Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 539

After some thought, Noreen informed her lawyer to stick with the original plan. They would pursue every lead, no matter how small.

Lana had better be completely innocent in this.

That Saturday, Noreen flew to Glenhaven City for Mrs. Joyner's memorial service. She hadn't seen Castle Joyner in just over a month, but he had lost a significant amount of weight, and the lines on his face seemed to have deepened. There were even a few nearly imperceptible streaks of silver in his hair.

The service was quiet, attended mostly by close family and friends.

Just as Noreen finished paying her respects, a commotion broke out behind her.

"Katy, you can't go up there!"

Before anyone could react, a small figure in white rushed forward and clung to Mrs. Joyner's portrait. It was their daughter, little Katy, the girl with mild autism.

Katy hugged the portrait tightly, refusing to let go, murmuring over and over, "Mommy, don't be scared. Don't be scared. Little Katy will protect you."

Her caretaker, Josie, tried to gently take the portrait from her, but the little girl resisted fiercely. Finally, Castle spoke up. "It's alright. Let her hold it."

Once they stopped trying to pull her away, Katy found a corner and crouched down, still holding the portrait close. Noticing she was only lightly dressed, Noreen took off her own coat and draped it over the girl's shoulders.

At first, Katy recoiled, but when she looked up with red-rimmed eyes and saw it was Noreen, the defensiveness in her gaze softened. Her lower lip trembled as she whispered, "Pretty lady, can you take me to find my mommy?"

Katy nodded, her eyes welling with tears. Noreen took a pen and paper from her bag and wrote down her number. "This is my phone number. You can call me anytime."

"Okay," Katy finally managed to say, a faint smile gracing her lips.

Castle had his driver take Noreen to the airport. Given his fragile state, she didn't feel it was the right time to ask about the person who had saved her, but she did ask the driver a few questions on the way. He explained that Castle had a large, dedicated security team, and without more information, he couldn't be sure who she was referring to.

Noreen had just landed in Rivercrest City when Healy called. Assuming it was about work, she answered. But Healy was calling to invite her to his birthday party.

"I'm sorry, I'm too busy with work to make it. Happy birthday," Noreen said, declining without a second thought. To her, Healy was just a business partner, and their interactions should remain professional.