Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 881

He knew that true empathy was an illusion, yet he still desperately wanted to walk the exact path Noreen had taken.

He needed to feel every ounce of what she had endured.

But before he could even drink himself into a bleeding ulcer, the agonizing heartache was already suffocating him.

Therefore, it was only right that Noreen refused to forgive him.

It was perfectly justified that he was ordered to vanish from her life forever.

Even Jude Wilder, an outsider to their relationship, felt the crushing atmosphere. "Even if you drink yourself into the hospital, it won't change a thing."

"I know," Seth replied, his throat unbearably tight.

"Heartache that comes too late is worth less than dirt."

"I don't dare expect her forgiveness anymore."

...

Noreen took her team to Northcrest to discuss the IPO of a communications tech company, where she coincidentally bumped into Padgett Novak.

He was on a blind date.

At the time, Noreen and her team were dining at an upscale restaurant with a fantastic ambiance. A young woman sat at the table next to them.

She looked like a fresh college graduate, her eyes clear and untainted by the exhaustion of the corporate grind.

It seemed her date was running late, and she was on the phone, complaining to her pushy parents.

"What kind of decent guy shows up late to a blind date?"

"And I'm only twenty-two! Isn't it a bit ridiculous that you're forcing me on blind dates already? Are you that terrified I'll become a spinster?"

"Don't give me that 'he's a great catch' speech. You said the last one was a great catch too—rich and well-connected—but he looked like a foot! Before I went, I told myself looks don't pay the bills, but guess what? I couldn't even stomach my dinner looking at him!"

"I'm really not being picky. I just want someone who's decent-looking. Why do you keep setting me up with these weirdos? And I don't like guys who are way older than me! A few more years and he could be my dad."

The young woman's voice was crisp and she spoke at a mile a minute. It was highly entertaining.

Even Noreen found herself glancing over a few times.

Just as Noreen's group was finishing their meal, the young woman's tardy date finally arrived.

"Miss Sloan, I apologize. I was held up by work and kept you waiting."

Sylvie Sloan looked up, ready to launch into a preemptive strike about his lack of punctuality and use it as an excuse to ruin the date. But the moment she saw the man's face, she froze.

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