When it was over, Noelle felt like her body had been destroyed. Quentin scooped her into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder as he held her by the waist.His dark eyes gleamed playfully. "Mrs. Lowe, was it good?"Her cheeks burned in shame. Memories of their intimacy flashed across her mind. For the first time, she begged him for more. She had called him "darling" and told him not to stop.The blush on her face deepened, and her body felt heated. She wanted to dig a hole and hide out of shame.She thought, "Goodness me, how could Grandpa do that to us? Spiking our food?"Oddly, he had eaten more jambalaya than her, but why was she the one spiraling out of control? Upset, she remarked with a flushed face, "But you had the food too, didn't you?"He flashed an alluring smile at her. "But I had self-control." She wanted to punch him for taking a jab at her. He was implying that she had no self-control.When she raised her hand, he immediately gripped her wrist and kissed he
John raised a brow in amusement. He received a client's call and had to leave. Before that, he glanced in the direction of Noelle's room.She seemed to have drifted to sleep. While she was usually rosy and healthy, at the moment, she looked pallid and feeble. The sight of her evoked his sympathy.He instructed his driver to stay behind and look after Noelle before leaving.…Back at Joseph's clinic, Quentin was undergoing treatment. He had a medicinal balm applied to his ankle. Dennis entered the treatment room and taunted him. "Hah! Serves you right! Should've broken your leg too! Just look at the things you'd do for a fake bitch."Quentin glared at him. "Xy isn't a fake bitch!"Speechless, Dennis retorted, "Fine. Speak up for her. I can't believe you'd fall helplessly for a woman who wouldn't save your life when you needed it."Quentin ignored Dennis' taunts. Once the time was up, he wiped his ankle clean before putting on his shoes. He left after that.Joseph's balm was pret
Quentin hurried out of the room while speaking on the phone. The person in question was no doubt Xyla, as she was the only woman Quentin would fuss over.Feeling cold from head to toe, Noelle couldn't believe that Quentin was on his way to meet another woman after making all those promises.Throwing her head back, she laughed and laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.…Xyla rested in bed with messy hair in her room on the 10th floor. She held her neck and gasped for breath while Gloria panicked beside her.At that moment, Quentin showed up with a doctor. He assured Xyla, "Don't worry! The doctor's here."After the doctor performed some treatments, Xyla gradually started breathing normally. However, she did not let go of Quentin's hand. Misty-eyed, she appeared pitifully feeble. She pleaded, "Quentin, don't leave me…""I'm not leaving. I'm here!" Quentin took a seat in the room with a nervous expression.At the same time, Noelle received a WhatsApp message on her phone f
Quentin nearly exploded in rage after receiving Dennis' message. He thought, "Isn't John Xenos even at all worried about his life?" Looking away from his phone, he asked Martin, "When is the Wilhelm Group's anniversary event again?"Martin answered, "It's in three days, Mr. Lowe."Quentin ordered, "Put in an expedited dress order at Eloise Moreau's studio. I'll attend the event with Noelle."Eloise Moreau was a renowned Franconian dress designer, whose dresses were priced at millions. An expedited order would mean a hefty payment.Martin was surprised at Quentin's decision to bring Noelle to a social event, as Quentin had never done that before. He quickly got into contact with their Franconian counterpart.Back at the botanical cafe, John had taken his allergy meds and had lunch at a corner far from the allergens. Because of that, his rashes went away. An hour later, when Noelle was paying at the cashier, the cashier informed her, "Miss, a Ms. Fox has paid for your lunch."N
Since Noelle couldn't fight Quentin or shove him away, she let him be.Fortunately, he slept soundly without pulling anything funny on her. Similarly, she had a good night's sleep. To be honest, she was scared of sleeping alone. With him by her side, she had no fears about monsters and spirits, which helped improve her quality of sleep. She woke up to Quentin's voice from outside the room. He said, "If it has arrived, send it over. Yes. Send it to Noelle's place."She had no idea what he was talking about, so she glanced down from the window and noticed the flowers sitting on her balcony. They were all unique and different in their beauty.Quentin took the call near the flowers. Standing straight and bathing in the morning sunlight, he gave off an affable feeling. She fell into a trance over his charm and thought, "If only he didn't have another woman in his heart. That'd be nice."Quentin happened to turn around at that moment. Their eyes met, and she paused.Grinning, he tea
At that moment, Martin interrupted them by knocking on the door.After shooting a glare at Noelle, Quentin went to answer the door. Martin showed up with a bag containing the evening dress that he had just received from the airport.He greeted them, "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Lowe." Suddenly, he picked up on the tension in the air, and it made his skin crawl. He assumed they must have been fighting. To avoid being involved in the mess, he decided to leave soon.Quentin ordered, "Leave the stuff behind. You may go!"Martin was glad to hear that. "Sure, Mr. Lowe!" He sneaked out in no time.Quentin placed the shopping bag in front of Noelle. He commanded, "Attend the Wilhelm Group's anniversary event with me. It's in two days."She declined, "No. I won't!" Then, she coldly sat in her chair.She did not feel obligated to attend social events with Quentin as they were on the brink of a divorce. She had never attended events like that in the past. Now, she was all the more unwilling to go.H
John had once guessed that Noelle was Quentin's admirer, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined her as Quentin's wife—the elusive Mrs. Lowe in the rumors.It turned out that the man who picked up John's call yesterday wasn't just any lunatic. John assumed it had been Quentin.Meanwhile, Noelle attempted to shove Quentin away. "Go away! Aren't you ashamed to be doing this in public?"As she was trapped in his arms and pressed against the wall, she found that the air between them changed. Suddenly, her heart pounded wildly. She became more panicked.With a low chuckle, Quentin tilted his head to kiss her on her cherry lips, causing her body to stiffen in shock.What was more embarrassing was when she saw John over Quentin's shoulders. The toe-curling embarrassment made her blush. She realized Quentin must have kissed her on purpose.Once John walked away, Quentin let go of Noelle. She hit him with her clutch before storming away.He pursed his lips, which tasted of her.
Noelle paused. Quentin's words made sense. After some hesitation, she followed him out of the car.Before entering the villa, she stopped in her tracks. She stated, "We agreed that you'll sleep on the second floor, while I take the room on the first floor. We're sleeping in separate rooms, and you can't force me to do anything I don't want to!"He looked speechless at how unnecessarily vigilantly she behaved around him, but he agreed. "Okay!" Noelle grabbed a few pieces of clothes from the bedroom upstairs—gifts from Quentin that she hadn't brought with her when she left Windsor Villa, which could be of use during her short stay.Noelle was tired. She went to sleep after a shower. The lights were still on in the second-floor bedroom. There, Quentin made a call to Martin. "Look into the purpose of Lia Woodworth's visit." After a pause, he added, "Check if Michael Xanthos is here too."He was lying when he told Noelle that Michael was in Dragfort.Martin replied, "Of course, Mr. L
"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