Sebastian caught on to what Charles was hinting at almost instantly. His face tensed for a split second before he regained his composure. "Noelle just got back from a trip, so she’s still mixing up timezones! Hey, Charles, you might as well stay for dinner since you’re here."He waved May over. "We need some groceries, May. Noelle and Charles are both dining in tonight, so make it snappy!" Sebastian handed her a wad of bills.May had been with the family long enough to read between the lines. With a knowing squint, she grabbed the cash and headed out the door. "You three have a good chat."Seizing the moment while Sebastian was busy giving May instructions, Noelle's gaze fixed on Charles. How on earth did Charles know her granddad?Charles's eyes, which were sharp and narrow, met Noelle's with a light-hearted laugh. "Ms. Shaw, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.""Give me a break. Aren't you the least bit shocked? You're really my granddad's student?" Noelle's skepticism was palpab
Charles squinted, his gaze dropping to the slender hands pushing against his chest. Noelle looked like she was playing hard to get, but Charles knew better that she was not the type to send mixed signals. Right now, her hands were shaking slightly, the warmth of her touch making his eyebrows rise a little. His eyes lingered on Noelle's overly made-up face.Charles reached out with a frown and touched her cheek, his voice laced with annoyance. "Lay off the heavy makeup next time. It's not your style."Noelle's temper flared instantly, and she shoved Charles back, "Back off! It's my face, so I’ll do whatever I want with it. I'll wear as much makeup as I want. Keep your opinions to yourself."Noelle stood up with a huff. "I'm going to check on what Grandpa is up to!"She made her way to Sebastian's study, tapped lightly on the door, and called out, "Grandpa, can I come in?""Come in!"Upon hearing Sebastian's voice, Noelle swung the door open and found him by the bookshelf, thumbing
Noelle gritted her teeth and turned to Sebastian, who gave her an awkward glance. She huffed, "Grandpa, I usually go along with your ideas, but not this. This is about who I spend my life with, and I can't afford to make that decision lightly. I don't want a repeat of the Xavier disaster. That would just be... tragic."Sebastian did not know what else to say. He had hoped that introducing Noelle to Charles might ignite a spark, but with Noelle so against it, he could not push it. "Okay, okay, I won't mention it again. But you should know that Charles is a great guy, and...""Grandpa!" Noelle's frown deepened. "If you keep this up, I won’t visit you again!”Noelle cut off Sebastian, saying, "We should head out. It doesn't feel right to leave Mr. Hoffman by himself in the living room.""You and your stubbornness..." Sebastian sighed, resigning himself to her will.As Noelle and Sebastian emerged, Charles's eyes twinkled with a teasing glint as he looked at Noelle. His lips curled in
"Ms. Shaw, don’t fight it. If you can't avoid something, then just try to enjoy it. Makes sense, right?" Charles's gaze held a hint of mystery as he spoke. Noelle bit her lip, her fight fading away.When Charles felt Noelle's resistance ease up, he let go of her hand. "Hop in, Ms. Shaw."Noelle shot Charles a reluctant look but followed him into the car anyway. Charles flashed a grin. "Buckle up!"Noelle had barely settled into the car seat when she rattled off her address to Charles, then clammed up, only piping up to correct his driving once or twice. Charles was not clueless and picked up on Noelle's cold shoulder. Pulling up to her place, he shot her a look. "Remember what I said before? The offer is still valid, Ms. Shaw. Call me if you’re thinking about it again."Noelle bit her lip, "Look at you, Mr. Hoffman. You’re successful, loaded, and the town's most eligible bachelor. You could snap your fingers and have the ladies of Brookville lining up from here to kingdom come. Why
"Throwing myself at some random guy? Xavier, do you hear yourself?" Noelle could not help but laugh at the absurdity of it all."I get that you're not over what happened with me and Winter, but you're young. You'll find someone who's just for you. I'm your brother-in-law now, right? I wouldn't do anything to hurt you," Xavier said, stumbling a bit over the words 'brother-in-law.' He glanced at Noelle, noticing she looked even prettier than she had just a day ago."Oh, I should be so grateful for your concern!" Noelle's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Do me a favor, will you? Just stay out of my life from now on." She was not the type to cling to what was gone. Sure, she could not just switch off her feelings for Xavier, but she would not let him see her crumble."Noelle, why do you have to be this way? If things had worked out, it would have been great, but otherwise, we should go our separate ways. We’re not a thing anymore, and I'm really into Winter.""Okay, I get it. You're head o
"How can you even suggest something like that about me and Winter? It's not because...""Stop! Just stop. I can't listen to another word, Xavier. You're making me sick. Get out now before there's nothing left of you in my heart." Noelle shoved Xavier back, shooting him a look that could freeze lava. "And don't you dare come back."With that, she fished her keys out of her bag, strode to the apartment door, flung it open, and disappeared inside. She felt like she would totally lose it if she spent one more second with Xavier.Xavier watched Noelle's back as she left, completely lost. How had things between them gone so horribly wrong?Even if they could not be a couple, the bond they had once shared still lingered. He believed that if Noelle had even the slightest affection left for him, she would be mindful of his feelings. She should be cool about him and Winter being together, especially since Winter had once saved her life.He planned to make things right with her, hoping they
