Rattled by the cold winter wind, Xyla's teeth chattered. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she pleaded, "Save me, Quint…"Quentin frowned. "I've brought the money, so let her go!"The leader of the masked men cackled and struck Xyla on the back, causing her to lose balance and plunge into the frigid waters.Startled, Quentin's temper flared in an instant. Without a moment's hesitation, he hastily took off his coat and dove into the icy waters, propelling himself toward the drowning figure. He wrapped his arms around Xyla's waist and breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to take her back to the speedboat when a sinister laugh rang out from the other boat. "Quentin Lowe, take a good look at who I have here!"The leader of the masked men pushed a young woman to the edge of the boat. Her dark hair was a mess, and her face was ashen. Quentin inhaled sharply when he saw Noelle. "Elle!"Noelle's eyes were wide with fear as she looked at him. "Quentin!" she screamed as she was a
Noelle couldn't forget how Quentin had turned around and swam resolutely toward Xyla. At the time, she realized that Xyla would always come before her in his heart. It was about time for her to face reality and get back on track.Quentin's decision had successfully demolished the emotional bridge that Noelle had worked so hard to build in her heart. Every piece of that bridge fell apart and was mercilessly swallowed by the sea. She and Quentin were over—completely over. The icy seawater was bone-chillingly cold, and the heavy coat she was wearing to keep warm had become a burdensome shackle. Every movement she made felt like it was draining the last of her strength as she swam toward the distant cruise ship.She didn't need him to save her anymore. From then on, she no longer needed him in her life. Fortunately, before she exhausted herself, the cruise ship arrived. …The next morning, Noelle got out of the car at the entrance to the courthouse and walked into the lobby. There
Quentin didn't say a word. He would never marry Xyla, as he'd never had feelings for her. But he was determined to get to the bottom of the kidnapping incident. …Several days later, in a rundown apartment building, the driver who had been behind the wheel that day fell to his knees before Quentin. He was the one who had held a knife to Noelle's throat that day, forcing the bodyguards to disarm. He was also the one who'd handed her over to Mark's men."I had no choice, Mr. Lowe! Those people had taken my wife and two kids hostage! If I hadn't done as they said, they would've killed them!" The driver slapped himself repeatedly on both cheeks.Quentin's face was pale, his tall figure imposing and intimidating. "Leave Dragfort with your family. I don't know if I'll be able to control myself if I see you again!"If it hadn't been for this driver, Noelle wouldn't have been abducted by Mark's men. Then, she wouldn't have been dumped at sea, and their marriage wouldn't have ended in div
Yvette sent her a blushing emoji. After chatting a bit more, Noelle went to school. Now, she was officially a graduate student at Collinview University School of Medicine. The three years in Dragfort felt like a dream, and when it ended, all that was left was emptiness. Noelle rarely thought about her time in Dragfort.Noelle arrived at the lab slightly ahead of schedule. Planning to get a head start, she noticed a figure in a white coat outside the lab, hand over their mouth, attempting to stifle their sobs. "What's wrong, Zara?"Zara Patel was a close friend of hers, and the two of them were students under the same professor. "He said he didn't want to be with me anymore. He promised we'd get married after I graduated, but now he's breaking up with me…" Zara sobbed uncontrollably.Noelle had never met Zara's boyfriend, but she'd heard so much about him from her. He sounded like a dreamboat; he was handsome, came from a good family, and treated Zara incredibly well. Zara's eyes
Christian Blackwood's face was etched with disdain as he asked lowly, "You're that eager to get into bed with me, huh?" However, his perfectly shaped lips twitched when his eyes landed on Noelle's face. Noelle had no idea the man had mistaken her for someone else. She was completely caught off guard by the man's aggressive behavior. "Zachary doesn't seem like a nice guy at all," she thought.Noelle stammered, "I-I'm Zara's best friend, Mr. Zachary. I came to ask if you could please not break up with her. She really loves you!"His amber eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at her delicate, round face. Her eyes sparkled like gemstones, her long lashes fluttered, and her cherry-red lips were parted in surprise. He reached out and patted her face. "Who's Zachary? How dare you call me by such a common name?" His hand was large and pale. When he dropped his harsh demeanor, his laid-back tone and nonchalant gaze gave him the air of a spoiled scion.After saying that, he walked away.
"That woman is quite pretty!" a young man said from the stairs, clicking his tongue.Behind him, a noble-looking man was descending the stairs. Christian glanced over and saw a young, beautiful woman performing the Heimlich maneuver on a small child."Oh, it's here." He arched his brow. "Who is she?" Leonard asked, surprised.Christian leaned against the stair railing and took a puff from his cigarette. "I don't know her."Leonard was at a loss for words. The child eventually coughed up the peanut and was able to breathe on their own. Noelle breathed a sigh of relief and told the child's mother, "Infants shouldn't eat things like this. You should be more careful in the future."The woman nodded vigorously, took her crying child from Noelle, and thanked her repeatedly. "Thank you so much, young lady!""Don't mention it!" Noelle silently wiped the sweat from her forehead."Miss, there’s a gentleman in the private dining room over there who’s gotten a fishbone stuck in his thro
Noelle really regretted coming here; it seemed like no one in this room was worth interacting with. She picked up the keychain that had fallen to the floor and left.Christian wanted to slap himself for his big mouth. When Noelle returned to the private dining room, Zara, with red and puffy eyes, asked, "How's that person? Did you get the fishbone out?"Noelle was exasperated. "There was no fishbone. They're all nuts!"With all this commotion, Zara temporarily forgot about Zachary and started eating her meal with gusto.After dinner, Noelle dropped Zara off at her place and spent some time comforting her before heading back to her own apartment. Her apartment, situated on the 30th floor of a towering building near Collinview University, offered breathtaking views.Noelle stayed up all night baking a birthday cake for Emmie. Emmie's birthday was tomorrow, but she had to do her hospital rounds and might even work the night shift. She wouldn't be able to celebrate it with her, so she
Emmie's expression was the same as usual as she returned to the private dining room. "Everyone, please enjoy yourselves! Don't be shy!" she said warmly to her students.After the celebration, her students drove Emmie back to her dormitory at Collinview University. The building was a five-story walk-up, and Emmie found it unusually strenuous to climb up the stairs that night. Emmie was completely drained by the time she reached the landing between the fourth and fifth floors. Leaning against the wall of the stairwell, she tried to catch her breath. But when she looked up, her breath caught in her throat as she noticed the figure standing at the entrance to her apartment. Michael, dressed head-to-toe in black, leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette. He looked just like the rebellious young man he once was. "What, you can see Elijah but not me?" he asked coldly. Her breath caught as she clenched her fists. She forced herself up the last few steps, but when she tried to scan