Noelle looked up at the tall building in front of her. She could not see Xyla's figure from here, so she followed Quentin into the building.Quentin went up to the rooftop. When Gloria saw his dashing silhouette approaching, she quickly said, "Mr. Lowe, Ms. Cadwell did not sleep the entire night and came up here early this morning."Some people threw rotten eggs at the apartment and hurled manure at her. Some even phoned her up and called her a whore and a homewrecker. "They said she was shameless for seducing a married man like you. They obviously want her dead! Ms. Cadwell would never do something like that!"When Noelle got up to the rooftop, she was greeted by Gloria's weeping and wailing.Xyla, on the other hand, was crying as she perched on the rooftop's edge. She wore only a nightgown, and she looked small and helpless.Noelle had not seen Xyla when she first pulled up at the building. That could only mean Xyla hadn't been sitting on the rooftop's edge until just now.Sc
Lorraine downed a mouthful of liquor before setting her glass down on the counter, looking as if she was harboring a grudge.Noelle figured she must have gotten into a fight with her partner.Lorraine never mentioned she had a boyfriend, so naturally, Noelle considered any man in the former's company to be her partner. Not that it mattered. Even a single woman had to have her needs taken care of. Noelle wasn't a prude; she didn't think what Lorraine was doing was a big deal as long as the parties were unmarried and the relationship did not go against any moral principles."Did he do something to piss you off?" Noelle asked out of concern.Lorraine raised a brow. "As if he deserves my wrath."Noelle fell speechless after that. She wondered who the man was and what he was like.Noelle left Summer Night Bar after receiving a few calls from her clients.Meanwhile, Lorraine got a text from the man she was in bed with earlier asking her to return to the bedroom.She pursed her li
Quentin was preparing to go to the office for a regular meeting."Any news from Mrs. Lowe?" he asked.Martin replied, "No, sir."He wasn't sure whether the social media post counted.Without saying anything else, Quentin fastened his cufflinks and turned to walk away.In the situation the day earlier, Xyla could have jumped off the rooftop at any moment, and Noelle even used words to provoke her. Did she really wish for Xyla to die?Quentin found it impossible to forgive Noelle. Perhaps he had been too good to her lately.Xyla was the only sister of that person. How could there be any room for error?…When Quentin's tall figure appeared at Stille Industries, all the employees looked his way. Lately, he had become quite the topic of discussion.Previously, his wife had exposed him, and now she had revealed the assets he had given to her. No one knew what might happen next. They were all quite curious."Hey, do you think Mr. Lowe is as generous to Ms. Cadwell?""Of course. H
Xyla took out the contents from her file and spread them out one by one on the desk. It was a series of invoices of various origins and titles, all signed by Quentin in the "payer" section.Most of the invoices were for jewelry, with dates ranging from a few years ago to the present. A rough calculation showed they were worth several billion dollars.Amanda calculated the cost of the bags and clothes, totaling about 500 thousand dollars. There were also two real estate: one was a luxury penthouse costing over 30 million dollars, and the other was a ten-story commercial building in the most bustling district of Dragfort, with a total value of five billion dollars.The transaction for the commercial building took place only a week earlier."Quint said this commercial building is for me to collect rent from," Xyla said, her eyes scanning Noelle's face, hoping to catch her moment of emotional breakdown.Her properties might be fewer in number, but they could generate money. With ten
"Ella," Noelle called out as she entered Ella's office and sat down across from her. She took the stack of invoices from her bag and placed them on the table."Can we use these to sue Quentin and Xyla?"Noelle wasn't interested in money; she just wanted to create trouble for the two. She still remembered what Quentin had said to her the day before. "Noelle, are you satisfied now?"He had spoken as if he believed she was so evil that she couldn't stand Xyla being happy and wanted to ruin her. She couldn't help feeling wronged.The more she thought about it, the more she wanted the lawsuit to proceed quickly. She couldn't wait to see them both in an awkward situation, especially Quentin.Ella replied, "More than enough. Listen up, girl!"On the day when she had seen Noelle at John's place, she knew she was extraordinary, but she hadn't expected her to be the rumored "Mrs. Lowe".Everybody knew that "Mrs. Lowe" was chosen by the elders while Xyla was the apple of Quentin's eye.
"Mr. Lowe, it's time for you to go to the hospital for your IV treatment," Martin reminded Quentin.Feeling the discomfort in his body, Quentin stood up and said, "Let's go."On the way to the hospital, they came to a roadblock.Quentin instructed, "Go and check out what's going on up front."Martin went to investigate and quickly returned, saying, "Mr. Lowe, it's Mrs. Lowe's car; she's been in a rear-end collision."Quentin's brows tightened.After leaving the supermarket, Noelle was on her way back home when a Volkswagen suddenly changed lanes on her left and cut her off. She couldn't react in time, resulting in a rear-end collision.Although the other driver was at fault, he was being aggressive. He grabbed her by the collar and demanded 100 thousand dollars for compensation, acting quite arrogantly.That was when Gabriel appeared. He got out of a Cayenne, his sturdy figure moving swiftly, and grabbed the man's hand, flinging him aside."Talk if you need to, but there's no
Right then, jealousy welled up in Quentin's chest as he pulled Noelle into his Bentley, shoving her into the driver's seat before slamming the door shut and climbing into the front passenger seat himself."I'm an ugly potato, and Gabriel is your white knight. Is that it?" he questioned with a harsh tone.She rolled her eyes and replied, "Mr. Lowe, are you blind? Can't you see he was just helping me?"She couldn't fathom how he got these absurd ideas from. A white knight? She'd only met Gabriel today.Quentin retorted, "You have poor driving skills. If he's helping you, he's doing you a disservice!"Thinking back to the way Gabriel was talking to Noelle, Quentin could feel his anger flaring up. Although he knew it was the other driver who had abruptly changed lanes and caused the collision, he still said it that way."Fine, fine!" she said.She was done arguing with him. Sure, she wasn't the best driver, but didn't he see how carefully and diligently she drove every time?"Ms. C
Quentin reluctantly stretched out his right hand.Noelle tied a band around the back of his hand, gave it a tap to find a vein, and then inserted the needle.He yelled out in pain as his hand jerked violently."Do you even know how to do this?" he exclaimed.The needle almost made him jump off the bed.Embarrassed, she said, "Mr. Lowe, you're the one who asked me to do this! I studied clinical medicine, not nursing. If you want me to play nurse, I can't promise perfection."She knew the process of administering an IV but wasn't any good at it.Quentin was tongue-tied. He couldn't admit that he didn't know about that. He assumed that anyone who studied medicine could administer IVs.Nevertheless, the needle was in place, and the blood return was normal.She applied some medical tape to secure it but noticed that he was staring at a specific spot on her."Where are you looking?" she snapped.Quentin wore an indifferent expression when he replied, "Aren't you exposing it for pe
"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