Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 552

"You'll never get a girl if you're this shy, you know!" Mina was genuinely worried for her brother. It had been so long, and he'd made absolutely no progress. When would she finally get to call Noreen her sister-in-law? She decided she had to step in and help. At his current pace, it could take another five years.

"Noreen, besides being a bit reserved, my brother is a really great guy. You should give him a chance!" Mina pleaded. "Plus, you two co-own InnoCore! He provides the technical expertise, you handle the business side—it's like a perfect partnership. You'd be unstoppable!"

"Mina," Carman cut in, his voice tinged with panic.

Noreen, sensing Carman was about to scold his sister, stepped in to smooth things over. "Grown-up matters are for grown-ups. Your focus right now should be on your studies." She added gently, "And relationships between adults are a lot more complicated than you think."

Mina always listened to Noreen, so she nodded obediently. "Okay, I get it."

The lively chatter from Noreen's larger party carried over into Bianca's private room, including Mina's attempt to play matchmaker. Hearing Noreen's gentle refusal, Bianca curled her lip in a disdainful smirk and exchanged a knowing glance with Lillian. It was obvious Noreen was just playing hard to get, stringing the man along.

They were unaware that Mina had suffered from depression and was still in a sensitive adolescent phase. Her therapist had advised that she needed to be handled with care and occasionally placated, which was why Noreen's response had been so diplomatic. Unfortunately, her kindness was being misinterpreted by others as a coy tactic.

Jude Wilder was the last to arrive, having been held up at the hospital. Seeing it was only Jude, Lillian's face fell with disappointment. "Oh, it's just you."

"Who were you expecting? Healy?" Jude said, taking a seat. "He's not even in Rivercrest City. He's out of town at one of the factories."

Lillian's shoulders slumped. It seemed she wouldn't be seeing Healy today after all.

But halfway through dinner, his phone rang. It was Seymour Wilder. Jude had barely managed to say "Dad" when Seymour's roar echoed from the other end. "Get your ass to the hospital right now!"

"But I'm having dinner with friends."

"I don't care where you are! Get over here! Now!" Seymour's voice was choked with rage, and he broke into a fit of violent coughing.

Jude didn't dare delay. He hastily excused himself and rushed to the hospital. Seymour had just calmed down when he saw his son, and his anger instantly flared up again. "Go and pull every penny you invested in PerseTech out right now!"