Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 268

People always said that Seth would kick Noreen to the curb sooner or later...

Truth was, even if Sophia hadn’t said it out loud, Noreen knew exactly what kind of person Ruby Wilder was.

But hearing it all again now, she barely felt anything.

She could even joke with ease, “So, she’s finally living her best life now, huh?”

Sophia fell silent for a moment.

Had she always missed this side of Noreen—the dry humor hiding in plain sight?

“That’s what they call karma. What goes around comes around,” Noreen quipped.

Sophia couldn’t help but laugh. “Look at me and Director Cole. We both left Aurelion Group, and we’re still able to find decent jobs. But Ruby? She had to switch careers and wait tables. Looks like she finally got what she deserved!”

Before dinner, Noreen, Matthew Cole, and Carman held a quick meeting to discuss the next steps for their project.

Matthew said he’d already shortlisted a few top architecture firms, and would start reaching out as soon as he got back.

Noreen handed him a WhatsApp contact.

When Matthew realized it was Mr. Sutherland from VirtuBuild Ltd., his eyes widened in disbelief. “Ms. Gilmore, when did you get connected with someone at VirtuBuild?”

“I met him at a gala some time ago,” Noreen replied, matter-of-fact.

Matthew knew Wade had taken Noreen to a few dinners and events, but still—networking at a party rarely opened doors with a company as big as VirtuBuild. Wade had some sway, sure, but he’d been semi-retired for years now. Business was business, and a company that size wasn’t going to do favors out of nostalgia. Besides, Noreen’s Winrich had no real business ties with Harcourt Group, and Mr. Sutherland was a notorious old fox. He’d never make a move without something in it for him.

Which was why Matthew was so surprised.

Noreen, unconcerned, mentioned how she’d gone toe-to-toe with Seth. “I told Seth, ‘If you’ll be upset when I win, then I’m going to make sure I do!’ I wanted to rile Seth and Bianca up, make them take this project seriously. Bianca’s too proud to lose to me, so she’ll throw everything she has into it. Seth’s standing behind her, and he’ll move heaven and earth to clear the way for her.”

She smiled. “Think about it—if even Seth from Aurelion Group is fighting for this project, wouldn’t that make Mr. Sutherland sit up and take notice?”

Matthew’s jaw dropped. “Ms. Gilmore, going all out tonight?”

That bottle had to be worth nearly twenty grand—and it was rare, too.

Noreen shook her head. “I’m not that extravagant, trust me.” After all, she was still renting an apartment.

The manager smiled and explained, “This is a gift from Mr. Naylor, to congratulate you, Ms. Gilmore.”

Noreen raised an eyebrow. “Healy?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She opened the card and saw Healy’s handwriting inside.

“Wishing Ms. Gilmore continued success and a brilliant future.”