"Right, right! I helped out with a few of those too!" one friend chimed in."Same here. I even got my siblings to pitch in. There was that mountain bike, an ionizing hair dryer, a garment steamer… Chris, are you really that desperate for this girl?" another friend asked, clearly bewildered.Christian's expression darkened. "That wasn't her. From now on, if you see anything shared by that person, ignore it."The name Serene Vales flashed in Christian's mind. That was Zara's name.He had only shared her link with his friends once, but Zara had clearly taken it further, continuing to share her links with them and even adding them on WhatsApp."Clever, but also pretty shameless," Christian thought, his gaze unreadable.As they pieced together what was happening, Christian's friends began recalling various idioms that describe imitating others poorly or taking over something that isn't rightfully theirs.They felt that this rare talent was like a poor imitation or an intruder, and th
Noelle paused for a moment when she saw Christian."It's you! What are you doing here?"Having just missed Emmie again, Noelle's spirits were low. As she spoke, her long lashes trembled slightly, masking a trace of sadness.Christian noticed something was off with her. Tilting his head, his glassy eyes studied her curiously. "Babe, who made you cry? What's wrong?"He frowned, concern knitting his brow.Noelle took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. His words nearly broke through her defenses, sending waves of emotion crashing over her."It's nothing," she said, turning away to hide her vulnerability.Christian placed his hands on her shoulders, gently but firmly turning her back to face him.His gaze was warm and comforting, his forehead almost touching hers. "Come on, tell me who upset you? Your husband will take care of it."Noelle quickly shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes before spilling over.She was too caught up in her emotions to notice the word he'd u
Marriage? There was no way Noelle would ever consider getting married again in this lifetime!"Shut your mouth. If you say one more word, I'm going to grab some mud and seal it shut!" she threatened Christian.Christian playfully opened his mouth wide. "Go ahead, seal it!"Noelle quickly covered his mouth with her hand. "I'll seal it permanently!"Christian mumbled against her hand, "Mmm, smells nice!"Sitting silently in the back, Beatrice was at a loss for words.She couldn't believe what she was witnessing, what kind of ridiculous son had she raised?If she watches any longer, she might have to shove him back into her womb and remake him.Gently breaking the awkward atmosphere, Beatrice said, "Chris, stop the car. I just saw your cousin."Noelle instantly froze. There was someone else in the car?Stiff with embarrassment, she slowly turned around and locked eyes with Beatrice. At that moment, she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it."Mrs. Blackwood!" she exclaimed
Noelle ordered a few common seafood dishes, while Christian added some rare selections to their meal.When the food arrived, they both began to eat.At a nearby booth, Quentin watched them with a mocking smirk.For reasons even he couldn't explain, he called over a waiter, loudly enough for Noelle to head, and said, "Send a Nordenia sea urchin to Table 15, on my tab."Noelle's ears pricked up at Quentin's deliberately amplified voice.She frowned and shot back, "Nordenia's sea urchins are so rare—they should be reserved for Ms. Cadwell. Mr. Lowe, have you forgotten how much she loves them?"Your ex-wife never got to taste one while you were married, but now that you're divorced, you suddenly think of her? Mr. Lowe, did you forget to turn your brain on today?"She didn't hold back, hitting him squarely where it hurt.During their marriage, Quentin's prized sea urchins were always sent to Xyla. Now that they were divorced, what was he trying to prove by sending them to her?Quen
"No problem!"Christian's tone was lazy and relaxed. "I'm happy to be used by you. Feel free to do it again next time!"He raised one of his thick, dark eyebrows at Noelle, giving her a playful look.Noelle felt exasperatedWho in the world actually enjoys being treated like a tool?"Fine, I'll use Mr. Blackwood as my tool again next time!"Christian responded with a smirk, "What tool? That sounds so harsh! Come on, call me hubby once, just for fun!"Noelle fell silent immediately.It was impossible to have a proper conversation with him—he couldn't keep it serious for even a moment."Later, could you drop me off at Collinview University? I need to pick up my car," Noelle said.Christian replied smoothly, "No worries, I'll take you home and then have my driver bring your car to you."Noelle shook her head. "That's too much trouble!"Christian grinned, "For the future Mrs. Blackwood, he'd be happy to do it."There he went again, steering the conversation back to that.Noel
Noelle closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.Christian had a gut feeling that this whole situation had something to do with Quentin.He didn't press further, instead straightening up and driving in silence.When they arrived at Noelle's apartment, Christian's driver was already there, standing by her car. He had driven it back for her and was waiting for their arrival."Mr. Blackwood," the driver greeted as soon as Christian stepped out.Christian acknowledged him with a nod. "You can go."The driver left, but Christian remained where he was.Noelle looked at him, puzzled, "Aren't you leaving?"Christian casually looked around, hands in his pockets, his tone relaxed. "Water's priced at four bucks a ton, not per pound, right?"Noelle frowned, confused at first, then realized what he was getting at. She couldn't help but smirk.So he wasn't directly accusing her of being too stingy to offer him a drink.Noelle rolled her eyes, exasperated. "My water goes for 49 bucks a glass."
Christian had never been more serious.After speaking, he released Noelle, turned on his heel, and walked away.Noelle felt as if her whole body was burning.It wasn't until he opened the door to leave that she noticed he had left his original scarf on her couch.She picked it up and rushed to the door. “Christian, your scarf!”Her face was flushed pink, her lips bright red, still glistening with the remnants of his kiss.Christian felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.He walked back to her, gently cupped her face, and this time, placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. "Throw it away. I like the one you made for me more."He flashed a smile and turned to leave.As Quentin stepped out of the elevator, he saw the scene unfold.At that moment, his handsome face turned icy, and a chill settled in the air around him.When Christian walked past him, he casually adjusted the scarf as if making it more comfortable.Whether deliberate or not, the gesture stung Quentin deeply,
Christian felt a weight lift off his chest as he hung up the phone.He stepped forward, heading toward the car parked not far ahead.Two days later, Zara handed Noelle the keys."Elle, thank you for letting me stay at your place," Zara said, sounding sincerely grateful."No problem." Noelle kept a calm exterior as she took the keys back.As Noelle began to walk away, Zara hesitated as if she had been debating whether to say something. Finally, she spoke up, "Elle, I'm not sure if I should say this, but I heard from Zach that Christian has a lot of women. Don't let him fool you."Noelle paused briefly.Christian was indeed known for being a bit of a playboy, but she wasn't about to jump to conclusions based on hearsay.So, she didn't say anything and just walked away.Zara felt frustrated.What does she think she is, just because she snagged Christian? Hmph!After work, Noelle started packing up her things.Just as she finished, Christian called, "Babe, I'm on a business t