Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 233

After Seth left, Sophia couldn’t resist gossiping with Noreen. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Mr. Harcourt get put in his place. Honestly, it was just too satisfying!”

Back in the day, Sophia had been on the receiving end of Seth’s tough side more than once. So watching Noreen handle him with such ease left her feeling utterly refreshed.

Her delight quickly turned to curiosity. “Do you really think Mr. Harcourt will do as he’s told and wait a whole week before coming back?”

“He won’t,” Noreen replied, eyes still focused on the documents in her hand.

Sophia leaned in, intrigued. “How can you be so sure?”

“I’ve known him for seven years. I know exactly what kind of man he is.”

Sophia nodded in agreement. “Fair enough.”

Just as Noreen had predicted, Seth showed up again that very afternoon.

She’d already set up a meeting with Hugh Summers from NaviTech for later that day. But when Hugh suddenly changed the meeting location at the last minute, Noreen immediately sensed something was up.

Sure enough, when she arrived in the private lounge at the club Hugh had picked, Seth was already there.

Hugh greeted her with a friendly grin. “I had a few things to discuss with Mr. Harcourt too, and since you two already know each other, I thought we’d all meet together. Hope that’s all right with you, Ms. Gilmore?”

Moments like this, even if she minded, Noreen knew better than to say so. “Of course,” she replied smoothly.

Seth had chosen the perfect mediator in Hugh Summers. Hugh was a natural negotiator, breaking down the pros and cons for Noreen in just a few sentences.

Truth was, Noreen had never really intended to fall out with Aurelion Group for good. Ascendancy Group’s influence spoke for itself. If she couldn’t work with them, she’d have to start searching all over again for a tech company to provide chip support. All that running in circles would only waste precious time.

In business, sometimes you had to grow quietly and bide your time—a golden rule Seth himself had once taught her, and one Noreen had never forgotten.

So, she listened to Hugh’s argument, then laid out her own terms:

A public apology from SkyMind’s project lead.

Compensation for InnoCore’s R&D losses.

“I’m almost done here.”

“It’s raining? No worries, Zachary’s coming to pick me up.”

“Oh, really? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

After he hung up, Seth turned to Hugh. “She’s waiting for me outside. We’re pretty much wrapped up here anyway. Shall we call it a night?”

“Wouldn’t want to keep a lady waiting,” Hugh replied with an air of old-fashioned chivalry. “What do you think, Ms. Gilmore?”

Noreen gave a faint smile. “As long as Mr. Harcourt is satisfied, it works for me.”

Seth’s lips curled, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Hugh, oblivious to the silent undercurrents between them, kept up his good-natured teasing. “Mr. Harcourt clearly can’t bear to keep his special someone waiting. Isn’t that right?”