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    Noreen recognized the man at once–he was Castle Joyner’s assistant.


    “Right this way, please.”


    She followed him through the hall. When Noreen entered the VIP lounge, Castle was deep in conversation with a small group.


    As soon as he spotted her, Castle stood up and walked over with a warm smile. “Miss Gilmore.”


    The others rose in unison, their gazes drifting to Noreen. Everyone was silently specting–who was this Miss Gilmore, and why was Mr. Joyner going out of his way for her?


    “Good afternoon, Mr. Joyner.” Noreen offered her hand.


    Castle shook it, still beaming. “I caught a glimpse of you earlier during the conference tour, but got pulled into a discussion and couldn’t break away. Now that things have wrapped up, I asked my assistant to find you.”


    He almost sounded apologetic, and that only fueled the curiosity in the room. For Mr. Joyner to care this much, Miss Gilmore must be someone important.


    “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon after ourst meeting,” Castle continued, “Small world, isn’t it?”


    He nced at her with genuine interest. “Are you working on a game project yourself?”


    Noreen nodded. “I am, but it’s still in its early stages. I’m mostly here to learn.”


    “Perfect,” Castle said, turning to the others. “Let me introduce you to some veterans in the industry. You’ll learn a lot from them–they’ve seen it all.”


    Then, raising his voice so the group could hear, he added, “Everyone, please look out for Miss Gilmore. Share your stories, your missteps–help her avoid the same pitfalls. It’s not easy building something from scratch, especially as a woman. If you can lend a hand, I’d appreciate it.”


    There were murmurs of agreement. If Castle asked, no one would refuse.


    After Castle invited her to sit down, the group genuinely began sharing their experiences–lessons learned, mistakes made, advice for someone new to the field.


    Noreen listened intently, soaking up every word, determined to make the most of this rare opportunity.


    Halfway through the discussion, a staff member knocked on the door to announce the main conference was about to begin and to invite Mr. Joyner and the other industry leaders to the VIP


    seats.


    Noreen, of course, was not on that list.


    She stood and smiled, “Thank you all for sharing your wisdom. I hope I’ll have a chance to treat everyone to dinner sometime.”


    But Castle waved it off. “We’re not finished yet, are we? Let’s continue at the venue.”


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    The staff member immediately caught on and turned to Noreen. “Miss, would you pleasee with us? We’ll make sure you have a seat.”


    “It’s no trouble at all,” Noreen replied, seizing the chance. She knew opportunities like this didn’t often, and she wasn’t about to let it slip by.


    By the time they reached the main hall, nearly everyone was seated


    At the head table sat Bianca and Seth, with Castle’s ce set right beside them.


    When Bianca caught sight of Castle’s name card, her face lit up. Last time, Beth had tried to introd her to Castle, hoping to help her make a valuable connection, but Noreen had somehow derailed the whole thing. Bianca had been stewing over that ever since.


    Now, with a second chance in front of her, she was determined not to miss it. Che leaned towards Seth, whispering, “Seth, why didn’t you tell me Mr. Joyner would be at the Game Developers‘ Summit? I wasn’t prepared at all.”


    Seth shrugged. “I just found out myself.”


    Bianca narrowed her eyes, half–joking, “I thought you were keeping it from me on purpose


    Heughed. “When have I ever kept anything from you?”


    As they bantered, a staff member approached Bianca. “Miss Lowell, I’m so sorry, but there’s been a mix–up with your seat assignment. If you’lle with me, I’ll take you to the correct location”


    Bianca looked bewildered. “How did my seat get mixed up?”


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