Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 398

Before he could finish, Padgett’s phone rang. He answered it, and his expression quickly grew serious. After hanging up, he announced, “I need to go to Winrich.”

“Perfect,” Henry said immediately. “I was heading there anyway. I’ll go with you.”

When he had come alone, Noreen’s assistant had said she wasn’t in. But now that he was with Padgett, the story changed. It was clear the assistant was playing favorites, a petty and unprofessional move. Henry scoffed internally.

Padgett was there on official business, so Noreen naturally had to see him. And since Henry had arrived with him, it would have been rude to turn him away. So, she had them both shown into the conference room.

“Ms. Gilmore, a safety team from the capital will be coming down soon to inspect all major projects. I wanted to make sure you were prepared.”

This was serious. Noreen was grateful that Padgett had come in person to warn her. “Thank you for the heads-up, Director Novak. We’ll be ready.”

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime,” Padgett added. “I have some experience in this area.”

“I will.”

Only after they had concluded their business did Henry get a chance to speak. “Ms. Gilmore, do you have a moment? I’d like to talk to you.”

“Mr. Brooke, if you’re here to propose the same plan as before, I’m afraid we have nothing to discuss,” Noreen stated plainly.

Henry’s expression tightened. “I’ve… revised the plan. I’m proposing a joint development between the Brooke Group and Winrich.”

In other words, he had cut Bianca out of the deal entirely. It was a significant concession. But was she supposed to simply accept it?

Because of the impending safety inspection, Noreen had to postpone her trip to Glenhaven City to meet with Mrs. Joyner. She spent the next two days overseeing preparations at the port project, ensuring everything was up to code.

She had just wrapped up for the day when she got a call from Evelyn. The moment Noreen answered, she was met with sobbing. “Noreen, can you please come to the Harcourt estate?”

Noreen calmed her down and asked what was wrong.

Through choked sobs, Evelyn explained that Wade and Seth had had another fight. Wade had used the fireworks scandal as leverage, insisting that Seth cancel the engagement with Bianca. Seth had refused, and things had escalated.

Noreen sighed. She used to think she was a fool for love, but Seth was on another level entirely. He was a lost cause.