Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 439

"You've lost weight," he said, his tone flat, betraying little concern. It sounded like a polite, obligatory comment.

Noreen didn't bother to answer his strange question. She stepped into the elevator just before the doors closed, and Seth followed.

The elevator descended in silence. Seth's phone buzzed several times, and he took it out, his attention completely absorbed by the screen. Noreen, feeling an uncharacteristic impatience, glanced up at the floor numbers. The polished steel walls reflected their images with perfect clarity—including the screen of Seth's phone.

Even in a fleeting, peripheral glance, she recognized the profile picture.

It was Bianca.

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Noreen walked out without a backward glance. They left the hotel one after the other.

Just as they did, Henry Brooke's car pulled up. He was there to see Ron Archer, but his eyes caught the strange sight of Noreen and Seth leaving the hotel separately. He paused, his brow furrowing in suspicion. A hotel was a delicate place; it was hard not to draw certain conclusions.

After a moment's hesitation, Henry dialed Bianca's number.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked when she answered.

"I'm at home," she replied.

Henry paused, ultimately deciding to keep his suspicions to himself. "I'm in Rivercrest City," he said instead. "I was hoping we could grab dinner sometime."

Noreen knew what he was afraid of. Ascendancy Group already dominated the domestic chip market. Although the fireworks incident had damaged their reputation and stock price, a partnership with a legend like Ron Archer would be more than enough to reverse their fortunes.

"Nothing is set in stone yet," Noreen said calmly, trying to reassure him. "Don't let a speculative article distract you. This could just be a smoke screen put out by a competitor. For now, let's focus on our own work."

"Okay," Vincent said, his anxiety easing slightly at her words.

Next, Noreen called Dr. Wilder to ask when he planned on visiting Ron for his follow-up. She wanted to go with him. Ron hadn't given her a clear answer about her proposal, only that he would consider it. She needed to press her advantage.

But before she could make her move, her phone rang. It was Ron Archer.