Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 922

By the time the store owner returned to the alley with her, the place was completely deserted.

Only her backpack and jacket remained on the ground.

After that horrifying incident, Noreen skipped late study hall for a long time.

Even walking down that street in broad daylight sent chills down her spine.

She always felt like someone was following her, but whenever she looked over her shoulder, the street was empty.

She assumed it was just paranoia born from the trauma.

Later on, when Dylan Wilder found out what had happened, he started walking her home.

One time, they ran into the store owner who had helped call the cops. Seeing them walking side by side, he smiled and asked, "Is this your boyfriend?"

A guy wearing the Vocational High School uniform happened to be buying something in the store at that exact moment, so Noreen played along. "Yeah. He's worried I'll run into trouble, so he makes sure I get home safe."

The store owner gave Dylan an approving nod.

Principal Shaw's voice abruptly pulled Noreen's thoughts back to the present.

"But what does any of that have to do with Mr. Harcourt?" Noreen asked, genuinely confused.

Principal Shaw chuckled. "It has everything to do with him. One night, while those students were harassing a young girl, Mr. Harcourt beat the living daylights out of them."

"He was only eighteen or nineteen at the time. Taking on eight guys by himself, he obviously didn't walk away unscathed. He ended up in the hospital for half a month, but those little bastards were beaten to a bloody pulp."

"As their dean, it was my responsibility to step in. I had to apologize on behalf of the school, work with the police on the fallout, and implement strict security measures around the campus under the supervision of the authorities."

Hearing this, Noreen froze.

Not long after she was attacked, the city had set up multiple police patrol stations around the school area.

The dark alley she had been so terrified of was suddenly fitted with bright streetlights and security cameras, making it completely safe for pedestrians.

Because of that, she soon stopped asking Dylan to walk her and started going home alone again.

And from that day forward, no matter how late it was, she never ran into danger again.

With a gentle pull, he reeled her in against his side.

She was just about to tell him to let go.

But Seth flashed a flawlessly innocent smile at the camera, leaning down to murmur in a voice meant only for her, "Don't look at me right now. Look at the camera."

The photographer started the countdown.

Relying entirely on muscle memory, Noreen flashed a picture-perfect smile at the lens.

A split second before the shutter clicked, Seth subconsciously leaned even closer to her.

So close that her senses were entirely flooded with his intoxicating scent.

The second the photo was done, Noreen immediately swatted his hand away.

Seth didn't try to press his luck. Before she could turn and walk off the risers, he tested the waters, "Want to leave together after this?"

Noreen didn't look at him, nor did she answer.