"Yes."Charles' attention was drawn to Noelle's feet. He found them unusually attractive.Though not a foot fetishist, he genuinely liked Noelle's feet. He smiled slightly. "They do look very nice!"He had thought these shoes would suit Noelle earlier, but seeing them on her was even more astonishing. "Ms. Shaw, they look great on you!"Noelle blushed slightly. "Well, I'm glad you like them," she said, sitting down to remove the shoes.At that moment, the manager arrived after being called in by the sales attendant. He wondered who could be causing such trouble that it required his intervention. As soon as he entered and saw Charles, his eyes widened in surprise.Especially when he saw Charles crouching down to help a woman take off her shoes. It revealed a rare gentle side of him.The manager was quite frightened, never expecting Charles to be there personally. "Mr. Charles, what brings you here?"Mr. Charles Hoffman?Annie and Suzy exchanged looks. They had speculated about
Winter did not understand these matters, so she asked her father for help. However, her father said he was powerless.It turned out the malls in Brookville were all owned by the Hoffman family? If that were the case, why was Charles not helping Frotconn? Was Xavier not related to Charles?"I...""Miss? What do you want to complain about?""I..." Winter bit her lip. "I want to buy those shoes, but your store refuses to sell them to me. Don't you want to do business? Do you know who I am?"Winter continued, "I have money, yet you refuse my business. Does that make sense? And your sales attendant is very rude. She's completely lacking manners. Why did your store hire such people?"Winter did not dare to direct her anger at Charles, but she could still vent about the sales attendant.The manager raised an eyebrow and looked at Winter. He was surprised she still dared to speak like that. Those shoes were chosen by Charles. Hardly anyone in the world would dare to compete with him for
Charles chuckled and shook his head. He gently patted Noelle's head. "Do you think she wouldn't hold a grudge against you if you didn't do this?"Noelle sighed, reluctantly admitting the truth in Charles' words. Still, she decided to avoid Winter as much as possible in the future. "You don't understand. Winter doesn't let things go easily. She—"Charles shook his head. "It seems like she bullied you often in the past, didn't she?"Noelle gave a bitter smile. "I guess it's pretty obvious!"Moreover, she would always end up on the losing side. To avoid direct confrontations with Winter, Noelle moved out early and only returned for family gatherings to see her grandfather, Samuel.Charles' deep eyes settled on Noelle, and he could tell from her resigned expression that she had often been at a disadvantage with Winter over the years. "She's quite something."Noelle raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect you to compliment her!" She noticed the shoes being packed by the sales attendant, a
Charles curled his lips. "That's it? Two words? Just a simple thank you?""I said thank you very much. That's four words," Noelle replied before smiling. "Well, what else do you want?"Charles raised an eyebrow. "It's no wonder you can't compete with her." He walked briskly to Noelle's side, took the bag from her hand, and quickly held her hand with his other.Noelle was stunned. Her face was flushing as she said, "What are you doing? There are so many people watching. Let go of me!" She struggled but could not break free. She looked genuinely worried as she glanced around nervously.Charles glanced at Noelle. Seeing her reaction, he lifted his eyebrows slightly. "Am I so embarrassing to be seen with?" Many women would love to walk with him, but this woman seemed to despise the idea.Noelle laughed awkwardly. "It's not that. I'm just worried Winter hasn't gone far. If she finds out about our relationship, I'm afraid...""Afraid of what?"Charles snorted lightly. "I didn't think
"I'm not joking. For the sake of 200 million, he casually handed me over to a man with a terrible reputation and character. He has never cared about my feelings. If he knew we were married, given your status and position, you'd be entangled with the Shaw family in unnecessary ways for life." This was not something Noelle wanted to see.Charles, however, laughed at Noelle's words. It was genuine laughter. "Silly girl!"Noelle pressed her lips together. "I'm being serious. Why are you calling me names?""I'm not calling you names!" Charles squeezed her fingers gently. "Since I chose to marry you, I've already considered all these things. And now that we're married, shouldn't we share our blessings and face difficulties together? Isn't that what marriage is about?" He continued, "If I were so easily manipulated, I wouldn't be Charles Hoffman. Trust me, I'll handle these things."Seeing Noelle's confused expression, Charles patted her head again. Noelle was annoyed and pushed his
"Well..." Ronald hesitated, but Charles took the phone."Send the video to my phone," Charles instructed before hanging up.Noelle's demeanor was clearly disturbed. The moment Charles took the phone, she seemed dazed.Although she had been groggy that day, she was still aware of what had happened to her. Now, she felt lost and unsure of what to do as she did not know who had done it. She looked at Charles, her eyes pleading for help. "Charles!""Don't worry," Charles said, holding the steering wheel with one hand while keeping the other around Noelle's hand."Nelly, don't be afraid. I'm here!" He gently squeezed her hand to reassure her. "Let me handle this."Ronald quickly sent the video over. It was short but clear enough to identify who was in it.Noelle was lying restlessly on a bed. The video was taken up close, probably with a phone. At that time, Noelle was still unconscious, and her movements were all subconscious. She stared at the person on the video, and her face turn
