Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 97

“So, Mr. Harcourt, what’s your assessment of me over the past seven years? I’m actually quite curious to know.”

Noreen repeated the question, her voice steady and unwavering.

Bianca was just as eager to hear the answer. After all, this was about Noreen’s standing in Seth’s eyes.

A flicker of something stormy crossed Seth’s gaze, but it faded as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual cool detachment. His voice was as emotionless as ever, cold and distant. “My assessment? As a secretary, you were… passable. As for handling projects-” He let out a dry, dismissive chuckle.

That single, indifferent laugh said it all.

Contempt. Mockery. Disdain.

Even a hint of scorn.

Seven years of her youth, and this was all she got in return–a careless,

offhand comment.

Maybe loving too much was her biggest mistake.

Noreen’s face turned pale. She had thought her heart was already numb, immune to his contempt, but it still ached at his words.

Fortunately, seven years in the corporate trenches had taught her composure; she managed to keep her voice even. “Looks like really failed, then. Still, thank you for your honesty, Mr. Harcourt.”

Without hesitation, she looked away from him and turned to Sean with an apologetic smile. “Looks like Mr. Sutherland was right to turn down my job application. Sorry for the trouble. Goodbye.”

Seth stood there, watching her head for the elevator, watching her retreat until she finally disappeared from sight.

Only when the elevator doors slid shut did Bianca finally relax.

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07:28

Chapter 97

So she’d been overthinking it after all. Seth truly didn’t care about Noreen. Even when Noreen was at rock bottom, he hadn’t shown her a shred of

mercy.

Bianca’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Let’s go, Seth.”

Seth nodded. “Yeah.”

Later that evening, Noreen and Claire shared a pleasant dinner.

Noreen hid her feelings well, not letting a trace of emotion slip through. In that moment, she was deeply grateful for the self–control she’d honed during seven years of corporate battles–enough to fool even Claire.

No one knew that behind her calm exterior, her heart was a battlefield–wounded, raw, and bleeding.

They hadn’t finished eating when Claire’s agent called: she needed to catch a late flight out of town for an audition.

Noreen insisted on ending dinner early and drove Claire to the airport.

Claire was reluctant to leave. “I really wanted to spend more time with you… but work calls.”

“Work’s important, and I’m honestly fine now.”

“Are you sure?” Claire studied her face intently.

Noreen flashed a bright, convincing smile. “Of course. I ditched the wrong guy, fixed my hopeless crush, and landed a new job. Life’s great!”

Her act was flawless.

Claire didn’t notice anything amiss, but an uneasy feeling lingered. “No matter what, Seth was your whole youth. Letting go is going to hurt–a lot.”

Just for a moment–

She almost broke.

07-28

Luckily, the airport announcement came on, distracting Claire at the last second.

“Go on, don’t miss your flight!” Noreen urged.

Claire finally boarded, glancing back several times.

Noreen stood there the whole time, waving and smiling, not dropping her hand until the plane was out of sight. Only then did her arm fall limply to her side.

After saying goodbye, Noreen caught a cab back home.

About a mile from her place, traffic came to a standstill because of an accident up ahead.

She decided to get out and walk the rest of the way. It wasn’t far, and she was exhausted–emotionally and physically–from days of job hunting.

Walking alone in the chilly night air, she felt numb and strangely pitiful.

She’d thought leaving Seth would fix everything.

Now she realized she’d underestimated reality’s cruelty–and overestimated Seth’s character.