Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 338

He had no say in this matter.

Castle happened to be heading toward the entrance. When he saw the two of them, he offered a casual greeting.

But Henry misunderstood, assuming that the important guests Castle had asked his secretary to invite were none other than Seth and Bianca.

Henry forced himself to look away from Bianca.

He hadn’t come to this cocktail party just for show—he had a very clear purpose tonight.

Castle exchanged a few pleasantries with Seth, and after a brief chat, Noreen arrived.

Bianca had just opened her mouth, meaning to strike up a conversation with Castle.

But before she could say a word, Castle flashed her a polite smile, then breezed right past both Bianca and Seth to greet Noreen, who had just walked in.

“Miss Gilmore, I’m terribly sorry—I didn’t see your message and had no idea you’d been held up at the door. Were you waiting long? Next time, just give me a call directly,” Castle apologized, reaching out to shake Noreen’s hand.

Noreen looked genuinely embarrassed. “Really, I should be the one apologizing. I have no idea how I managed to lose my invitation. I hope I haven’t caused you too much trouble.”

Castle laughed it off. “Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. My wife is always telling me I’m scatterbrained.”

The warmth between them made Bianca’s smile falter.

So, Noreen really had received a personal invitation from Castle.

God knows what kind of charm she’d used to make Castle value her so highly.

With so many guests to attend to, Castle only spoke with Noreen for a moment before moving on, instructing his secretary to make sure Noreen was well looked after.

Noreen, however, found herself a quiet corner and told the secretary not to worry about her—she could take care of herself.

She was an adult, after all.

Noreen wasn’t familiar with Glenhaven City’s business circle. She hardly knew anyone, so she simply helped herself to some food and kept to the sidelines.

To Bianca, watching from across the room, Noreen looked pitifully out of place and ignored.

Whereas Bianca, having arrived with Seth—who was on first-name terms with half the room—was surrounded by people eager to greet them.

Aurelion Group had several subsidiaries listed here, so Seth’s network was extensive.

People kept coming over to say hello.

No sooner had she taken out her phone than a call came through.

She answered, sounding stressed. “A meeting? Right now? I’ve run into a bit of a situation here—can we push it back?”

A pause. “Alright, I’ll be right there.”

Apparently, rescheduling wasn’t an option. She hung up, frowning as she glanced at her stained hem.

Noreen thought for a second, then unfastened the silk scarf from her own waist and bent down to tie it around the woman’s.

She adjusted it carefully, making sure the stain was completely hidden and the scarf looked elegant.

“There—should do for now,” Noreen said with a reassuring smile.

The woman’s eyes lit up at Noreen’s quick thinking. “What’s your name?”

“Noreen.”

The woman paused, as if pleasantly surprised. “You’re Noreen?”