The Frotconn weekly Monday meeting was the time to wrap up the previous week's work. This was Noelle's first time back at the familiar table since she had left a year ago. The board members did a double-take when they saw herSome were clueless about her return, while others had their opinions of her colored by the recent scandal.Noelle pretended she did not see a thing, grabbed the papers, and plopped down in her chair. Her gaze was steady as she ignored the buzz around her. The bigwigs, the chairman and the general manager, had not shown up yet, so the room was buzzing with chatter. Some of the older, more seasoned directors were acting like uncles at a family reunion, rehashing the drama from the engagement party with flair.One of the directors, who had butted heads with Noelle before over work matters, could not resist stirring the pot. "Some people embarrass themselves and still strut into the office like nothing happened."Noelle's brow creased ever so slightly. She meant to
On the twenty-seventh floor of the Collosus Group, Ronald shot Becky a quick 'hey' and snagged the stack of papers she was buried in before rapping on the president's door."Come in!"The voice that cut through the silence was all business. Ronald stood tall and swung the door open, finding the man buried in paperwork. He did not even bother to look up."Mr. Hoffman, I’ve got the monthly numbers here. Director Lore from the Finance Department mentioned that the Public Relations Department's over budget. It’s your call," Ronald rattled off his report and passed the papers to Charles.Charles's brow creased ever so slightly, his fingers drumming a steady beat on the desk. "Don't sweat the small stuff. If they can handle it, no need to bring it to me," he said, barely glancing at the report before flicking it back to Ronald. "I didn’t bring them on board to stir up trouble.""Got it." Ronald let out a quiet sigh, then dropped another update, "Ms. Shaw's back at the office today.""M
Liliana's mind was a whirlwind. She found her key card fast, but just as she was about to shut the door, a big hand stopped it.She was not strong enough to close the door against Sean, who pushed it open.Liliana took a shaky step back, looking at Sean with a bit of fear. "Sean, it's late. I need to sleep."Sean just kept looking at her. "Liliana, what... what's wrong with your mouth?" he asked as he reached out, his fingers lightly touching the corner of Liliana's mouth. Liliana felt a rush of heat through her body, making her shake all over.In a swift motion, she knocked Sean's hand away. "Leave me alone."With his inscrutable eyes, Sean noticed the blood on his thumb and Liliana's unusual red cheeks. A flicker of surprise showed in his eyes. "Liliana, did..."However, Liliana was already clenching her fists, all pretense gone. She was shaking and crouching on the ground, her tears filling her eyes. "Sean, please. I'm begging you, just go, okay?"Sean's brow furrowed. His
Liliana could not make out what Sean was saying anymore. She felt awful and shut her eyes tight, not wanting Sean to notice.Sean thought Liliana had dozed off from drinking too much and had a headache, so he stopped talking.The car pulled up to Liliana's hotel, and Sean gently shook her. "Liliana, time to wake up. We're here."Liliana slowly opened her eyes and saw Sean's face close to hers. Her heart, which was already fluttering, started racing.She turned her head away, swallowing hard. "Are we here already?"Once she saw they were outside the hotel, Liliana quickly got out of the car and opened the back door to help Adalee. "Ms. Cobb, can you walk?"Adalee nodded. "Yes, I can."With a sigh of relief, Liliana told Sean, "Sean, we've made it. Ms. Cobb and I will head up now."Liliana rushed off, scared that any delay might make her lose her composure. She could not let herself fall apart in front of Sean again—not after what happened years ago.Sean noticed Liliana rushing
The moment everyone in the private room saw Bob, they were scared out of their wits.It was Andy, the favorite son of the Jones family in Cascade City! Even though he was the second child, he was the one everyone knew would run the company one day.Everyone felt a wave of relief, glad they had not messed with Liliana earlier. They knew that if they had, they would not just be outcasts in Cascade City, but probably everywhere else too.Sean gently put Adalee in the back seat of the car and then helped Liliana into the front seat. Noticing Liliana's pale face, he asked, "Did you have too much to drink?"When Sean touched her forehead, Liliana felt a wave of heat rush through her, like she was on fire. Sean's hand was cool, and the moment it touched her, she could not help but sigh in relief."Maybe," she said.Sean shook his head. "Where's your hangover pill? Take it now. Where do you live?"After Liliana told him the address, she saw that Adalee was already fast asleep.Sean tur
