Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 1104

"Since you're offering," Claire sat bolt upright. "You spent the night with that jerk Seth, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Ugh, what a sly fox!" Claire scoffed. "He plays the perfect gentleman, but behind your back, he's scheming. Faking 'coincidental' run-ins, picking you up from work, using the rain as an excuse... It's classic manipulative behavior!"

"You better watch your back," Claire warned. "A man like that? Once he officially locks you down, he'll guard against side pieces like his life depends on it, because that's exactly how he slithered his way in!"

"Well, he hasn't locked me down yet, so I'm not worried," Noreen replied smoothly.

Claire snorted. "It's only a matter of time."

"Can we change the subject?" Noreen really didn't want to dwell on how right her friend was.

But she instantly regretted it.

"Fine. Did you guys sleep together yet?" Claire demanded.

"..." Noreen wished they were back on the previous topic.

"No way. You haven't done the deed?" Claire gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "Damn, the man has insane self-control!"

Noreen considered hanging up.

"Wait, is it because he can't? I mean, he's missing a kidney. Maybe his stamina is shot, so he's forced to hold back?" Claire was full-on playing detective now. "Honey! Listen to me! You cannot settle for a guy who can't perform! You can't sacrifice your sex life!"

Just as Noreen was about to die of sheer embarrassment, a knock on the door saved her.

A joint venture?

Noreen finally looked at him, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. This was the exact project he had tried to rip from her hands when Winrich was on the verge of collapse. He had even poached her core engineering team for it.

"Director Yates," she leaned back in her chair, tapping a perfectly manicured finger against the mahogany desk. "What makes you think you have any right to such a delusional fantasy?"

Her tone wasn't loud, but every word struck like a gavel.

Yates's smile completely shattered, though he desperately tried to piece it back together. "I know I handled things poorly in the past, and I sincerely apologize. But we've known each other for a long time. We've fought in the trenches together. We know how each other operates. We could team up and turn this into a massive empire..."

"Team up?" Noreen cut him off, her eyes devoid of any warmth. "Did you forget that you were the first person to demand a buyout when Winrich was bleeding out? That you poached my core team when the company was fighting for its life?"

She stared at him like he was a pathetic joke.