Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 172

She didn't even bother to ask Seth for his opinion.

Clearly, the two of them were close enough that there was no need to draw any boundaries.

All those strict rules Seth had laid down applied to everyone except Bianca.

He never tried to restrict her, never set limits for her.

Carman, who'd been invited out of the blue, frowned in mild confusion.

Even someone as socially oblivious as him could sense that Bianca was deliberately ignoring Noreen.

Across the table, Sophia clenched her fist in anger.

Who openly tries to steal someone away like this? she fumed.

Under the table, Noreen pressed Sophia's hand in warning and calmly picked up a piece of sushi, chewing slowly, as if the whole scene had nothing to do with her.

But Bianca could see she was just putting on a brave face.

Behind her stood the Aurelion Group, Seth, the entire Harcourt conglomerate.

This was an olive branch countless people would have begged for, and Bianca had tossed it out herself—she refused to believe Carman wouldn't be tempted.

That was the confidence Seth gave her.

She wanted Noreen to recognize her own place, to know she wasn't qualified to compete—not in business, not for Seth.

But reality hit fast.

Bianca barely finished her proposal before Carman replied almost instantly, "Miss Lowell, I appreciate your offer, but I only handle the technical side. All business matters are managed by my permanent partner, Ms. Gilmore. I work behind the scenes, she's the public face. If you want to discuss a partnership, you can talk to Ms. Gilmore."

Bianca was momentarily stunned.

Permanent partner?

That meant Carman and Noreen were already deeply tied together?

How long had it even been?

So Noreen did have some tricks up her sleeve—though Bianca couldn't help but wonder what shady methods she used to earn Carman's trust so quickly.

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