Jude, who could never keep a secret, was just about to spill all of Noreen's dirty laundry when Seth cut in, his voice cool and detached. "It's time for lunch. We don't have much time, and we can't be late for the afternoon exam."
That snapped the others out of their gossipy mood.
"Oh, right. My cousin has an exam this afternoon. We shouldn't let irrelevant people distract her."
Though her words sounded considerate, her expression was pure scorn; she clearly looked down on Noreen from the bottom of her heart.
"Besides, even if my cousin didn't try, she'd still wipe the floor with certain people, right?"
Last place?
The nerve!
Bianca didn't comment, only adding offhandedly, "Noreen just turned in her paper forty minutes early."
Her tone was flat, yet it carried an unmistakable hint of contempt.
Lillian teased, "If the rules didn't require you to wait, she probably would have walked out even sooner, right?"
"I mean, it's not like she could accomplish anything by just sitting there!"
Bianca offered a faint, silent smile.
The afternoon exam was on a general subject, which was relatively simple compared to their specialized fields. Both Noreen and Bianca could handle it with ease.
This time, however, Noreen didn’t dare to turn in her paper early, afraid she’d get caught by Halley again.
Later, during the interview portion, Noreen handled the questions with effortless composure.
When she came out, she saw Henry pacing by the door.
He seemed to be waiting for someone.
Probably Bianca.
Noreen paid him no mind and dialed Dylan’s number.
As she passed Henry, his fingers tightened, and he looked like he wanted to say something.
But it felt as if something was caught in his throat, and he couldn't get a single sound out.
He still hadn't called out to her by the time she was far down the hall.
Forget it.
The worst that could happen was getting an earful from the old man when he got home.
Henry thought to himself.
Truthfully, he didn't want anything to do with Noreen. But his father kept calling, nagging him to spend more time with her, to learn from her business philosophy…
He really didn’t get it.
He was a student at a top-tier business school. Why should he have to learn from a mere undergrad like Noreen, who hadn't even gone to grad school?
Bianca had said it was too childish.
Who would have guessed that this unassuming, broke international student was actually the heir to the Brooke Group?
If he had revealed his background sooner, things might be very different today.
Still, the guy was quite devoted.
Bianca was also surprised to see Henry. "When did you get here?"
"This morning," Henry replied, before asking about her exam. "How did it go?"
"Pretty well."
Henry knew how capable she was, so he wasn't worried.
Bianca then invited Henry to join them for dinner.
He thought about it for a moment but declined.
He knew Bianca would definitely be celebrating with Seth.
"I have plans tonight, so I can't make it."
Bianca didn't press him. "Alright, then we'll catch up when you're free."

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog