Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 453

Who could it be at this hour?

Noreen hesitated for a moment before walking to the door. When she looked through the peephole, her eyes lit up with joy, and she quickly unlocked it. "Claire! What are you doing here?"

Claire swept into the room, bringing a gust of damp air with her. Ignoring her suitcase by the door, she threw her arms around Noreen. "I'm here to recharge my batteries!"

She hugged her tightly, burying her face in Noreen's neck as if she never wanted to let go. Noreen immediately sensed something was wrong. She hugged her back, gently swaying from side to side. "Have you eaten?"

"Nope. I'm starving!"

"How about we hit up our old kebab place?"

"Perfect."

"And maybe grab a drink?" Claire added.

"You got it." Noreen used her foot to nudge the suitcase inside. "The usual spot."

"You know it."

"Okay, so… can I go get changed now?"

Claire didn't release her grip. "What part of you haven't I seen before? Don't be a stranger."

Half an hour later, the two of them were sitting at a kebab shop less than a block from Rivercrest University, their old haunt. The owner was the same, and the food tasted just as they remembered. The only thing that had changed was them; the youthful innocence of their college days had faded.

Neither was a lightweight when it came to drinking. Beer felt too weak for the occasion, so Claire ordered them both brandies.

"Brandy for me too," Noreen told the owner.

Seeing Claire's questioning look, Noreen explained, "It's the weekend tomorrow. I don't have to get up early."

"And even though you're finally over Seth, it still pisses me off," Claire said, her tone serious now. "I saw what you went through for him. I can never forgive him for what he did to you."

"Alright, enough about me," Noreen said, pouring Claire another drink. "What's going on with you? Did something happen?"

The smile on Claire's face faltered, and she sighed. "My acting skills must be getting rusty if you saw through me that easily." She'd thought she was putting on a convincing performance. Clearly, she still had a long way to go before winning any awards.

"It's not a huge deal," Claire said with a world-weary sigh. "You know how our industry is. It's a mess."

Noreen frowned. "Did you run into some casting couch bullshit?"

"Yup." Claire sounded utterly dejected. "You know, if the guy was handsome, I might have just rolled my eyes and walked away. But he was so ugly! How does someone that hideous have the nerve to proposition people? And he acted like being rich gave him the right. I threw my drink in that fat pig's face, and I still feel sick just thinking about it."

Just as she finished her rant, her phone rang. It was her agent. Claire knew exactly what the call was about and was tempted to ignore it.