Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 943

That was just who Noreen was—keeping boundaries crystal clear and remaining fiercely independent.

She wouldn't accept any unreasonable gifts, nor would she ever allow someone else to give more than their fair share.

If she received something expensive, she would quietly make a note of it and return the favor with an even more thoughtful gift.

It wasn't that she was ungrateful; she just understood the absolute necessity of balance.

She refused to let anyone think she was taking advantage of them.

Back when she was trying to apologize to Halley Joyner, she had gone to an auction to buy a painting he liked, only for Bianca to outbid her.

In truth, Bianca hadn't even wanted the piece—she just wanted to snatch it away from Noreen.

Once Bianca had it, she immediately lost interest. She didn't even realize that Seth had bought it right back and used Wade as a proxy to gift it to Noreen.

Yet, it hadn't taken long for Noreen to visit an antique shop and purchase another painting to give Wade in return.

She was impossibly clear-headed and self-reliant.

That was why, throughout all those years, any gift he bought her was kept strictly within a price range she could comfortably match. He never wanted to pressure her.

Hearing the precise number of days he had tracked, a lump formed in Noreen's throat.

Suddenly, the tiny apartment felt incredibly stifling.

She turned her face away, her fingers curling unconsciously as the stagnant waters of her heart began to ripple once more.

Taking a moment to swallow back the suffocating tightness in her chest, she finally looked back at him. "Why do something so pointless? Or do you actually think pulling a stunt like this will make me soften up and run back to you?"

"I've never thought that," he answered with absolute sincerity.

If the alcohol hadn't loosened his tongue tonight, he would never have let her find out about this.

He just wanted to feel what she had felt, to walk the path she had walked.

To pay back the debts he owed. It had nothing to do with her.

...

Life slipped back into its usual routine.

Noreen went on a business trip, and since Seth was only a probationary assistant, he wasn't required to tag along.

As a result, she didn't see him for an entire week.

Noreen wasn't the only one slammed with work that week—Claire Chase was swamped too.

Claire had struck gold recently, landing two commercial deals and a acting gig back-to-back. Her schedule was finally packed again.

Jude's birthday party was held on Saturday. Noreen was the last to arrive.

Walking in, she quickly realized he had invited quite the crowd.

Seth was there, of course.

But to her surprise, Dylan and Crystal Chelsea—despite their messy divorce—were also in attendance.

Naturally, Crystal's little entourage of best friends had tagged along as well.

Jude knew about the bad blood between Crystal and Noreen, so he hadn't actually invited Crystal at all.

She must have crashed the party.

Or maybe it wasn't a coincidence. After all, he had invited Dylan.

Crystal was almost certainly here for Dylan.

Even after the divorce, she refused to give up, desperate to win him back.

Afraid Noreen would get the wrong idea, Jude quickly rushed over to whisper an explanation.

Noreen didn't really care. She had no intention of staying long anyway and was already plotting her excuse to leave early.