Noelle left Margaret's office after being reassured that both she and the baby were in excellent health. Margaret reminded her to take care of herself, avoid strenuous activities, and follow the same advice she had given during the previous check-up.Noelle smiled and agreed readily. However, Sean had messaged her earlier, asking about her whereabouts and instructing her to stay put. He mentioned that Charles was worried about her being alone and had sent him to act as her chauffeur.Hence, Noelle waited in the lounge connected to Margaret's office. With little to do, she idly played on her phone until voices from outside caught her attention.Initially, Noelle had no intention of eavesdropping, but the voices were loud—and one of them was strikingly familiar. Curiosity got the better of her, and she moved closer to listen.A woman's voice came through first. "Doctor, is this anything serious?""Not serious? It's a tear! What's with you young people? Do you not understand how deli
"But the doctor said your condition is serious, Winter. Don't be so stubborn. Your health is more important!" Suzy pleaded, glancing uneasily at Winter before turning to Margaret.Seeing Margaret's stern expression, Suzy hesitated, tugging lightly on Winter's sleeve. "Winter, please listen. Your health is what matters most!""But my reputation is even more important!" Winter retorted, her voice tense. "Who knows if this hospital is truly secure? What if someone finds out I'm here and sells the news to the paparazzi? It'll be the end of me! And if Xavier finds—"Before she could finish, Suzy quickly covered Winter's mouth, giving her a pointed look and blinking in warning. "Winter, if you don't say anything and I don't say anything, the doctor won't say anything either. Besides, we can check you in under my name. Would that work?"Suzy turned to Margaret. "Doctor, would that be okay?"Margaret regarded Winter and Suzy coldly, finally recognizing who the woman before her was. The fa
Back then, Noelle had given her heart entirely to Xavier, only to be rewarded with betrayal on two fronts. Hearing this news now, Noelle felt she should be happy, but she could not bring herself to smile.It took Noelle some time to process everything. After calming herself, she opened the door and was startled to find herself face-to-face with Suzy. For a moment, she froze. "You…""Noelle?" Suzy seemed equally surprised to see her emerge from the lounge. The realization quickly dawned on her. "You… heard everything?"Noelle nodded.Was that not obvious? She had been in the lounge the entire time. How could she not hear?Suzy's face paled slightly. "Noelle, you… I…""Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person," Noelle reassured her with a faint smile, noticing Suzy's anxious demeanor. "Aside from Dr. Ellison and you, no one else knows about this. If it ever gets out, Winter will immediately suspect the two of you. Are you afraid I'll pin the blame on you?"Suzy nodded hesitantly.
Noelle did not believe the excuse, and frankly, she did not care enough to dig further."Alright, I won't tell anyone about this," she said. After all, despite being at odds with Winter for years, they were sisters of a sort. While Winter had always been antagonistic, Noelle did not want to stoop to her level. "Go take care of her. She should stay in the hospital for a few days.""Yes, I will," Suzy replied.For some reason, whenever Suzy faced Noelle now, she felt an imposing and commanding aura from her—likely a result of her time spent with Charles."Oh, by the way, what are you doing here?" Suzy finally realized where they were—at a hospital, specifically the obstetrics and gynecology department.Noelle smiled and was about to reply when her phone rang. The screen showed Sean's number."Hello, Sean?""Noelle, you might need to wait a bit longer. I'm stuck with a patient right now," Sean said hurriedly from the other end."Operating Room 1, stat!" he barked, before returning
While Noelle waited at the hospital, her social media post caused quite a stir.The post had drawn comments from more than just one or two people. Rowena and Teresa were the first to comment, immediately asking, "You're pregnant? Why didn't we know about this?"Even Steven and others, who had politely added Noelle on social media later, were drawn out by her post. Everyone flooded the comment section, buzzing with curiosity and excitement. The only ones who did not react were Charles and Sean, as one was tied up in meetings and the other was busy in surgery. They were oblivious to the chaos online.Among the responders was Grant. He had followed Noelle earlier, although she still did not know who he was. He had toggled his settings so that he would receive a notification whenever Noelle made a post. He saw her post the moment it went live.Grant's lips curled into a smile as he read the post, but on closer inspection, it was a strained smile.The man sitting across from Grant was
Kresten had no response, and Grant's entire demeanor radiated hostility. His sharp eyes swept over Kresten's face, his clenched jaw making his frustration all too apparent. It was clear that Grant was furious."Find out immediately. I want the details of Shirley's flight schedule, every place she plans to visit, and who she intends to meet. You have one day. If you fail, don't bother coming back to Capiton with me.""Y-Yes, sir. I'll take care of it right away!" Kresten stammered before rushing off.As Grant watched Kresten's retreating figure, his expression remained tense. His brows did not relax even for a moment.'Shirley! So, you've come back, have you? If you have the audacity to return, don't blame me for being ruthless,' Grant thought to himself.Grant adjusted the cufflink on his sleeve, his face gradually regaining its calm, composed facade.He gathered his things and turned, only to find Kelly standing at the doorway. She was carrying Seth in her arms. Kelly's cold, di
