Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 507

“Yes. I’m here to look at the new materials,” Seth replied, his voice a bit hoarse, tinged with fatigue.

CEO Royce beamed. “Mr. Harcourt is just being considerate of Ms. Lowell. The drive is long, and he didn’t want her to make the trip, so he came to inspect the materials in her place. Such a loving couple.”

Noreen managed a polite smile, uninterested in their public displays of affection.

“The drive must have been tiring, Ms. Gilmore,” Royce said. “Why don’t you come to my office and rest for a bit?”

Noreen shook her head. “Thank you, but time is short. Let’s start with the factory tour.”

“Of course! This way, please.” Royce led the way, then turned to Seth and his assistant, Gillian. “Mr. Harcourt, please join us.”

Royce’s company produced silicon wafers, the most critical and expensive component of computer chips. Noreen had crammed on the subject, but her knowledge was purely theoretical. Unfortunately, Vincent had been hospitalized with an illness, so she had to conduct the initial inspection herself. Vincent had assured her it was just a preliminary visit to ensure the factory met production standards; he would bring a dedicated R&D team for the technical deep-dive later.

The factory was even cleaner and more organized than Noreen had imagined, and she complimented Royce on it.

He sighed good-naturedly. “I have Mr. Harcourt to thank for that. To secure our partnership with Ascendancy Group, we had to constantly improve. You have no idea how high his standards are. I think I developed an anxiety disorder during that time. Luckily, we passed his evaluation in the end…”

Noreen had to agree. Seth’s exacting standards applied to everyone, including himself. The only exception was Bianca. Perhaps because he knew how difficult the path was, he couldn’t bear to see her suffer the way he had.

A product manager brought over a sample of the new material for Seth to inspect. He examined it with an expert eye while Noreen watched intently. CEO Royce was so nervous he was practically holding his breath.

After a thorough inspection, Seth finally said, “It’s acceptable.”

Gillian and Sophia exchanged a look of utter confusion. Ever since Noreen had left Aurelion Group, her encounters with Seth had been, at best, tense. This harmonious scene was a rare sight. Gillian thought she even saw a hint of a smile in Seth’s eyes, but when he shot her a cold glance, she quickly looked down, not daring to look again.

CEO Royce was the most bewildered of all. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Seth’s attitude toward Noreen was… different.

Noreen’s prior knowledge of silicon wafers had been superficial, but after Seth’s detailed explanation, she had a much deeper understanding.

When they finally finished, Royce remarked, “Mr. Harcourt, you know more about this than I do. Ms. Gilmore, there’s nothing left for me to add.”

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