Sean nodded. "It's all done."He glanced at Adalee, who was next to Liliana, and said, "Hi, I'm Liliana's brother."Adalee, seeing a man of such stature had arrived, did not bother to question if he was truly Liliana's brother. Her main concern was to get out of there, so she nodded. "I'm sorry to trouble you.""It’s no trouble at all. Looks like you really enjoyed your meal!" With that, Sean took over supporting Adalee from Liliana.He was a big guy, so he steadied Adalee with no trouble at all. He turned to Liliana and said, "Liliana, grab Ms. Cobb's bag. We're leaving."Sean acted as if he did not even notice the other people there. He just finished speaking and started to walk away with Liliana and Adalee.However, the other guys were not just going to stand there. Even though Sean looked pretty cool, they had not seen anyone like him around Cascade City before.They thought they had these two women in the bag, but then this guy had come along and messed it up. "Mister, sinc
The others did not buy Liliana's story for a second.Adalee and Liliana were both from Brookville, and they were strangers in Cascade City. The idea of her brother suddenly showing up seemed far-fetched, so they did not really pay much attention to Liliana's claim.However, they had made a mistake because the brother Liliana mentioned was real, and his name was Sean.As soon as she felt things were going south, she had already reached into her purse and dialed Sean's number.Liliana was not sure if Sean would arrive immediately, but she was certain he would not leave her hanging.Seeing how Liliana acted, one of them smirked. "Do you have family here in Cascade City?"Liliana shook her head. "No, not really. But my brother came with me a few days ago for an academic conference. He's actually here having dinner too, and we planned to head back together."Liliana pulled out her phone with a small, nervous smile and waved it at everyone. She tried to keep her cool, always smiling.
As Liliana walked by Sean, he gently grabbed her arm, making her pause. "What's up, Sean?" she asked, puzzled."Don't drink too much," he advised, handing her a pill to help with the alcohol. Liliana looked at it, surprised. "What's this for? Don't you need it?""Nope, it's all yours!" Sean replied, a hint of concern in his furrowed brow. "Just remember to take it easy on the drinks, and give me a call when you head home, alright?"Liliana felt warmth radiating from where Sean had held her arm, mirroring the heat rising in her cheeks. Sean's expression remained unchanged.She wrapped her fingers around the pill, holding it tight in her hand, and nodded. "Okay."Back in the private room, Liliana found Adalee had been drinking heavily. Her face was paler than before. She waved her over and whispered, "I'll pretend I'm not feeling well in a bit, and you can help me get out of here."Adalee's voice was faint, and though Liliana did not know what was going on, she could tell she looke
After speaking, Liliana supported herself against the wall and headed to the restroom. Bob, still holding the bottle of hangover remedy, stood in place with a glimmer in his deep-set eyes.He smirked faintly, then chuckled and shook his head. Casually, he stuffed the remedy into his pants pocket and lingered there a while longer, lighting a cigarette before finally returning to the private room.Sean was inside drinking with a few others. They were all people brought in by Bob and were prominent figures in the pharmaceutical and medical industries.Truth be told, the entire dinner was simply Bob paving the way for Sean. Although these individuals were leaders in their fields, they still had to curry favor. The man they aimed to please was Bob—better known as Andy Jones, the second son of Jones Group.Though Bob was technically the second son, everyone in Cascade City knew he was the legitimate heir to the Jones family and, eventually, the Smiths as well. That made him a powerful fi
Liliana had not wanted to drink, but the other party insisted on making a toast. Under such circumstances, she could not exactly refuse. It was clear they would not even continue discussing the partnership unless she played along.She glanced at Adalee, whose expression was far from pleasant. However, given that they still had to maintain a working relationship with the client, Adalee subtly signaled Liliana to go along with it. Liliana understood—she could not say no.Hence, round after round, Liliana did her best to hold her own. She even tried to fake it occasionally, but she still ended up drinking quite a bit."Excuse me, I need to use the restroom," she said eventually, unable to take any more. Her head felt light, and her steps wobbled slightly as she walked.Though her alcohol tolerance was not exactly terrible, the combination of red and white wine tonight was rough. Even someone with a decent tolerance would struggle.She had not even reached the restroom when she stum
After finishing dinner, Liliana and Adalee went to pay the bill, only to be told it had already been paid for.Liliana instinctively suspected Sean, but Adalee, unaware, asked the cashier, "Who paid for it?""Are you Ms. Hoffman?" the cashier asked.Adalee shook her head and pointed at Liliana. "She is."The cashier smiled. "That's right. A Mr. Smith said to put the bill under his account."Liliana nodded. "Got it. Thank you."Adalee gave Liliana a curious glance. Judging by her reaction, she clearly knew the person. "Didn't you say you had never been to Cascade City before? How do you know someone here?"It was not until they got into the car that Liliana explained, "He's also from Brookville—a distant relative. I ran into him just now when I went to the restroom."Adalee nodded. Though she suspected things were not that simple, she did not press further.During their business trip in Cascade City, Adalee kept Liliana incredibly busy. Every day was packed to the brim, making