Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 116

He often shot down her ideas, dismissing her hard work as if it meant. nothing.

But Noreen wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge.

The more he belittled her, the more determined she became to prove herself.

So the obstacles she faced in starting her own business didn’t bother her much. She’d expected things to be tough.

Tonight’s networking event was packed with familiar faces.

Among those she knew were Mr. Quigley from Qunda Group, Joyner, the CEO of Evergain Capital, Yves from Monarch Capital, and a handful of other executives from various investment firms.

The invitation, in fact, had come from Johnson. He was probably trying to make up for letting her down before.

Of course, these seasoned players easily guessed that Johnson was behind Noreen’s presence tonight, and teased him for not keeping things fair.

Noreen raised her glass in mock–penitence, downing three shots and explaining to the group that she’d asked Johnson for the favor.

Johnson chimed in on her behalf, “Come on, folks, starting a business isn’t easy for Miss Gilmore. Why not give her a hand? There’s plenty of money to go around.”

Mr. Quigley, who always wore a sly smile, replied, “When has starting a business ever been easy? We all crawled our way up the same way. Even Mr. Harcourt from Aurelion Group went through it–Miss Gilmore probably knows better than any of us about his infamous ‘alarm clock discipline.”

He leaned back, his tone laced with mockery. “If you can’t handle the

pressure, Miss Gilmore, maybe you should just go back to being Mr.

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Harcourt’s chief of staff.”

The jab was deliberate–a petty payback for Noreen’s past refusal to work with him.

Noreen just smiled, unruffled by his sarcasm. “Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Mr. Quigley. I’ll do my best.”

Someone else piped up, “Miss Gilmore, if you don’t want to go back to Aurelion Group, you’re welcome to be my assistant. I could use someone smart and attractive on my team.”

“If we’re talking about hiring her, you’ll have to wait in line. I made Miss Gilmore an offer ages ago,” another cut in, grinning.

“I’ve never had the honor of a toast from the chief of staff at Aurelion,” someone else joked. “Our company was so small back then, we barely registered on Secretary Gilmore’s radar.”

This last remark came from a manager whose partnership proposal Noreen had rejected years ago, and it was clear he hadn’t forgotten.

“So tell me, Miss Gilmore, am I finally worthy of a toast from you tonight?” Johnson started to step in, but Noreen took the initiative. She picked up her glass, lowered her stance, and offered him a toast herself. “You’re giving me too much credit, Mr. Wolfe. I’ll drink as an apology.”

She downed the drink in one go, leaving him with nothing more to say but a grudging, “Well, it’s certainly an honor to be toasted by Aurelion’s former chief of staff.”

As the group continued to drink, someone else called out, “Are we late to the party?”

Jude entered, making Noreen’s brow furrow instantly.

“Well, look who it is–Noreen. Haven’t seen you in a while. Didn’t expect to find you playing hostess at a party like this,” he said with a sneer, even nastier than before.

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Noreen’s expression grew cold, but with so many people watching, she kept her composure. After all, Jude was backed by the powerful Wilder family; everyone here was eager to stay on his good side.

“Aren’t you going to have a drink with me? Or am I not good enough for you?” Jude pressed, making things deliberately difficult.

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