Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 415

415 /418

But Sophia told her no one else had been injured.

Noreen was confused. She had clearly smelled the thick scent of blood and heard the man’s pained grunt. As she replayed the sound in her mind, a flicker of familiarity made her hesitate. It was so familiar that she didn’t dare believe it. It had to have been a hallucination. The situation was so chaotic; her mind must have been playing tricks on her.

Noreen tried to push the strange thought away.

She received a message from Jude, confirming that he had prepared all the documents and asking if anything was missing. Noreen glanced at the list, saw it was complete, and replied with a simple “OK.” She should have closed the chat, but she paused, a question forming in her mind.

She typed out Seth’s name, then stopped, a sudden clarity washing over her. She quickly deleted the text and exited the app. Twenty-four hours earlier, Jude had posted a new update: a heartfelt congratulations to Seth and Bianca on their engagement. The photo showed Bianca beaming with happiness, Seth’s gaze on her filled with deep affection.

Noreen closed WhatsApp, the last shred of doubt vanishing from her mind. It was just as she thought—she was overthinking things. How could she possibly have imagined that the man who saved her was Seth? She really needed to stop being so sentimental.

That afternoon, Mrs. Joyner came to visit again. She looked even more frail, her face etched with exhaustion. With her was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, with large, round eyes that held a timid gaze. The girl clung to Mrs. Joyner’s clothes, never straying from her side. When she noticed Noreen looking at her, she quickly hid behind Mrs. Joyner.

Mrs. Joyner explained that the girl was an orphan she was sponsoring, who had autism. She had been at the charity gala when Mrs. Joyner collapsed, and the incident had frightened her so much that she hadn’t left her side since.

The mention of the gala reminded Noreen of her disappointment at having missed it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Mrs. Joyner said kindly. “There’s always next time, and the time after that. We hold it every year, and I plan to keep it going for a long, long time.” She stroked the little girl’s hair, and the child buried her face in Mrs. Joyner’s side. It was clear she trusted her completely.

Mrs. Joyner was still weak, so Noreen urged her to go back and rest. As they were leaving, the little girl glanced back at Noreen from the doorway. Noreen offered her a warm smile. The girl paused for a second before quickly turning away and following Mrs. Joyner out.