"You don't want to return to Capiton? So, you plan to stay in Brookville, hoping Charles will look your way?" Grant's lips curved into a mocking smile. "Do you know Noelle is pregnant?"Kelly froze, staring at Grant in shock. "That's impossible!""What's impossible about it? Noelle is Charles' wife. They're married, so it's perfectly normal for her to be pregnant," Grant replied, his expression remaining unchanged as Kelly's face grew increasingly pale. "I've told you before—let it go.""How can I let it go? He's my everything—my entire youth. If not Noelle…" Kelly faltered. No, even without Noelle, Charles would not have married her. Her pupils dimmed, losing focus. "I can follow your orders in everything else but not this. I won't go back. If I return to Capiton, I won't have a single chance left. There'll be no connection at all between me and Charles."Grant frowned, his gaze turning icy as he took in Kelly's stubborn expression. "Whether you're willing or not, you're leaving
Noelle helped Harrison sit down. "Sir, are you here to visit a friend or…""Yes, I came to see someone I haven't met in a long time," Harrison replied, his gaze sweeping over Noelle. "Young lady, are you here for a check-up or visiting someone?""I'm fine, just here for a routine check-up," Noelle answered with a smile. For some reason, she found this middle-aged man rather likable.The two chatted briefly until Noelle received a call from Ronald. On the other end of the line, Ronald was panting as he asked, "Mrs. Hoffman, where are you?"Glancing around, Noelle replied, "Oh, I'm in the garden behind the hospital, Mr. Wells!""Please wait there. I'll come over immediately!"Noelle ended the call and turned back to Harrison with a grin. "Sir, my friend is on the way, so I'll leave you here to enjoy the garden."Harrison narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Your boyfriend?""No, he's not…"Before she could say more, Ronald had already jogged over. Seeing Noelle about to stand
"Hm?" Charles raised an eyebrow, his gaze landing on the file in Noelle's hand.With a swift motion, he took the file and saw it was a project proposal. His eyes shifted back to Noelle's face. "What's this?""Ah, I…" Noelle had been so focused on calming Charles down that she had not expected to get caught so quickly. Laughing nervously, she wrapped her arms around Charles' neck. "Hehe, I hadn't visited the project department in a while, so I went to take a look, and, uh…""And then you assigned yourself a major project?" Charles lifted the proposal, his gaze steady and fixed on her.Noelle bit her lip, her eyebrows knitting together. "Are you mad?""Do you even care if I'm mad or not?" Charles retorted, making Noelle feel even more conflicted. "Of course, I care!""Then why didn't you stay in the office like I told you to?""Charlie, I'm sorry!" Noelle stuck out her tongue, realizing Charles might actually be upset. She pressed her forehead against his, trying to appease him.
"Yeah!" Arya sighed in frustration. "I have no idea when Mr. Parker will be back!""Let me take this one!" Noelle said, pulling one of the files from Arya's desk. "If you trust me, that is.""Of course, of course. How could I not trust you? I know how good you are at this. But will Mr. Hoffman let you work on it?""It's fine. I'm just killing time anyway. Whether I do this or something else in his office, it's all the same!"Noelle glanced at her watch and realized it was getting late. She patted Arya on the shoulder. "I need to go now, or Charlie won't bring me along next time."Noelle took the proposal into the elevator, and just as the doors closed, her phone rang. It was Charles. "Where are you?""Oh, I got bored, so I wandered around downstairs. I'm heading back up now!" Noelle replied, watching the floor numbers tick upward. "A few more floors. Charlie, are you done with the meeting?""Mhmm," Charles responded, raising an eyebrow. He glanced around before settling back int
"Without a word?" Noelle blinked in surprise. "Didn't I tell Mr. Parker? Where is he?""Don't even mention him right now," Arya grumbled. "Mr. Parker is on a business trip, and guess what? He left me to clean up this mess!"She glanced around at Noelle with mock exasperation. "You don't seem like anything's wrong, yet the rumors about you at the company have been absolutely wild. Where have you been?""Don't worry about me. What's keeping you so busy?"Arya pointed at the pile of documents on the desk. "Look at all this!" She scratched her head in frustration. "Honestly, I feel like I'm drowning. Sure, Mr. Parker reassigned some people to help before he left, but it's still overwhelming. Now, I truly understand just how helpful you were."Noelle walked over, casually flipping through the files and noticing numerous project proposals. "Are these all for this year?""Yeah!" Arya sighed, visibly stressed. "I think our department is seriously understaffed, and then you just vanished
Noelle knew her question was a bit rude, especially since Grant was Kelly's brother. Asking something like that seemed strange, but she could not stop herself—it just naturally came out. Deep down, Noelle always felt that Grant and Kelly were too different to be siblings.…Meanwhile, Grant stared at the message Noelle had sent, his expression softening with a faint smile. His slender fingers brushed against the screen, lightly tracing over the words. The smile in his eyes deepened.Kresten, standing across from him, could not help but shiver at Grant's smile but dared not comment.[She's going back.] Grant then pocketed his phone and looked up at Kresten. "Is everything ready?""It's all prepared, sir, but Ms. Kelly still refuses to leave," Kresten replied cautiously, glancing at Grant. As expected, Grant's expression darkened."She refuses? In that case, take Seth and leave without her!""But…" Kresten hesitated. Seth was still so young, and it seemed heartless to do this.