When Noelle heard the click of the seatbelt, she snapped back to reality and pointed at herself. "You want me to race?" she exclaimed. "No, no! I can't! I may have a driver's license, but I'm a rookie. Just driving safely is already an achievement for me. Racing? No way! And this isn't even a professional race car!""Nelly, don't be afraid. I believe in you!" Charles squeezed Noelle's hand, encouraging her. "You never know your limits until you try. I didn't know how to race before either." His calm voice acted like a spell, guiding Noelle.Noelle blinked, looking uncertainly at Charles. "But I don't know how...""When I'm in a bad mood, I like to race. Pushing myself to the limit helps me forget everything. Try it out, okay?""Fine!"Noelle took a deep breath, opened the car door, and switched places with Charles. Then, she took another deep breath with her eyes fixed on Charles. "I can do this.""Yes. I believe in you. I'm putting myself in your hands!" Charles buckled his
Back then, Noelle was naive and agreed to trade dolls with Winter. However, Winter quickly destroyed her own doll.Noelle's eyes darkened when she recalled this memory. She pressed the accelerator to the floor. "I don't want to lose. Not this time!"Charles smirked. "But they're professional racers, driving professional race cars.""But I want to try!"She did not want to be deprived of her rights without even trying. She needed to make an effort, and if she still could not get it after trying, then she would let go. It would simply mean it was not meant for her.Noelle's words were not only meant for Charles but also for herself. Seeing the determination in Noelle's eyes, Charles knew she had made up her mind. "Alright, go for it."From start to finish, Charles did not say much. He was just there beside her, encouraging her and cheering her on. He put his trust in her, placing his life in her hands.Noelle bit her lip, feeling a different kind of emotion toward Charles. She gri
Just as he had predicted, Julian had teamed up with Milo, which explained why Winter arrived so quickly. Charles had anticipated that, so he was not too surprised."Make sure someone keeps an eye on Winter. I'm curious to see what they're up to!""Really? I thought you'd confront her directly!" Peter chuckled softly. "That's not like you!"With Noelle involved this time, Peter had assumed Charles would be furious and have Winter captured right away."Didn't you say the Baker family is involved too? Well, then let's give them a surprise!" After ending the call, Charles's expression turned fierce and intense.Sean and Linda were quick to act. They quickly devised a plan and made their way to Capiton, using academic research as a guise to avoid raising any doubts about Sean.However, Grant showed up when they got to Capiton.Sean and Grant had crossed paths before but were not exactly friends. When Grant showed up at his door, Sean could not quite figure out his intentions. Meanw
Linda recalled the stuff she had sent to Noelle and thought, if Noelle did not care, why should she?It turned out the folks from the covert Lifebringer clan were far more ruthless than Sean had ever imagined."Hey, you there?"Sean lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to come with me?"Linda nodded.With a grin, Sean revealed a secret door in the lab. Linda's eyes widened as she trailed after him. "Wow, I've been here many times, but I never knew there was a whole other world in your lab!" It exceeded her wildest expectations.The lab she knew was just a simple study, but this new room was packed with shiny tools and gadgets, everything she could dream of. "This place is even better equipped than my family's. Hey Sean, I've made up my mind. I'm going to work here!"For a doctor, that equipment was priceless. Linda was a genius, just like Saxon, completely devoted to her research. So, once she laid eyes on all that gear, she could not pull herself away. However, she did not
Sean's expression grew serious. "But you said before that it wouldn't have any effect on them. I assumed you had a solution!"How could that kind of virus not affect the babies in Noelle's womb? Sean had always harbored some doubts, but considering Linda came from a prestigious medical family and was also the sister of the legendary Mystic Lifebringer, he had trusted her judgment.Linda smacked her lips. "Honestly, there's no way to completely eliminate it unless we find my brother!"She was well aware of the limits of her medical skills. "But don't worry. I've been adding special medicinal ingredients to the herbal soups Noelle drinks every day. They're designed to flush out toxins while strengthening both her body and the babies."She glanced at Sean. "So, you don't need to worry for now.""When exactly is your brother coming?" That was Sean's real concern."How would I know?"Sean was about to press further when his phone rang. It was Charles. "What is it?""Winter's out. Lo
