The air grew awkwardly silent.Noelle's mouth opened and closed as she stared at Christian's handsome face. His brow was furrowed in concern.Noelle nearly bit her tongue. "You… you should go test it yourself!"As soon as the words left her mouth, her face flushed bright red. She spun around and hurried into the room, slamming the door behind her.Christian's lips twitched as he suppressed a laugh, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Test it yourself, huh?"His phone rang—it was Julian. He turned around to answer it."Mr. Blackwood, the Vastora Group just canceled their partnership with us."Christian's mood darkened instantly.He turned back toward the bedroom, knocked on the door, and said, "Babe, I need to take care of something. Make sure you eat, alright?""Mm-hmm, I will. You should go, and, uh, test it!" came the sweet and concerned voice from inside.Christian paused, momentarily speechless.Meanwhile, Quentin stepped out of the police station, his tall figure bathed
Perry knew he couldn't afford to offend either side, so he threw the issue back onto Quentin.Christian stayed silent, and Perry's heart pounded anxiously as he waited.It wasn't until the call ended that Perry finally let out a breath, his chest loosening from the tension.Meanwhile, Christian stood in the CEO's office at the headquarters of Four Seasons Lodge, the air in the room thick with a low, oppressive energy.He quietly clenched his wrist, rotating it slightly. Up close, you could see the veins bulging on the back of his pale hand.But it lasted only a moment. The dangerous tension in Christian's body faded as silently as it had risen.He made a call. "Set up a meeting with Mr. Ford, I need to see him."For the next two days, Noelle didn't see Christian.When Monday came around, she returned to work as usual, barely able to catch her breath with how busy things were."Dr. Xanthos?" a timid voice called from the doorway.Noelle turned to see a tall girl standing there
At noon, Noelle headed toward the cafeteria and spotted a tall figure walking in her direction.Quentin was on the phone, his deep, cold voice carrying across the hallway. "Terminate the contract? Mr. Ford, and the reason?"Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slender figure in a white coat approaching.His voice trailed off as his gaze locked onto her.Noelle met his stare.They held eye contact for a few seconds, but she said nothing and turned away, continuing down the hall.But Quentin's dark, taunting voice followed her. "Not bothered anymore? It's still pretty fun to look at when I can't sleep. Maybe later, when I'm with someone else, I'll pull it out for some extra excitement."His lips moved so casually, spitting out those cruel words. Noelle wanted nothing more than to rip them apart.She spun around, her tall frame trembling, her face pale, and her eyes bloodshot with anger. "Quentin, you couldn't be more disgusting!"Quentin raised an eyebrow. "Whether I'm disgust
At a time like this, having a close family member nearby would undoubtedly be the best way to ease Yvette's fears and give her the support she needed."No, I'm too scared to tell them," Yvette confessed.She had managed to get through the last six months mostly on her own.More recently, she had moved into one of Quentin's houses, where at least she had the presence of servants.But deep down, she still felt lonely, terrified of the impending pain of childbirth and the potential dangers it could bring."Noelle, can you stay with me?" Yvette pleaded.At barely twenty, Yvette's fear was understandable.Noelle hesitated.It wasn't the best time to request leave, but her worry for Yvette outweighed everything else. "I'll go talk to my supervisor and see if I can get some time off. I'll come see you as soon as I can."Yvette cried softly. "Okay."As Noelle turned to leave, she collided with someone coming down the hallway.John caught her before she could stumble. "Elle, where ar
John nodded. "Alright, if anything comes up, just let me know."Noelle smiled. "Okay."She watched him gracefully get into his car before hailing a taxi herself.However, what she forgot was that Yvette's caretakers would call Quentin.When Noelle arrived at the hospital, the doctors were performing a cervical check on Yvette.Her dilation was progressing slowly, and her contractions weren't keeping pace.The doctors explained that if the baby didn't come by the afternoon, they would have to perform a C-section.Otherwise, the baby could suffer from a lack of oxygen.Yvette burst into tears, terrified.Noelle was equally worried.Even though a C-section was a routine procedure, it was still surgery, and surgery always carried risks.Noelle gently dabbed at Yvette's tears with a handkerchief, trying to comfort her. "Don't be scared, Yvette. I'll be right here with you."Yvette gripped her arm tightly and nodded. "Noelle, you're a doctor. As long as you're here, I feel safe."
Noelle looked down at the tiny baby, wondering what it must feel like to be a mother.Just then, her phone rang again—it was John.She glanced at Yvette and asked softly, "Do you want to talk to Johnnie?"Yvette's eyes suddenly widened, a brief glimmer of emotion cutting through the exhaustion from childbirth.But just as quickly, her expression darkened, and she shook her head. "No, there's nothing to say. Just tell him I'm fine."If John ever found out she was the woman from that night, would he hate her? And if knew she had secretly given birth to his child, he'd probably be furious.It was better for her to disappear from his life completely.Noelle stepped into the hallway to take a call.John's voice was filled with concern. "If Yvette's sick, you should tell me. I can visit her. We're friends—it doesn't have to be this distant."Noelle sighed inwardly but stuck to what Yvette had asked her to say. "Johhnie, she's fine. Just a small cold. The doctor says she needs rest.
"Quentin, you shouldn't be doing this. Have you forgotten how Noelle left you? You broke her heart. What you're doing now isn't winning her back—it's pushing her further away. If you keep this up, she'll never belong to you again!"Yvette stood in the doorway of the hospital room, her body weak from childbirth, but her expression filled with worry for Quentin.Quentin crushed his cigarette against the trash can and tossed the butt inside, then turned and walked in the direction Noelle had gone.Noelle was in the bathroom, washing her face, when a shadow appeared in the doorway."There are no photos. I lied. You don't need to be afraid. Even if I had them, I'd never show them to anyone. Whether you believe me or not, I truly love you. There will never be another Xyla. All my love belongs to you. If you want the stars, I won't offer you the moon. Just come back to me!"Quentin took a deep breath, his emotions swirling, barely able to hold himself together. His eyes began to glisten.
A flurry of footsteps echoed outside the hospital room, and the door suddenly burst open. A middle-aged couple rushed in. "Yvette?"Yvette's eyes widened in shock at the sight of them."Dad, Mom..." she stammered, disbelief clear in her voice.Olivia's gaze darted to the baby in the crib, then back to Yvette. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "Look at you..."The words caught in her throat, and she pressed a hand to her chest, overwhelmed with emotion. "This is such a disaster!"She sank into the nearby chair, covering her face with her hands.Ryan's face was just as grim."Shame on the family…" he muttered, before letting out a deep sigh and walking out of the room.Noelle looked over at Yvette, whose face had gone pale—she looked as lifeless as a wilting flower, drained of all color and vitality."Aunt Olivia, please don't cry. What's done is done, and nothing can change that now. The most important thing is to take care of Yvette," Noelle said, trying to calm her dow