Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 94

The day after Noreen and Jennifer met, they dove into researching Qunda Group’s operations.

And sure enough, there was trouble.

Several old projects had supposedly been retired from the market, yet Qunda Group was still listing them as profitable. The financials were being blatantly faked.

Of course, everyone knows investment firms are prone to a bit of smoke and mirrors–just usually behind closed doors, not so flagrantly out in the open. If they’d let it get this obvious, the company must be nearly bled dry.

Noreen had no choice but to give up on Qunda Group.

As if on cue, Mr. Quigley from Qunda Group called her, asking when she’d be starting at the company.

Noreen brushed him off with a vague excuse.

But it was clear Mr. Quigley’s motives had little to do with hiring her. Whether she joined or not, he didn’t seem to care. Instead, his questions circled back to Aurelion Group.

He was obviously interested in Aurelion Group–and, more specifically, in Seth. That was the real reason he’d reached out.

“We have some performance metrics at Qunda Group, Miss Gilmore,” Mr. Quigley said, his tone almost casual. “If you were to come on board, how many projects could you bring in for us?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Quigley, I’ve signed a non–compete with Aurelion Group.”

“Oh, I know, I know. Industry rules and all. I’m just saying, Aurelion Group is such a massive company–they must have more projects than they know what to do with. Even if you brought over a few leftovers, that’d be enough for us to get by. It’s all about finding a little shade under a big tree, right?” Mr. Quigley made no effort to hide his real agenda.

07-28

He pressed on, “Besides, with your relationship with Mr. Harcourt, even if you slipped a project or two our way, he wouldn’t make a fuss. Men always get sentimental about their exes.”

Noreen’s heart sank.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Over the next few days, she spoke with HR managers from several other firms. Their intentions were exactly the same as Mr. Quigley’s–they were after Aurelion Group, and Seth by extension.

Left with no choice, Noreen lowered her expectations and reached out to smaller investment firms and boutique banks.

Her academic background wasn’t dazzling, but her resume more than made up for it. At first, several companies seemed genuinely interested. They said all the right things.

But as conversations went on, the tone would suddenly shift, and they’d tell her she just wasn’t the right fit.

But her qualifications had been clear from the start. She hadn’t hidden a single thing.

When she pressed for answers, one HR manager—someone who’d spoken with her for days and clearly liked her–finally admitted, in the most diplomatic way possible, that the problem was with her reference check.

In other words, someone at Aurelion Group had smeared her reputation, making other companies wary of hiring her.

Seth’s words echoed in her mind:

“As long as I don’t give the word, do you really think anyone in Rivercrest City would dare to hire you?”

So it was Seth. Seth was the one sabotaging her.

Tears are a strange thing. You can hold them back when you’re in pain, or. when you’re exhausted. But when you feel wronged–then, suddenly,

07:28

Chapter 94

they’re impossible to control.

On a bustling street, surrounded by strangers, Noreen’s eyes filled with

tears.

Claire called, checking in.

She’d been abroad for fashion shows the past two months, so busy she barely had a moment to herself, let alone to check on Noreen. Now, finally back in Rivercrest City, her first call was to her best friend.

The second Noreen heard her voice, she broke down, sobbing so hard she could barely speak.

“Did that bastard Seth do something to you? I swear, I’ll go confront him right now!”

Even though Noreen hadn’t said a word, Claire had hit the nail on the

head.

“What are you, psychic? How did you know it was about him?”

“Who else could hurt you like this?”

Noreen paused, her nose stinging. “Is it that obvious?”

Claire sighed, her voice full of sympathy. “Yeah, it’s obvious.”