After I left Alpha father and son went crazy with regret

Dalton sat back, his eyes narrowing as he observed the somber expression on Linda's face. She looked down, her fingers twisting together in her lap. He could tell how much she wanted this-her dream of studying under Colton.

He had seen Linda put on many faces before-mildness, composure, charm-but rarely this kind of vulnerability. It made something stir in him, a desire to fix things for her, to prove his worth by fulfilling

her wish.

With a confident smirk, he leaned forward. "Linda, don't be discouraged. Colton has a long-standing friendship with my family. Just because he turned you down before doesn't mean he'll turn you down

now."

Linda's eyes flickered with hope for a moment, then she quickly masked it, as if afraid of setting herself up for disappointment. "Dalton, I don't want to trouble you-"

"It's not trouble," he interrupted smoothly. "Leave it to me."

Without waiting for her response, he pulled out his phone and dialed. The moment the call connected, a cold and impassive voice greeted him.

"What do you need?" Colton asked.

Dalton kept his tone light, as though he and Colton were merely having a casual conversation. “I have someone I'd like to introduce to you-Linda. You met her before, and she's improved a lot since then. I think she deserves another chance."

A brief silence followed. Then, Colton's answer came, flat and final. "No."

Dalton's expression stiffened. He was unaccustomed to being turned down so quickly, especially when he was offering an introduction that should have been beneficial.

"Why not?" he demanded, irritation creeping into his voice.

Colton let out a dry chuckle, void of any warmth. "I've already done you a lot of favors, Dalton. More than enough. I even extended my student's connections to help you before. I told you the last time that it would be the last time. Are you incapable of understanding that?"

Dalton's fingers tightened around his phone. He felt a surge of embarrassment, especially with Linda sitting beside him, clearly able to hear every word. Still, he wasn't willing to give up that easily.

"You haven't even seen Linda's recent designs," he argued. "You're judging her based on the past. Isn't that unfair?"

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Colton's response was swift and merciless, "I am looking at her recent design, same level of inadequacy."

Dalton's mouth opened, but no words came out. For a moment, he was stunned. And then

*Click."

The call ended.

Dalton stared at his phone, dumbfounded. The rejection was so absolute that it left no room for refortal

Beside him, Linda had gone pale. Her lips were pressed together, and her hands were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.noveldrama

The humiliation of hearing Colton's dismissal firsthand settled deep within her, making her chest feel

tight.

Just then, her phone buzzed, shattering the uncomfortable silence.

Linda exhaled slowly, composing herself before standing. "Excuse me. I need to take this." She turned and walked away, her heels clicking against the polished floor as she headed toward the restroom.

Once inside, she closed the door behind her and leaned against the sink. Her hands trembled slightly as she lifted the phone to her ear.

"Clark," she answered.

On the other end, Clark's voice was laced with frustration. "Linda, I need your help. You know my situation. I tried to invest in STARLINE Studios before, but they turned me down. Arnold was supposed to help us with another project, but that got ruined too-because of *her.*"

Linda's grip on the phone tightened. She didn't need Clark to specify who *her*

was.

Nora.

That name again.

Always in the way.

Clark continued, his voice urgent. "You need to think of something. I'm running out

of options, and I can't afford another failure."

Linda's jaw clenched. She wanted to lash out, but she knew it wouldn't help. Instead, she took a steady.. breath and looked up.

Her gaze landed on the electronic screen outside the restroom, still displaying footage from the STARLINE

father and son went craz

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Studios conference.

The Interview with Nora was playing.

Linda watched as Nora spoke with effortless poise, answering questions with intelligence and cat

There was no trace of uncertainty in her expression, no hint of hesitation in her yove the romanded the room's attention without even trying.

And then, Linda noticed something else,

Cole.

He was standing near the stage, watching Nora,

His eyes were locked on her, his focus unwavering

It wasn't a casual glance. It was the kind of gaze that held respect, Interest, Something twisted in Linda's chest.

She didn't like it.

Not because she wanted Cole's attention for herself-no, he was nothing to her.

But because she hated the idea of anyone's attention being stolen by "Nora.* Not even if that person wasn't her lover.

She turned back to the mirror and glared at her own reflection. "No." She refused

to believe that she was no match for Nora.

She would prove it.

One way or another.

### **A Long Day's End**

By the time Nora and Leo finally left the hotel, it was nearly ten o'clock at night. The long hours of the conference, the back-to-back meetings, the relentless networking-it all weighed heavily on her.

Her temples throbbed with exhaustion, and all she wanted was to collapse into bed.

As she stepped into her car, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and saw Alex's name flashing

"Mommy," Alex's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone as he pouted, "Daddy won't be home tomorrow, so will you come and take me to school."

father and son went craz

Alex was sent back to the villa by the servants at the end of the school day today,

but there was no mommy in the villa, and he missed her.

Nora rubbed her temples, feeling very tired and barely having the strength to say

a complete sentence.

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