"Yvette!" Quentin called out in a low voice.Reluctantly, Yvette walked over. Quentin murmured a few words to her, and Yvette entered the changing room begrudgingly.After getting dressed, Noelle emerged from the changing room. Quentin was smoking outside. She glanced at him briefly, then walked away with Yvette.Quentin followed shortly after. While Yvette's friends hopped into another car, Noelle hopped into Yvette's. Quentin told Martin to drive behind them.Soon, they arrived at Bellagio Bistro. Noelle and her group walked into the restaurant. Quentin exited the car and instructed Martin, "Bring that bottle of Romanée-Conti!""Yes, Mr. Lowe!"Martin got out of the car and retrieved the wine from the trunk. Quentin then walked into the restaurant.The door to the private room was open, so Quentin stepped in and sat casually next to Noelle. He had requested that Yvette reserve the seat for him.Noelle groaned and turned away, refusing to look at his face. She briefly looked a
Noelle swiftly downed her wine. Quentin's handsome eyes fixed on her. The way she suddenly toasted him with such a formal gesture seemed suspicious to him. He smirked, hoisted his glass of wine, and smiled at Noelle. "You're welcome." Quentin downed his wine, too. Noelle continued, "Hey everyone, let's raise our glasses to Mr. Lowe for joining us amidst his busy schedule!" Yvette's classmates immediately followed suit, raising their glasses. Seeing Noelle finish her drink in her toast to Quentin, they felt obliged to do likewise despite the seeming extravagance. Quentin was left speechless, sensing it was a deliberate test. With everyone finishing their wine, he had no option but to reciprocate the gesture. He instructed Martin, "Get another bottle of wine!"Martin promptly brought in another bottle. Quentin poured himself drink after drink, accepting each toast from Yvette's friends.Noelle smirked and thought to herself, "Just wait! You'll suffer later." After dinner, N
Once, Noelle tended to Quentin like her own man, but now she tended to him for Xyla's sake. She believed Quentin would eventually be Xyla's, and she wasn't that naive. Noelle delved into Quentin's pocket in search of his phone, but the ringing sound emanated from somewhere around his waist. It seemed Quentin had dropped his phone when he lay down. Noelle lowered her body, her head nearly touching his abdomen, and slid her hand underneath. Beneath her skirt, her undergarments peeked out, but she assumed Quentin wouldn't stir in a while.Unbeknownst to her, Quentin had already awoken, stealing a glance beneath her skirt. If only it were completely bare.Quentin had managed to free his arms without Noelle noticing. With surprising ease, he lifted her and gently placed her on the bed, causing Noelle to scream in surprise. Nolle looked up and found herself face-to-face with Quentin's enlarged, handsome visage. She was fuming with rage and held her breath. "You were pretending to b
Quentin's phone buzzed urgently in the dead of night, disrupting his sleep. Irritably, he grumbled as he answered the call.Gloria's urgent voice on the other end jolted him awake. "Ms. Cadwell has fainted, Mr. Lowe!"Quentin's breath caught, and all traces of weariness vanished. He sprang out of bed, quickly dressed, and dashed out.Still groggy from sleep, Noelle was roused by the muffled sound of Quentin's call. Intrigued, she decided to follow him and investigate. She immediately changed, drove, and trailed behind Quentin.The wind had stopped, and the night was unusually peaceful. There were few cars on the road, so Noelle drove aggressively. She followed Quentin from afar, eventually arriving in an upscale residential neighborhood where she assumed Xyla resided.Noelle watched Quentin exit the car and enter the building with long strides. Moments later, he reappeared, cradling Xyla in his arms, trailed by Gloria.Xyla appeared unconscious, her limp posture suggesting she wa
John followed her from behind, like her steadfast protector. He maintained a few steps' distance to avoid making Noelle feel pressured while ensuring her safety. "Mr. Xenos," Noelle said as they reached a bridge, turning to him. John approached her and replied, "Call me John. Jo will do as well." Noelle smiled and responded, "Jo it is, then." "Okay." The two stood side by side on the bridge, gazing at the calm river beneath the neon lights in the distance. Noelle began, "Why does Quentin shower Xyla with affection, even though he knows she's deceitful and manipulative? Even when he knows she lies?" "Xyla could stand idly by in life-threatening situations. Nevertheless, Quentin continued to show her affection." "Hmm..." John didn't know how to answer the questions. Perhaps Quentin had peculiar tastes."Why dwell on it? You're still young. There are plenty of women your age still in school! Why not leave him and go after your happiness?" John advised. Noelle remained s
Quentin felt his temples throb. "Where did she go?" Amanda responded, "To Southern City." "Did she mention when she'll be back?" Amanda shook her head. Without hesitation, Quentin turned to leave. "Book a flight to Southern City. The earliest available!" he instructed Martin as soon as he got into the car. Martin instantly took out his phone to make the necessary arrangements. With Noelle missing, Martin couldn't help but wonder if Quentin had gotten himself into a significant jam this time.After booking the flight ticket, Quentin didn't bother to gather his belongings. He headed straight to Dragfort City Airport instead. He made it onto the plane with barely two minutes to spare before boarding was closed.At the same time, Noelle had been networking with influential people of the same industry at an event in Southern City and had received multiple hefty orders through WhatsApp."How are things going? I hope you're enjoying yourself." John approached her with a pleasan
After Noelle left the banquet, she called John."Jo, I'm feeling a bit tired, so I'm heading back to the hotel.""Alright. Please take care," John replied.After hanging up, he noticed a familiar face in the hall. Quentin spotted him as well, his handsome eyes hinting at malice. Many wealthy business people of Southern City came over to greet him."Mr. Lowe, we can't believe you're here. What a stroke of luck!" one of them cried.Quentin, who was feeling agitated, was not in the mood for small talk. He graciously responded, "Nice to meet you all! I have important business to attend to today. Until next time, then."With that, Quentin nodded and went away. Disappointed that Quentin appeared in a hurry, the businessmen decided to host him a banquet to honor his presence in Southern City.Martin approached Quentin as he left the banquet hall."Mr. Lowe, should we go to Mrs. Lowe's hotel and track her down?"Quentin, buried in thought, commanded firmly, "Let's return to our hotel.
