Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 312

Seeing that neither of the auction items had anything to do with her, Noreen decided there was no reason to stay. She stood up and said to Healy, “Mr. Healy, I have something to take care of, so I’ll be heading out.”

“I’ve got things to do as well,” Healy replied, rising to his feet right away.

“But you haven’t bought a single thing yet,” Noreen pointed out.

“Everything I wanted got snatched up by someone else. Didn’t the same thing happen to you? What are the odds? Looks like neither of us walked away with anything.”

Noreen laughed at his easy humor. “That’s true enough—so, shall we leave together?”

Healy couldn’t have been happier. He hurried after Noreen, as if afraid she’d change her mind at the last second.

Once outside, Noreen headed toward the parking lot.

Healy’s car was on the other side, but he followed her anyway. “Noreen, how about we grab a bite? Since we’ve run into each other and all.”

“I can’t today. I’ve got plans. Maybe next time,” she replied without missing a beat.

As expected, Noreen turned him down politely, said her goodbyes, and drove off. The whole exchange took less than five minutes.

Healy watched her car disappear down the road, feeling a pang of regret.

Honestly, he wanted to lay his cards on the table—to tell Noreen he wanted to date her, to ask if she’d give him a chance. But he knew all too well how badly he’d treated her over the past seven years.

You reap what you sow.

If it weren’t for the business ties between their families, Noreen probably wouldn’t even bother speaking to him—just like she treated Jude.

So Healy forced himself to back off.

Maybe he just needed to wait. There’s always tomorrow.

…

Noreen figured the auction would be quickly forgotten—she certainly hadn’t given it a second thought. But the very next day, the tabloids were ablaze with gossip, and the story was everywhere.

Even Claire, who was supposed to be holed up filming with her cast and crew, caught wind of it. The moment she finished work and got home, she was on a video call with Noreen, hungry for the latest scoop.

“Wait, are you telling me Seth dropped twenty million dollars on an engagement gift for that ridiculous first love of his?”

Noreen nodded. “That’s right.”

“In simple terms, our company is making three hundred forty-five thousand dollars a day—without lifting a finger.”

Claire squealed and jumped around in delight. “Look at that! My money really is coming out of thin air! Noreen, just you wait—once I get my bonus, I’ll take you to the next auction. We’ll go wild!”

See? That’s what best friends are for—talking big dreams to each other.

Noreen laughed. “I’ll hold you to that.”

After the call ended, Noreen got ready to head to Ascendancy Group.

InnoCore was about to upgrade its latest model, and they needed more support from Ascendancy Group.

She called ahead, and the company’s notoriously chatty deputy director answered.

“Today’s no good,” the woman said.

“How about tomorrow?”

“No can do. Actually, the whole week’s out—Director Lowell and Mr. Harcourt are both overseas, scouting locations for their engagement party. They’re not even in Rivercrest City, and I can’t approve anything this important on my own.”