Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 159

Several people at the venue were already glancing in Bianca's direction—among them, new contacts and potential investors she'd only just managed to connect with. No one said a word, but their looks were enough to make her wish she could disappear.

Humiliation burned hot across her cheeks. She simply couldn't understand how data and images pulled straight from InnoCore's project had ended up in her meticulously prepared presentation.

This was the first time in her life she'd ever felt so thoroughly humiliated in front of such a crowd.

She didn't even dare look at Seth, afraid of finding disappointment written on his face—or worse, seeing his attention drawn to Noreen, who was now dazzling everyone in the room.

Perhaps sensing her distress, Seth was quick to shield her from the whispers, offering quietly, "Let's go home."

Even though the summit wasn't over, Seth didn't hesitate to escort Bianca out. As for Jude, he stayed behind, not sparing them a glance.

Jude's expression was a tangled mess of disbelief, frustration, and confusion. How could this be happening? How could InnoCore possibly belong to Noreen? The facts were right in front of him; whether he liked it or not, he had to accept them.

Meanwhile, his phone buzzed incessantly with messages from the group chat, goading him to upload a video of Noreen's supposed embarrassment for everyone's amusement. Jude, in no mood to explain, shot back a sharp "Drop it," and promptly left the group. At this point, he was the one who'd lost face—not Noreen.

Outside, away from the prying eyes and hushed gossip, Bianca finally felt her pulse begin to steady. She wanted to say something, to explain or apologize, but the words wouldn't come.

Seth, ever considerate, spoke first. "Don't be discouraged. No matter what happened, your project still made the shortlist. That's already a big achievement."

His comfort soothed her bruised pride. It was clear Seth genuinely cared about her. Even with Noreen basking in the spotlight, Seth hadn't given her a second glance.

"This was my oversight. It won't happen again," Bianca said, both a promise and an explanation.

She needed to shake this off and come back stronger. After all, she was a PhD in economics from WT Business School; her track record spoke for itself. Noreen was just an ordinary college grad—how could she possibly compete?

Bianca's resilience was remarkable. By the time Seth returned, she was already composed and ready to move forward.

She was just about to scan the crowd, hoping to spot Seth, when a familiar figure caught her eye.

It was Dylan.

She opened her mouth to call out to him, but the bouquet of flowers in his arms made her hesitate for a moment.