Noelle clicked on the message, only to find it was from Xyla."Noelle, even though you've deleted my contact, I still wanted to share some good news with you. Quentin has promised to marry me, and he'll divorce you. It won't be long before I become his wife."The message was followed by a string of smiley emojis.Noelle was speechless. She used to find Xyla both despicable and disgusting, but she now found her ludicrous. Xyla had gone to extreme lengths just to get under her skin. However, she had no idea how little it bothered Noelle.Noelle ignored her message and deleted the message.The next morning, Noelle began drafting the divorce agreement. As she had indicated the night before, whatever was put into Quentin's name would be his, and whatever was put into her name would be hers.That said, her divorce settlement still ended up filling an entire sheet of paper. After finishing listing her properties, she reached out to Quentin."Can you spare some time tomorrow? We need
"Sorry, but if I ever get married, it definitely won't be to either of you."Noelle had originally come to visit Christian, but now she didn't feel like staying anymore. She was beyond frustrated.Christian's sharp, dangerous eyes narrowed in an instant, brimming with hostility as he locked his gaze on Noelle. Quentin's handsome face darkened as well, his mood turning stormy.Noelle spun around and walked out."We'll see about that," Quentin muttered, getting up to leave as well.As he passed by the clinic where Noelle worked, he cast a glance in that direction before heading out.Near the end of the workday, Russ called. "Ms. Xanthos, Mr. Xanthos has arranged for you to meet a boxing champion. Are you free now? I can take you to meet him."Noelle couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and bitterness. She had lived 24 years, and only now did he care about whether she had any self-defense skills. Isn't it a little late for that?Still, she went.After one session, she was dr
Noelle quietly closed the door behind her. Leonard glanced over, saw it was her, and put away his phone. "He just fell asleep. Ms. Xanthos, you should head home and rest. I'll keep watch tonight," he said softly.Noelle shook her head. "He took the knife for me. How could I go home? I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I'd rather stay here and keep an eye on him."She sat down on the couch, her gaze heavy with concern as she looked at Christian sleeping.Leonard nodded. "Alright, you stay here. I'll step out for a bit," he said before leaving the room.Noelle nodded.Christian's phone, sitting on the nightstand, pinged with a WhatsApp notification.Noelle walked over, picked up the phone, and saw a message from someone with the nickname "The Blomming Fifties.""What a flashy name," she thought with a faint smirk.But for some reason, curiosity tugged at her—she suddenly felt a strong urge to peek into Christian's private world as if she might uncover something hidden beneath t
Noelle remained silent.In Dragfort, ever since Quentin had learned early that morning about Christian taking a knife for Noelle, he had locked himself in his office. It had been three hours now.The morning executive meeting was canceled, and his client appointments were rescheduled. Senior staff members who needed his signature on documents stood hesitating at the door, feeling the oppressive atmosphere even from outside the office.Department heads waiting to give their reports also lingered at the door, too intimidated to enter.In the end, they all turned their pleading eyes toward Martin.But even Martin was hesitant to go in.After all, he had witnessed the weight of Quentin's emotions—shock, frustration, and a deep sense of defeat—that had cast a heavy, oppressive mood over the office.Martin made a call to Dennis, knowing only he could possibly get through to Quentin now."Mr. Jackman, you need to come over," Martin said quietly, making sure to step into a quieter co
Even though Christian was in obvious pain, he forced himself not to make a sound.Such a stubborn fool.The door knocked twice, and Leonard walked in. Seeing Noelle, he greeted her, "Ms. Xanthos."Noelle's eyes were red, but she didn't respond.Christian opened his eyes slightly and said, "Don't tell anyone I'm injured."Leonard nodded."Tell them I'm on a business trip," Christian added.Leonard raised an eyebrow, "Bro, with a wound like that, how long do you think this 'trip' will last before people catch on?"Christian shot him a cold glare, and Leonard quickly relented, "Okay, okay, I get it. I'll handle it."Christian closed his eyes again, waves of pain crashing over him like a relentless tide.Suddenly, he opened his eyes once more. "Silly girl."Noelle paused, her tear-filled eyes looking at him.A smile tugged at the corner of Christian's mouth. "Get out for a bit. You look terrible."Noelle's lips twitched as her damp lashes fluttered, and a surge of unexplainabl
