    "Leo," she said, her tone suddenly light, friendly. "I''ve been meaning to invite you to dinner for some time now, but my schedule has been packed. Let''s set a date soon."


    Nora raised an eyebrow at the tant attempt to ignore her.


    Leo, standing beside her, smiled faintly but didn''t seem the least bit interested.


    "That''s very kind of you," he said smoothly. "But I rarely dine alone these days." He nced at Nora


    before adding, "Maybe Nora can join us? She''s a key figure in thepany now, after all."


    Linda''s pleasant smile faltered, just for a second.


    A crack in her polished facade.


    is then


    She recovered quickly, but the damage had already been done. Nora didn''t tightening of Linda''s jaw, the flicker of irritation in her eyes.


    Clearly, that wasn''t the response she had been hoping for.


    Nora held back a smirk.


    Leo had stepped in at the perfect moment, effortlessly throwing Linda off bnce.


    Without giving her a chance to regain control of the conversation, he ced a guiding hand on Nora''s


    back and led her toward the restaurant entrance.


    "Thanks for that," Nora murmured once they were out of earshot.


    Leo chuckled. "It''s the boss''s duty to protect his employees, isn''t it?"


    Nora rolled her eyes but smiled. "I thought we were business


    partners."


    "We are," Leo said, holding the door open for her. "Which is exactly why I won''t let anyone try to make you feel small. Especially not someone who clearly sees you as a threat."


    Nora didn''t respond, but the thought lingered in her mind.


    A threat?


    Was that how Linda saw her?


    She exhaled slowly and pushed the thought aside.


    By the time Nora arrived home, it was nearly midnight.


    She had expected the house to be quiet and empty, as Arnold was almost always outte.


    But as she stepped inside, she noticed the faint glow of light from the living room.


    12.12


    He''s home?


    That was unusual.


    Without thinking too much about it, she headed toward her bedroom, but as she entered, her eyes immediatelynded on a stack of documents resting neatly on the vanity.


    Something about them caught her attention.


    Frowning, she walked over and picked them up.


    As soon as she saw the title, she froze.


    **Stock Transfer Agreement.**


    Her name was listed as the transferee.


    Nora''s grip on the papers tightened.


    These were **Linda''s** shares.


    Before she could process what was happening, she heard the sound of footsteps.


    Arnold entered the room, his gaze settling on her.


    "You''re back early," she said, though her voice was slightly unsteady.


    Arnold''s expression remained unreadable. He stepped further inside and leaned against the dresser, ncing at the documents in her hands.


    "I took care of what you asked," he said simply. "Linda was the majority shareholder. I made sure she transferred the shares as an apology."


    Nora stared at him, stunned.


    This was... unexpected.


    When she had asked Arnold to intervene, she had only hoped he wake Linda stop the malicious businesspetition. She hadn''t imagined he would take it a step further-let alone force Linda to


    transfer her shares.**


    This was far beyond what she had expected.


    And these shares, Alexander would no


    yet... she couldn''t deny that it solved the problempletely w longer be at a disadvantage. Chapter 72


    Nora lowered the documents and met Arnold''s gaze. "Thank you," she said, genuinely appreciative. Arnold


    gave a small nod, but before the silence could stretch too long, she hesitated.


    "There''s one problem," she admitted. "I don''t have the money to pay you for these shares right now, but


    I''ll find a way. I don''t expect you to just give them to me for


    free."


    Arnold''s expression shifted.


    His brow arched slightly, as if he hadn''t expected that response.


    "You want to give me money?" he asked, his tone unreadable.


    Nora nodded. "It''s only fair."


    Arnold stared at her for a long moment before letting out a slow exhale, shaking his head slightly.


    The air between them changed.


    Tell me something. Nora," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "Do you really think I did this for money?"


    Nora frowned. "That''s not what I..."


    Arnold clearly looked displeased. 12:12