"Alright, alright. I won't wander off!" Noelle felt Charles was being overly clingy. "Now, go already!"Charles finally turned to Ronald and said, "Let's go."Ronald, who had been covering his face after witnessing Charles kiss Noelle, felt Charles' gaze sweep over him. It sent an inexplicable chill down his spine. Straightening up immediately, he responded, "Yes, sir!"As they exited, Charles could not help but give another instruction, "Have Becky assign someone to stay nearby. If Nelly needs anything, it should be handled immediately.""Yes, sir!"After Charles left, Noelle began aimlessly wandering around his office. She roamed back and forth a few times before realizing how bored she was. With nothing better to do, she picked up her phone and started browsing the internet.Since it was a weekday, Rowena was too busy to chat with her. Apparently, Rowena was tracking some big celebrity, with her editor pushing her to land a major headline this month. After cheering Rowena on
Previously, Charles did not live at the Hoffman residence for extended periods, so Maxwell could ignore most of his behavior. Now, however, with everyone under the same roof, Charles' actions clearly showed he had little regard for Maxwell's authority, leaving the old man feeling stifled.Maxwell wanted to blow up and scold Charles, that cheeky brat. However, considering Noelle's pregnancy and the need to ensure her safety, he swallowed his anger and held it in.He grumbled to himself before turning to head upstairs, muttering under his breath about how infuriating it all was.James followed behind Maxwell, glancing at him before looking back at Charles and Noelle, his lips curving into a helpless smile.Perhaps Maxwell had not even realized it himself, but he was no longer as resistant to Noelle as he used to be. His current actions practically screamed acceptance, even if he would not admit it.After finishing breakfast, Charles and Noelle headed to the company. Since Noelle was
Noelle opened her eyes. She took a sip of water to rinse her mouth before spitting it out.Just as she reached for the toothbrush, Charles instructed, "Open your mouth!" Without waiting, he began brushing her teeth himself.The cool sensation in her mouth jolted Noelle awake. She blinked a few times and then took the toothbrush from Charles' hand. "I can do it myself. You should brush your teeth too!""Alright."Noelle then brushed her teeth, her legs swinging slightly as she sat on the bathroom counter. She even turned her head to watch Charles.The window by the bathroom was slightly ajar, allowing the crisp morning air to seep in, carrying with it a refreshing coolness. Although spring had passed and summer had arrived, the early mornings were still a bit chilly.Noelle squinted her eyes against the sunlight. When Charles handed her the rinsing cup, she quickly rinsed her mouth and placed the cup down.She hopped off the sink, but Charles immediately caught her hand. "Be care
Charles' deep, jet-black eyes sparkled, especially when they caught the mischievous glint in Noelle's gaze.He stepped closer to her, closing the gap with every step. That was until he grabbed her hands and raised them high above her head. Arching a brow, he asked, "You think I'm good to you now just because of the babies?"Noelle shook her head but then nodded hesitantly.Charles glared at her before lightly bumping his forehead against hers.Noelle cried out in pain and instinctively tried to rub her forehead, only to realize her hands were still pinned by Charles. Pouting, she made her best pitiful face. "I was wrong, Charlie!""You silly girl." Charles' heart softened completely. He sighed, finally releasing her hands and lightly tapping her nose. "I care about the babies because they're yours. You're their mom, and they're our children. Got it?""Got it!" Noelle nodded earnestly.Though her earlier words had been meant as a playful tease, hearing Charles say this still made
Apparently, Maxwell had also instructed the housekeeper to transform a room into a nursery. Now, Noelle…"Did Ronald tell you?"Noelle shook her head. "No! Mr. Wells wouldn't dare.""Hmm?"Charles raised an eyebrow, his long legs striding over. Before Noelle could react, he took her phone. His gaze fell on the WhatsApp interface displayed on the screen.He frowned slightly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping in. Sure enough, as Charles scrolled through the conversation, his sharp eyes started scanning the messages and landed on a video. Clicking it open, his expression deepened instantly, his eyes growing darker.Noelle's heart raced with alarm, but by the time she realized what had happened, it was already too late.Charles arched an eyebrow, his slender fingers lightly gripping the phone, making it seem weightless in his hands. His index finger tapped the screen as he flashed Noelle a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Funny, huh?"Noelle pursed her lips and shook her hea