Rowena had never met anyone as calm as Charles. His wife was the one in danger, yet he did not seem the least bit rattled.However, then Rowena paused to think about Charles. He was always so sure of himself, so she did not doubt him."Ms. Smith, you're very clever!"Rowena bit her lip. She did not really think Charles was praising her, but she thanked him anyway because it was the polite thing to do."Aren't you worried about Noelle being all alone with them? The Shaws aren't exactly nice to her. But Noelle can't seem to let them go. Otherwise, they would have never been able to bully her." While tapping his fingers, Charles explained, "Family ties are the hardest to break in the world. Nelly has a big heart. She can't just give up on them. However, she's never felt total despair. Once someone feels that, family ties might not mean much anymore."Rowena was shocked. "You… That's too harsh for Noelle."Charles squinted. "Is it any less harsh now? You've been her friend for year
“Indeed, you’re no worse than I am. In fact, you’re even better than I am, and there’s nothing about me that’s better than you. Winter Shaw, is there something wrong with you?” Noelle did not understand how Winter’s prejudices toward her had formed. “Whatever. I can’t be bothered talking to you.”“What do you mean you can’t be bothered? I think you’re just scared! Makes sense, though. I heard Simon has some odd in-bed fetishes. You and him…” Winter grinned, the evil look in her eyes difficult to disguise. “You’ll never be able to escape, Noelle Shaw!”“You’re not the one who gets to decide whether I escape or not!” Noelle countered, her eyebrows knitting themselves together. “Good luck does not always favor you, Winter!” Noelle said as she walked past Winter and into the bathroom. As Winter stood at the entrance and watched Noelle walk away from her, the corner of her lips curved up into a long, knowing smile. The fact she had to interact with Winter when all she wanted to do w
A fragrant aroma wafted through the dimly lit room. Simon immediately noticed what was different about the room when he walked in, and he frowned slightly as he switched on the lights. A sharp look appeared in his eyes when he saw the familiar-looking figure lying in bed, but the expression on his face remained unreadable. He hurriedly pursed his lips together and held his breath.Living full-time with the York family meant he always had to be on his guard, and it was the same now that he had stepped into this small trap.A sleazy look appeared in Simon’s eyes as he smirked. Things were getting interesting. He had not expected to end up as their target. However, the look in his eyes changed once again as he looked at the person lying in bed. Tough luck for her!“Mr. Hoffman, she’s gone!” Ronald had noticed what was going on in Noelle’s room almost immediately. He had overheard every bit of Winter’s conversation with Simon and realized the severity of the situation. “Mada
The look in Jacob’s eyes darkened as he tightened his grip on his phone. “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Hoffman. I’ll look into it right away!” Jacob took action quickly and soon learned that Simon was not at home. After double-checking with the hotel employees, he discovered that Simon was, in fact, at the hotel and had met with the Shaw family.The entire York family soon learned of this news, and Norman York even called up Simon himself.When Simon got the call from Norman, he was watching Noelle roll amongst the sheets as she battled the heat building inside her. An odd look appeared in his eyes as he cleared the smoke from the room and destroyed all the surveillance cameras placed within the room.Then, he broke a vase and used one of the shattered pieces to make a cut on Noelle’s arm. He bent down and took a close look at her face. She had skin so pretty that it was practically glowing, and there was not a single blemish on it. He reached a hand out to touch her face as
Sean had never expected Noelle to still be the reason he visited Phoenix Tree Residence a second time.He gazed at the woman lying in bed and the man standing guard by her. A spark appeared in his narrow eyes as he watched the other man’s careful, considerate movements. He clicked his tongue, “Gosh, Charles, can this not always be the reason you reach out to me?” Sean spread his hands out, a rueful expression on his face. “This always happens just as I’m about to get some rest after completing a surgery.” “Well, might as well then, since it’ll give you something to do with your time. Come and take a look at how Nelly is doing,” Charles said solemnly instead of squabbling with Sean, which was a rare sight. A grim look appeared on Sean’s face as he gazed at Charles, and he could not help but shake his head. “I’ll take a look. But to be honest, it’d make more sense for you to reach out to any other general practitioner! I’m a—” Charles said impatiently, "Cut the crap! Attend to h
Charles glanced at Sean before turning back to Ronald. “Tell Lareal to find out whose instructions they were acting on. Feel free to use any unique interrogation methods he has should the need arise.” “Yes, sir.” Ronald nodded, realizing that Charles was truly angered this time.Sean raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Lareal? I’ll go hang out with him!” Charles looked at Ronald, who felt a feeling of helplessness wash over him. However, since it was Sean, there was nothing else Ronald could do other than say, “The usual spot.” The usual spot Ronald was referring to was the underground arena that functioned as Brookville’s largest meeting spot. There were plenty of legends surrounding that place. Not only was it a place where people went to entertain themselves, but it was also a living hell for those who did not know what was best for them. Sean’s gaze instinctively landed on Charles once again. He had not expected Charles to be taking things so seriously this time. He gave Charles a
Noelle felt like she was floating mid-air in a dream-like world. In her dreams, a man held her hand as they took a walk together. When they grew tired, they lay on the grass to take a break. As she closed her eyes, the man leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss onto her lips. Noelle smiled. Things felt so sweet in the dream that she could not help but want more. She reached her arms over and wrapped them around Charles’ neck just as he was about to let go of her, burrowing herself onto Charles.The look in Charles’ eyes darkened. He used one arm to stabilize himself on the bed and lowered his gaze to look at Noelle, who seemed extremely happy. The corners of her lips curved upward as she tugged at him and called out, “Charles!” Although her voice was soft, he heard her. A glimmer appeared in his eyes as he lowered himself and kissed Noelle again. This time, though, the kiss was not a gentle one. He had always been someone who would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, eve
Noelle felt like she had dreamed a long, long dream. In her dream, Charles held her hand in his as he led her forward. Although she did not know where the destination was, she still walked joyfully alongside him.Charles never let go of her hand and always stayed by her side no matter what happened. Noelle’s dream went on for extremely long. When she finally woke up, she gazed dazedly at the ceiling, seemingly still half-dreaming. The warmth in her palm surprised her slightly, and she turned her head in alarm when a thought struck her. She was met by the sight of a man fast asleep. The familiar-looking face was several times larger than what she usually saw. The man had such good skin that even a woman would be jealous of him, and there were shadows beneath his eyes, framed by a set of long eyelashes. Noelle was stunned as she recalled what had happened in the washroom. She remembered getting knocked out by a man but did not know what had happened after that. Her lips felt sligh
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