Just as the man raised the knife for a second strike, the security team arrived and swiftly pinned him down.Noelle heard a low grunt behind her, followed by Christian's pained chuckle. "Good thing it wasn't him."Noelle's heart clenched as she turned to see Christian, clutching his shoulder, slumped against her legs.He was wearing a beige coat, now stained with a large patch of blood around his shoulder.Christian was rushed to emergency surgery, but Noelle remained frozen in her chair, her mind replaying his words, "Good thing it wasn't him."Who wasn't it? Quentin?Why did he say that? Why did he act this way?The image of Christian's blood-soaked coat lingered in her mind. The wound—how deep was it?Noelle sat there, numb and lost in thought for an unknown period, until Michael appeared.He glanced at her through the doorway, but without a word, he continued walking past.A little while later, Kara gently patted her shoulder. "They've moved him to a room. You should go s
Emmie smiled and placed a few more ravioli on Noelle's plate. "Then eat a little more. It's your mom's first time cooking, and once you're in the Utopia States, you won't have this."It wasn't like she had never cooked before—she had made instant noodles when she was alone.Noelle ate a small bowl of ravioli without pausing, her stomach now full and round. Her eyes welled up with tears, though whether it was from happiness or something else, no one could tell.After dinner, Noelle stayed for a bit before leaving.Emmie watched Noelle's car disappear down the driveway before finally going upstairs.Michael, leaning back on the bed, heard her soft footsteps approaching and lifted his eyelids.The bedroom was dark, and when Emmie stepped in, her gaze met Michael's dark, piercing eyes. She paused at the doorway, and he continued watching her."Lia must be blind. She couldn't tell if it was you or the driver," Emmie said coldly, walking straight to the other side of the bed and pulli
Emmie was at a loss for words.Michael said, "Your daughter's leaving for the Utopia States soon. You should take this time to spend with her."Emmie's breath hitched. "Elle agreed?"Michael nodded. "Yes."It was the best way for Noelle to get away from those two men and focus on her own growth.After a night's rest, Noelle felt much better the next morning. Emmie called her, inviting her to Gentle Glades after work.What Noelle didn't expect was to see Michael there as well.He was lounging on the couch in casual clothes, flipping through a medical journal. Emmie, wearing an apron, seemed to be busy in the kitchen. When Noelle walked in, Emmie immediately came out."Elle!" Emmie's gentle face was filled with warmth as she took Noelle's hand.Noelle felt a bit disoriented.In her memory, Emmie's life was filled with books and work, never with the kitchen. And Michael—she hadn't seen him so relaxed and calm, casually reading a magazine on the couch, in over a decade.It felt
Michael couldn't forget the look Elijah had given him that day—a mocking smile, full of meaning. Elijah slowly pulled back, revealing Emmie's curled-up body underneath him.Without a word, Michael opened his phone and pulled up a social media app. He tossed the phone to Emmie. "Take a look for yourself."Emmie looked down and saw a video posted by Elijah just minutes earlier. It was of her feeding him. She watched in disbelief, then replayed it. The account was undeniably Elijah's."Scroll down. There's more," Michael's voice drifted from the couch.Emmie's fingers moved down the screen, her peripheral vision catching a glimpse of Michael sitting with his legs crossed, taking a sip of coffee handed to him by the housekeeper.Further down, she found a photo posted by Elijah a month ago, showing her preparing his medicine. The footage seemed to be taken from security cameras.But none of these posts had appeared on her social media feed.She had never seen them on her phone.Mich
Quentin didn't deny it.Noelle's chest tightened as she remembered that day in Ocean City when Christian had said Gillian deserved to be slapped. Now, it all made sense.At the time, she had sarcastically asked him if he would treat her the same way once he got tired of her.His response had been, "Do you think I'm tired of her, and that's why I did it?"Now she understood. Christian had known all along that it was Quentin who had called Gillian to Ocean City.A wave of frustration swelled in Noelle's chest. Her fingers clenched tightly as the memory of Christian's sweet words clashed with the thought of him being with Gillian. Bitterness gnawed at her.Just then, the door opened again, and a strong, steady figure entered. His gaze swept silently over the two men in the room before he walked straight to the bed."Elle?""Clement!" At the sight of him, Noelle's eyes brimmed with tears."Let's go home," Clement said as he turned and carefully lifted her onto his back. Noelle res