Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 964

Five years! God only knew what Jude had suffered over the past five years!

He bombarded Seth with crying emojis, begging him to return, but Seth ignored every single one. Jude seriously suspected his boss had muted their conversation.

Finally, playing his trump card, Jude texted: "Jasmine from InnoCore has been meeting up a lot with Nexus Dynamics in Harborview City. I don't know what they're plotting."

Seth instantly replied: "Keep an eye on them."

Jude stared at his screen in disbelief. When it came to a multi-billion dollar empire, Seth played dead. The moment someone threatened Noreen's interests, he was fully resurrected.

He had had enough.

"What exactly are you doing at Winrich anyway?" Jude demanded. What could possibly be so important that he was completely abandoning his own company?

Unsurprisingly, Seth ignored that message too.

Fueled by a volatile mix of frustration and sheer curiosity, Jude decided to visit Winrich in person under the guise of an official business meeting with Noreen.

The second he walked into her office, he asked, "Where's Seth? I didn't see him."

Noreen knew exactly why Jude was really here. Without even looking up from her paperwork, she said, "He went out to grab coffee for the project department."

Jude's jaw practically hit the floor. "You sent a billionaire to go fetch coffee?"

Wasn't that just a slight waste of his talents?

"Is there a problem?" Noreen countered, finally raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that what assistants are supposed to do?"

"Uh... no, no problem at all," Jude stammered.

He finally understood the dynamic. One was happy to hand out the punishment, and the other was absolutely thrilled to take it.

Jude walked out of her office in a daze. His brain short-circuited entirely when he saw Seth—the ruthless mastermind behind NoMore Corporation—walking through the lobby balancing a tray of twenty iced lattes.

He really preferred playing barista over ruling an empire.

Given the professional setting, Noreen couldn't really say no. However, she gave him her strictly business account.

Silas clearly noticed the subtle brush-off, but he seemed perfectly content just to have a foot in the door. He promised to forward her contact to Yolande and hoped she’d accept the request. Noreen offered a noncommittal nod. Realizing she had no interest in small talk, Silas politely excused himself.

When the event wrapped up, Seth was already waiting by the entrance. He had her cashmere coat draped over his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders before she even stepped out into the freezing night air.

Once they were settled in the car, Noreen rubbed her temples with a sigh. She had gotten caught up chatting with Gavin Lowe and a few others, and she had accidentally knocked back a few more drinks than intended.

"Dizzy?" Seth asked. He gently pulled her hands away and replaced them with his own, expertly massaging her temples. He applied just the right amount of pressure, the motion incredibly soothing.

Noreen involuntarily closed her eyes, letting out a soft "Mhm."

"Your tolerance has really dropped these past few years," he observed quietly.

As his practiced fingers worked their magic, the tension slowly drained from Noreen’s body. "Mhm," she hummed in agreement.

"All that hard work I put into training your tolerance, completely wasted," he sighed.