Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 483

The thought had crossed Bianca's mind before, especially after seeing how closely Seth was following Noreen's progress, even offering to help with InnoCore's IPO. Now that Yvonne had said it aloud, their minds were perfectly aligned.

"When is Dad coming back to Rivercrest City?" Bianca asked.

"Next week."

"I remember Dad is good friends with that old family friend of his at the SEC, right? Ask him to have a word," Bianca schemed.

Yvonne nodded, having already considered it. "Don't worry, I'll take care of that. But you have something much more important to do. Right now, everyone is wondering if Noreen will break Seth's record for the fastest IPO. If you can beat her to it, you'll stun everyone—including Wade. If you pull this off, you'll leapfrog right over her and stage the most brilliant comeback."

Noreen spent the weekend at the hospital with Rosalind for a series of follow-up tests, including a painless colonoscopy. Noreen had instructed Sophia to book the appointment a month in advance, but the nurse in the VIP wing informed her they could have done it without a reservation. The suite came with priority access to all procedures. It was so convenient that Noreen briefly considered keeping a VIP suite on retainer, given Rosalind's recurring health issues.

After the procedure, as Noreen was wheeling Rosalind back to her room, their path was blocked by a crowd of people in the corridor. A nurse went to investigate. "A patient is causing a scene," she reported back. "Something about cutting in line. Security is on their way to clear the area. We'll just have to wait a minute."

Others in the line chimed in, backing up the accuser. The manager, looking stressed, tried to placate the crowd before turning to Yvonne. "Ma'am, there is a queue. Trying to bypass it is bound to cause conflict."

Yvonne was about to argue further when Bianca caught sight of Noreen. Her expression froze, a flicker of humiliation crossing her face. She grabbed her mother's arm and pulled her away. "Mom, let's go back," she hissed, desperate to escape Noreen's gaze.

Yvonne noticed Noreen then, too, her face twisting in annoyance. Without another word, she allowed Bianca to lead her back to their room. Just as they arrived, Lana walked in and stopped short, staring at their disheveled state. "What on earth happened to you two? You look like you've been through a war."