Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 357

In that moment, a thousand words crowded Noreen’s mind.

She could have wished them lifelong happiness, together until old age. Or, if she’d let her bitterness speak, she might have offered a more sarcastic blessing—may the two of you be chained together forever, so you can’t go out and ruin anyone else’s life.

But in the end, she said nothing at all.

Whether it was a heartfelt blessing or a curse, neither felt right—not after everything she’d once given, all the sincerity she’d poured into them. Silence, she decided, was the only answer worthy of her past self.

After she left, Seth quietly ate his cake. He managed about half of it before murmuring, “Guess this cake will have to count as your blessing.”

He couldn’t bring himself to throw away what was left. Instead, he tidied up, tucked the rest into the fridge, and only then pulled out his phone to make a call.

“She should reach out to you in the next couple of days,” he said, his voice low.

…

Her brief encounter with Seth left Noreen’s heart a little unsettled—but the feeling faded quickly. The moment she stepped out of the hotel, the cold wind swept it all away.

There’d been a time when she’d survived the long, hard years on nothing but sheer willpower. Later, she relied on the skills she’d honed during those difficult days to keep moving forward.

Life was just too long, and she had better things ahead of her.

That very evening, Noreen reached out to Vincent.

By the next morning, she was on a flight to his hometown.

Vincent hadn’t expected her to arrive so soon; her sudden appearance took him by surprise. She’d even brought him breakfast. As she handed it over, Vincent noticed she deliberately offered it to his left side.

He shot her a quizzical look.

“I noticed you’re left-handed,” Noreen explained with a smile.

“Miss Gilmore, you really don’t miss a thing,” Vincent said, genuinely impressed by her attention to detail.

After saying goodbye to Vincent, she rang up Claire Chase. “Hey, sweetheart, I’ve got half a day free—thought I’d come see you.”

Claire was shooting a movie in Northcrest, just a short trip away. She was thrilled at the prospect of a visit and promised, with great ceremony, to give Noreen a surprise.

Noreen pressed her for details, but Claire only played coy, keeping the whole thing a mystery.

It wasn’t until Noreen arrived that she discovered what Claire’s “surprise” actually was.

The nightclub was pulsing with deafening music; bodies writhed energetically on the dance floor. Noreen slumped into a booth, rubbing her temples. “Honestly, we’d be better off back at the hotel, splitting a bottle of wine and snacking on something simple.”

Claire shook her head, utterly unconvinced.

“You keep saying you’ve moved on, but the truth is, you spent the last seven years living for Seth. He didn’t appreciate you, and now your heart’s empty—you’ve lost your spark,” Claire declared. “I’m helping you get your spirit back, don’t you get it?”

They didn’t see each other often, but Claire always made a point to check in on Noreen’s love life. Lately, she’d heard that Noreen had turned down several outstanding men, and she was genuinely worried about her friend.