Noelle's lips twitched.She frowned at Christian and mouthed, "Your mom invited me to dinner. Tell her no!"Christian's lips curved into a charming smile as he smoothly took Noelle's phone from her and put it to his ear. "Mom, the little imp is too shy. I’ll bring her over when she's grown a thicker skin. That's it, bye!"As soon as Christian hung up, Noelle gave him a swift kick. "Christian!"Still annoyed, she lunged at him, her small fists pounding against his chest. "You're the imp! You're the real monster!"Just then, the car took a sharp turn, causing her to lose her balance and fall straight into Christian's arms.Strong hands gripped her waist, holding her firmly in place.In one swift motion, Christian lifted her by the waist and settled her directly onto his lap, facing him."This way, it's easier for you to hit me," he teased.Noelle's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as she stared at his mischievous expression. "Christian, put me down!"Christian's eyes sparkled
Noelle prepared a meal of garlic butter shrimp, sautéed green beans with bacon, rice as the main course, and grits on the side.She set everything on the table, and Christian sat down.He looked at the well-presented dishes and let out a dramatic sigh. "How am I supposed to eat this?"Noelle frowned, confused. "What do you mean, how?"Christian replied, "This is a single portion—just enough for me."Noelle rolled her eyes. "You can eat a little less."Maybe that would stop him from making so many flirty remarks.Christian narrowed his eyes. "Worried I'll overeat?""Mm-hmm!" Noelle nodded firmly.Christian picked up his spoon, finally starting to eat.After dinner, Christian left.Noelle, feeling exhausted, took a shower and went straight to bed.The next morning, Janet called, her voice warm and caring as always. "Elle, you're not at work yet, are you?""I'm just about to head out, Mom. How are you?" Noelle asked, slipping on her shoes while speaking.Janet replied, "I sa
Elijah smiled again. "I'll take care of myself. Thank you for coming to see me, Elle. You should get back to work.""Alright, take care," Noelle said as she turned to leave.Once the door closed behind her, the middle-aged man who had remained silent the entire time spoke up. "Why don't you want to tell Emmie? This isn't something you can hide from her. If you won't call her, I will."He grabbed Elijah's phone and began dialing.Elijah weakly lifted his hand to stop him, but whether from exhaustion or resignation, he didn't have the strength to object.The call connected quickly."Elijah?" came Emmie's soft voice on the other end.The man said, "Professor Fox? I'm Elijah's friend. He's back in the hospital. He's refusing to take his meds or eat. It's like he's lost the will to live. Don't you think you should come see him? He's like this because of you!"There was a long silence on the other end, followed by a choked voice. "I'll come right away..."Suddenly, a cold, commandin
Noelle took a moment to call Christian, but he was probably busy and didn't pick up.As she turned around, she spotted a tall figure walking by.Michael entered the elevator, his presence heavy with tension.The doors closed, and the number eight lit up—the gastroenterology ward, where Elijah was staying.Noelle paused.Just then, her phone buzzed, and Christian called her back.His tone was lazy, "Babe, what's up?"Noelle stepped into a quieter corner and lowered her voice. "Do you know where Andrew is? Dr. Poole's waiting for him to finalize the divorce."There was a brief silence on the other end. "And here I thought you missed me."Before she could respond, the call abruptly ended, leaving Noelle frustrated.She sent him a facepalm emoji on WhatsApp.Up on the eighth floor, Emmie picked up a bowl of warm grits, preparing to feed Elijah, when the door suddenly swung open.A tall, imposing figure walked in.Michael's unexpected arrival made Emmie's hands shake, and the b
Michael reached for Emmie's hand again, but she pulled away.Emmie headed down to the floor where Noelle worked.Michael didn't follow. Publicly revealing his relationship with Noelle wouldn't be good for his reputation at the hospital.Instead, he went to wait for Emmie in the car.Through the door of the consultation room, Emmie glanced at Noelle, busy at work inside.She'd heard Noelle was the top student in her class, and it filled her with quiet pride."Ma'am, do you need help with something?" Sarah happened to walk by and saw Emmie peeking into the room.Emmie shook her head and smiled warmly. "No, I just mistook her for someone else."With that, she quickly turned and left.As Sarah watched her walk away, she thought to herself, "What a graceful woman."After work, Noelle headed to Virtuous Tavern.Since she couldn't secure a private room, she sat in one of the cozy outdoor booths.Not long after, Janet arrived a little late."Elle, I'm sorry I'm late. The traffic w
Half an hour later, Noelle helped Janet into a taxi and watched as it pulled away.Just as she turned to leave, she bumped into something solid.Startled, she looked up to see Quentin, a faint smirk playing on his lips, his dark eyes watching her with an unreadable expression.She frowned, stepping back in disgust, then turned and walked off in the opposite direction.Quentin's voice followed her from behind. "Surprised, huh? You're not the only baby in the playboy's life!"Noelle shot back coldly, "What's it got to do with you?"She reached her car, got in, and drove off without looking back.When Noelle arrived home, she collapsed into her bed, wrapping herself tightly in the blankets. She didn't bother doing anything else—just slept.Hours later, when she woke up, she saw a flood of baby photos from Yvette.The four-day-old baby's dark, bright eyes were wide open, and there was already a noticeable change from when he was first born.His delicate features hinted that he'd
A figure stepped in front of her, blocking her path.Noelle instantly recognized that familiar presence and fearlessly met Quentin's gaze.His expression was grim, dark eyes narrowing as he shoved the trembling woman toward Noelle."When did Ms. Xanthos learn these underhanded tricks? Did Christian teach you? Huh?"The two men from earlier were high-ranking officials in Collinview City, and the success of Quentin's upcoming project largely depends on them.But unexpectedly, someone had swooped in and wrecked his meeting.Noelle steadied the frightened woman and, without hesitation, pulled a wad of cash from her purse, handing it to her. "Go."The woman took the money and bolted, disappearing without looking back.Noelle turned back to Quentin, her face calm and composed, her tone steady. "I didn't learn this from anyone. I just wanted to ruin Mr. Lowe's evening." Quentin's dark, obsidian-like eyes locked onto hers.After a long moment, he smiled. "So, in the end, Ms. Xanthos t
Christian slammed the car door shut and strode toward the Audi.Just as he reached for the door handle, he instinctively glanced over his shoulder—and in that moment, his tall frame visibly stiffened.Noelle stared at the familiar face—handsome as ever, like a god come to life.The was the same man who had once called her "babe" in that lazy, playful tone.Now, he was using the exact same tone to call another woman.A wave of disillusionment washed over her. She quickly averted her gaze, refusing to meet his eyes. Turning to Sarah, she said calmly, "Don't worry. In a place like this, cars can't go fast. Nothing serious couldn've happen."Sarah nodded, still flustered.Christian broke his gaze from Noelle and opened the Audi's door.His brows furrowed slightly, but his tone remained casual as he spoke to the girl inside. "Are you hurt? If not, come on out."The girl turned and immediately threw her arms around his waist."Chris, I'm so scared!" she sobbed, trembling in his e