Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 821

After Noreen left, Jude rounded the corner and looked at the man leaning against the wall a short distance away. "Seth…" Half of Seth's face was lost in shadow, obscuring his eyes. But Jude had a feeling that he was hurting inside. It felt like a long, drawn-out storm was brewing inside him. After a long while, Seth finally spoke. "Got a cigarette?" "I quit recently," Jude replied. "Only have mints. Want one?" Seth accepted it with a sigh of resignation. The cool sensation of the mint slowly melted in his mouth, the chill spreading from the back of his tongue to his throat. Gradually, a coldness began to seep into his heart as well. Jude popped one in his mouth too, occasionally making a soft smacking sound. "Seth, I think what Noreen meant was, if you keep hiding, you should just stay out of her sight forever." It was basically a final ultimatum. Seeing him was a problem, hiding from him was also a problem. It was an impossible situation. Seth still didn't answer. Jude just kept him company in silence. It was Jordan's advice; he'd said that in Seth's current state, he shouldn't be left alone. When he got too bored, Jude would scroll through his phone. As he was scrolling, his brow furrowed and he muttered to himself, "What's going on with Dylan? How is he getting a divorce? They've only been married for a few years." Suddenly, there was a sharp *crack*. It was the sound of the mint shattering between Seth's teeth. ... After leaving the hospital, Noreen went directly to Omniva Group. Omniva Group was one of Winrich's investors. However, over the years, Omniva Group's shareholding had steadily decreased. By now, it was almost negligible. But Noreen still held Omniva Group in high regard; after all, they were one of the original shareholders. Without their initial investment, Winrich wouldn't be what it was today. She had just arrived at Omniva Group when she saw Crystal Chelsea walking out, her face cold and her steps hurried. Upon seeing Noreen, she stopped abruptly, her gaze sharp. Out of politeness, Noreen gave her a slight nod and a greeting. "Mrs. Wilder." She had no idea that this single "Mrs. Wilder" would snap the last taut string of Crystal's composure. As if she'd lost her mind, Crystal's voice was dripping with scorn and malice. "You must be happy now, aren't you, Noreen?" Noreen was confused. She hadn't had much interaction with Crystal. After their initial falling out, Noreen had deliberately kept her distance. Since returning from her studies abroad, they had seen each other only a handful of times. She truly didn't understand Crystal's sudden hostility. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean, Mrs. Wilder." Noreen's eyes were clear, and when she spoke, her voice was calm and steady—neither servile nor arrogant. But it was precisely this composure that felt like a thorn, piercing the most vulnerable part of Crystal's heart. For years, Dylan Wilder had been consistently cold and distant with her. She had tried to please him, doing everything she could to win him favor with her father… But she had never managed to warm his heart. In fact, before she married Dylan, her father had done a background check on him. He had told her in no uncertain terms that Dylan was in love with someone else. A woman named Noreen. But back then, Crystal had been too young. At an age when she believed love conquered all, she had fallen for Dylan, completely deaf to her father's warnings. She had confidently declared that she would replace Noreen and become the woman Dylan loved most. But reality had slapped her hard across the face. She had wasted five years of her youth on Dylan, and in the end, she had gotten nothing. She even felt that Dylan had never loved her for a single moment. The time Noreen got engaged, Dylan had gotten himself blind drunk. Right in front of her, he had called out Noreen's name over and over again. She had just listened quietly, her face a mask of numbness. But inside, it was as if a dull knife was repeatedly stabbing her, twisting until she was a bloody mess. She thought her heart would die then. But in the end, she couldn't let go. Resigned, she'd actually thought it might be fine to just torment each other until they were old and gray.