Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 238

Lillian stuck out her tongue. “I know, you’re worried my brother-in-law might get jealous. Don’t worry—I’m just venting to you in private.”

Bianca’s tone grew serious. “Regardless, Padgett Novak is the department head now. We’ll be working with him a lot more in the future, so it’s important to keep things cordial. You need to know what to say and what to keep to yourself.”

“Got it, Bianca,” Lillian replied dutifully.

Only then did Bianca finally relax. She’d been so insistent with her warnings because she was afraid Lillian would let something slip.

The truth was, she and Padgett Novak had only ever been set up once. He’d never pursued her with any real interest. If anything, he’d been rather distant.

She’d exaggerated their history just to save face.

At the time, she hadn’t felt any spark with him—mainly because Padgett came from an ordinary background and held a fairly junior position. Other than being good-looking, he didn’t have much going for him.

She never could have predicted how quickly he’d climb the ladder. Now, even though he was still young and only a mid-level manager, his prospects looked promising.

So Bianca made up her mind to stay on good terms with Padgett Novak, just in case.

“I just can’t stand that Noreen,” Lillian grumbled, wanting to defend Bianca. “She set you up and you took the fall. Thank goodness your fiancé had your back.”

Bianca tried to maintain an air of composure, but the truth was, the whole ordeal stung far more than she let on. Her mother, too, had suffered the brunt of people’s whispers and laughter behind closed doors.

Thankfully, Seth had always stood by her side, unwavering. He’d even entrusted her with the Port Redevelopment Project—a massive opportunity.

If she could pull this off, she’d finally redeem herself, and all those socialites and trophy wives who’d mocked her would have to sit up and take notice.

That’s why Bianca poured her heart into the project, handling every detail personally and working harder than anyone.

Major projects like the port redevelopment were only anticipated in advance by insiders—companies like Aurelion Group. Still, the government was required to follow protocol: public tenders, open announcements, and a formal bidding session.

On the day of the bid opening, Noreen showed up too.

Bianca and Lillian sat confidently in the front row, ready for anything. But as soon as they spotted Noreen, both women couldn’t help but frown.

“What are you doing here?” Lillian demanded, her tone icy, as if she owned the place. “Do you even have the right to be here?”

Noreen glanced over at Bianca, who made no move to intervene on her cousin’s behalf.

Noreen’s lips curled into a chilly smile. “Whether I belong here isn’t for you to decide. If you’ve got time to police the guest list, maybe remind your cousin to pay her damages before it ends up in court. Wouldn’t want to embarrass yourselves any further.”