Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 277

Jude, standing nearby, chimed in, “Naylor Automotive Group recently struck a strategic partnership with InnoCore. Healy’s probably talking business with Noreen—they’ve been at it for a while.”

Bianca withdrew her gaze, no longer concerned.

She’d been overthinking it.

Healy, just like Jude, couldn’t stand Noreen.

Besides, in their circles, Noreen’s background wasn’t nearly impressive enough to matter.

No matter how pretty Noreen was, there was no way Healy would ever be interested in her.

He was polite to her on the surface, but that was only for the sake of their collaboration—a matter of courtesy, nothing more.

In private, he wouldn’t spare her a second glance.

Lillian occasionally got a little jealous, but Bianca always reassured her not to take it seriously.

Just then, Healy returned.

He’d have liked to chat with Noreen a bit longer, but she was clearly busy—people kept pulling her away.

He’d only have been in the way if he’d lingered, so he wisely excused himself.

Spotting Bianca, he greeted her. “Is Seth feeling any better?”

“He was doing fine, but then he relapsed. He’s still in the hospital on an IV—couldn’t even make it to the conference. Asked me to fill in for him,” Bianca replied.

Healy frowned. “What happened? He just got caught in the rain—how’s he still sick?”

Before Bianca could answer, someone else approached to say hello.

“Bianca.”

It was Henry.

She looked up, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for the conference too,” Henry explained.

“Does Brooke Group have holdings in Rivercrest?” Bianca asked.

Bianca slipped her lipstick back into her purse and adjusted her hair. “What I didn’t expect is that he’s the Brooke Group heir. Back at school, he seemed like just a broke student, always working odd jobs to pay the bills. I helped him out a couple of times, and he’s never forgotten it. He’s always been grateful—and maybe a little in awe.”

There was definitely something more than gratitude there.

As a woman, Bianca could always tell when a man looked at her with more than just admiration.

But now she had Seth, and Henry wasn’t even a consideration.

Still, a connection like his was too valuable to ignore.

A man’s admiration and affection—those were the best tools in her arsenal.

When they finished fixing their makeup and stepped out, they spotted Noreen in the hallway, deep in conversation on her phone.

Lillian gave a derisive snort and deliberately raised her voice. “Honestly, Bianca, your husband’s gone above and beyond for you. He put you in charge of Aurelion Group just so you’d have a foothold, and now he’s letting you represent him at the conference. That’s basically what real marriage looks like, isn’t it?”

Noreen shot her a look, clearly annoyed by the volume, and shielded the phone.

But Lillian, undeterred, just got louder. “So what if someone’s been a loyal puppy for seven years? If he doesn’t love you, it’ll never be enough. Real love means that even if you do nothing at all, just standing there is enough for him to give you the world.”