Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 162

Jude scratched his head. "He said he's got something to deal with. Not coming."

Bianca paused, surprised. "Did you tell him Seth and I are here too?"

"Yeah, I told him."

Bianca was quiet for a couple of seconds before turning away and heading into the restaurant without another word.

They'd booked a private room for the three of them.

Maybe it was the fallout from the summit, but the mood hung heavy over the table. Even Jude, usually the chatterbox of the group, stayed silent, focused on his food.

Midway through the meal, Bianca excused herself to the restroom. On her way back, she just so happened to bump into Dylan—apparently dining at the same place.

Bianca's eyes lit up. She called out to him right away, "Dylan!"

He glanced her way. Whatever easy smile he'd been wearing vanished, replaced by a distant, almost indifferent look. Still, he acknowledged her with a brief nod.

"Jude said you were in Harborcrest," Bianca continued, her tone as gentle as ever as she walked towards him. "Honestly, I thought he was making it up. Didn't expect to really see you here."

She deliberately left out the fact that she'd already spotted him at the summit earlier, pretending this was just a random encounter. "When did you get in?"

"This afternoon."

So, straight off the plane, he'd gone to the summit. For whom, exactly? Was it for the person she was thinking of?

Bianca kept her feelings under tight control, not giving anything away.

After a bit of small talk, she offered, "Well, since we ran into each other, why not join us? Jude and Seth are both here."

Jude might have been turned down, but that didn't mean Dylan would refuse her. They had history, after all.

But Bianca had clearly overestimated how much that history meant now.

Dylan replied, his tone neutral, "No, thanks. I've got friends here. Maybe another time."

With that, he gave a polite nod and walked off.

Bianca stood there for a long moment, stunned by how flatly—and unceremoniously—he'd brushed her off.

Healy immediately posted the livestream link from the summit.

Bianca tapped it open. There were several photos showing the exact timeline. And there was the bouquet—the same one Dylan had been carrying when she ran into him at the summit entrance.

So…

He'd come all the way to Harborcrest City just to give Noreen flowers?

Bianca's expression soured again as the realization set in.

…

Noreen had just stepped out of the restroom when someone lurking in the corner startled her.

She hadn't even registered the face before the thick smell of smoke hit her.

She wrinkled her nose instinctively, then looked up—to see a figure she knew far too well.

It was Seth.