Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 242

Noreen’s tone was flat. “Then speed it up.”

The nurse hesitated. “Isn’t he your friend?”

“Ex-boyfriend.”

The nurse blinked. “…”

Maybe the nurse felt a pang of sympathy for Noreen, because she actually increased the drip rate.

Seth’s hand ached so badly he could barely stand it. Keeping up the pretense of sleep was impossible, so he forced himself upright.

Noreen sat in the chair beside him. When she saw he was awake, she reminded him without a hint of emotion, “Don’t move around. If the needle comes loose, the nurse will have to come back and fix it. No sense making more work for her.”

Seth’s throat was painfully dry, his voice little more than a rasp. “Why are you still here?”

He knew her well enough to be sure she wouldn’t have stayed to look after him. Getting him to the hospital was already far more than he expected.

So when he opened his eyes and saw her still there, his expression flickered with hope—though he tried to hide it.

But Noreen cut straight through his wishful thinking. “I wanted to leave, but couldn’t find anyone to take over for me. The nurse wouldn’t let me go.”

At the time, she’d had no choice but to dial emergency services.

The ambulance arrived quickly.

Seth was still unconscious, and the paramedic insisted someone had to ride along—preferably someone who could provide key medical information, allergies, that sort of thing.

And Noreen, as it happened, knew all of it.

After a moment’s silence, Seth quietly reached over and slowed the IV drip again.

Noreen checked her watch. “Since you’re awake, you can look after yourself. I’m heading out.”

As she stood, she added, “Oh—by the way, I called Bianca. She should be on her way. Just wait here.”

Not giving him a chance to reply, she walked out the door.

Back at her apartment complex, Noreen stopped by the security desk to pick up her king crab. But when she got it home and opened the box, she saw the color was all wrong.

She immediately snapped a photo and messaged Evelyn: “Evelyn, does this crab look spoiled to you?”

“Oh no, it’s gone bad! Did you forget to keep it in the fridge? Throw it out right away! You can’t eat crab meat once it’s turned.”

Even with a billion in the bank, Noreen still had to watch her spending.

The Port Redevelopment Project was worth nearly $10 billion. If she wanted to bid, she’d need to pass the capital verification check.

That meant having at least five to ten percent of the project value on hand—so a minimum of $500 million in assets just to qualify.

Which meant she needed to pull in more investors, and fast.

She was still puzzling it over when Sophia sent over several listings. “These are all great—exactly what you asked for.”

Noreen glanced at the prices and immediately shook her head. “Forget it. I’ll just rent for now.”

Near the end of the workday, Sophia called on the office line. “Ms. Gilmore, Mr. Harcourt from Aurelion Group is here to see you.”

Noreen didn’t even look up. “Tell him I’m busy.”

Sophia lowered her voice. “He scheduled this appointment with you a week ago—remember?”

Noreen paused, caught off guard.