Meanwhile, Linda and Sean worked together in the hospital lab, splitting tasks to analyze the virus as quickly as possible. Neither of them slept all night as they were completely absorbed in their experiments.Although Linda was highly skilled in alternative medicine, her knowledge of modern medicine was self-taught. Conducting large-scale experiments on her own was not feasible, which was why she had asked Sean to join her.Sean was meticulous in his work while Linda, on the other hand, was starting to doze off beside him.It was not entirely her fault. Under normal circumstances, she would have gone to bed by now. Even though she was energetic for her age and generally disciplined, this was the time she usually rested.As Sean continued working, fatigue crept up on him as well. When he glanced over, he saw Linda struggling to keep her eyes open, looking half-asleep but still forcing herself to stay awake. It was an amusing sight.Sensing Sean's gaze, Linda opened her eyes. "How
Meanwhile, after Ronald left, Elijah immediately made a call. "Hello? Are you trying to get me killed? Winter was someone Charles Hoffman wanted to deal with, and you made me release her! Didn't you say she wasn't a problem?"Elijah was convinced he was doomed. What he did not know was that Ronald had already locked onto his phone number and quickly traced the call's recipient.When Ronald identified the number, he was momentarily stunned before his expression turned cold. It was a number from Capiton."Mr. Hoffman, Winter is indeed no longer in prison," Ronald reported with his head lowered.Charles remained silent while Ronald stood still, waiting.It was not until Charles finished reviewing the document in his hand that he looked up, his icy gaze sweeping over Ronald's face. He let out a cold scoff. "You know what your punishment should be.""Yes, Mr. Hoffman!" Ronald admitted his failure to handle the matter properly."Additionally, I found that Mr. Wonderton made a call to
Ronald was still half-asleep and stared at the darkened phone screen for a long moment before realizing that Charles had hung up on him.Early the next morning, he rushed to the prison to check on things. However, the result left him deeply dissatisfied. "What do you mean someone took her away? Who took her? She committed such serious crimes, and you just let her go so easily?"Having woken up so early, Ronald was already in a foul mood. Hearing this response only made his temper flare, and once his anger rose, so did his irritation.The man across from him was none other than the warden, but even he had to tread carefully around Ronald.Seeing Ronald's stormy expression, the warden wiped his sweat nervously. "Uh… Mr. Wells, I… I wasn't aware this person was important. Is she?"Ronald's face darkened even further, looking absolutely livid. The warden turned his head and snapped at the officer nearby."Who told you to release her?! Didn't you hear Mr. Wells? She's a high-profile c
After coaxing Noelle to sleep, Charles finally stepped out of the bedroom, only to find Peter standing at the doorway with a cigarette between his fingers.When he saw Charles coming out, he raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"Charles' expression was heavy. "Nothing."Peter smirked. "Need any help?""Not for now." Charles glanced at Peter. "Got kicked out?"Peter's face darkened instantly. "You really seem to be hoping for my misfortune."Charles let out a cold snort. "Your house is big enough. There's no need for you to squeeze into my tiny place."His meaning was clear—Peter wasn't welcome here.However, Peter had no intention of leaving. "I think you should be begging me to stay. After all, trouble could break out here at any moment. Do you really think you can handle everything alone?"His wicked grin made Charles grit his teeth."Peter, it's been a long time since we sparred," Charles said through clenched teeth."I don't fight. My wife is waiting for me in the room." Pe
"Trust the people you use, and don't use those you don't trust." Charles knew where to draw the line.Noelle did not press further. "Alright then. You said it yourself—you're staying with me. You'd better not go back on your word!"As she spoke, she nuzzled against Charles' chest, resembling a content little kitten. "By the way, since Yves is part of the Hoffmans, what does Grandpa think about all this?"At the mention of that, Charles pondered for a moment. "Naturally, Grandpa hopes he'll acknowledge his heritage, but Yves has his own thoughts. As for what will happen in the end, I don't know.""Oh, I see." Noelle nodded in understanding.Charles reached out and smoothed a stray strand of Noelle's hair. "He's my eldest uncle's only grandson. My uncle's son turned out to be a disappointment, but Grandpa never seemed to mind. Now, Yves is the last remaining child from that branch of the family, so...""Wait, then what about Simon?" Noelle had heard a bit about Simon from Charles b
"There's more!"Wearing gloves, Linda picked up the rest of the items. Bob's gaze landed on them, and he raised an eyebrow. "This?"His long fingers pointed at the tattered rag doll. "What's this?"Noelle's name was written on it, and the doll had been so badly mutilated that it barely resembled its original form.This really was targeted at Noelle?"Has Noelle offended anyone recently? Think carefully!" This was no trivial matter.Today, it was just a package containing dead rats and a doll to scare Noelle, but who knew what might happen next?Phoenix Tree Residence had guards, but if someone was determined to act, nothing was impossible.Charles remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'll investigate."Bob nodded. "Good. If you need my help, just say the word.""Alright." Charles nodded before turning to Yves. "It's getting late. You should head back."Yves gave a slight nod. "Alright."Once everyone had left, Charles stared at the items for a long while before orde