Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 262

On the other end of the line, Henry asked, “Are you free for dinner tonight? I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine.”

Padgett Novak knew that, aside from himself, Henry only had one friend in Rivercrest City.

The very same person Henry had feelings for.

If he hadn’t already made plans with Noreen, he probably would’ve said yes.

But tonight, he politely declined. “Maybe next time. I already have plans.”

“Alright, got it,” Henry replied, then promptly hung up.

He immediately dialed another number, and when the call connected, his tone softened noticeably.

Much gentler now, he asked, “Are you outside yet?”

Bianca was already heading out. “I’m just at the front door.”

“Wait there,” Henry said, ending the call. He grabbed his umbrella, hurried out of the car, and jogged toward the entrance to meet her.

Out front, a red sedan circled the roundabout. Through the window, Bianca spotted Padgett Novak and Noreen inside, chatting and laughing together.

Her brow furrowed instantly.

But as soon as she saw Henry striding up with the umbrella, she smoothed her expression and gave him a textbook-perfect smile.

“There you are.”

…

After dinner, Padgett Novak drove Noreen back to her place.

“Sorry for taking up so much of your day,” Noreen said, a little embarrassed.

Padgett shook his head. “It wasn’t a bother at all.”

“Honestly, I’m glad I could help you. I hope you’ll give me more chances like this in the future.”

Noreen had always known Padgett was the straightforward type—after all, they’d only met twice, and he’d already confessed his feelings.

But she really wasn’t in the mood for romance right now, so she could only let him down gently.

After saying goodbye, she headed upstairs.

It was still early—plenty of time to catch up on some work.

With a big project deadline looming, she couldn’t afford to slack off.

But as soon as she opened her laptop, her phone lit up with a new text.

Seth.

Back from the dead, apparently.

“Stop wasting time. Send the money.”

Instead of answering, Seth said, “Do you realize how risky this is? One wrong move and you could lose everything.”

Of course Noreen knew.

She’d seen firsthand when Seth signed a wager agreement with NovemDynasty Group years ago.

Everyone thought he was out of his mind.

The company’s leadership, the investors—even his friends—no one supported such a reckless gamble.

No one except Noreen. Back then, she stood firmly by his side, facing down the world together.

Because she’d believed in him. She knew Seth would win.

And he did. He pulled it off, made a name for himself, and walked away the biggest winner of them all.

Now that it was her turn to bet everything, he was the one urging her to quit.

Was he afraid she’d upstage his precious darling?

He asked, “Do you really want to win that badly?”

Noreen shot back, “If winning means you and your precious will be upset—then I absolutely have to win this time!”