"You don't need to lose any more weight," Charles said, playfully squeezing Noelle's waist. His eyes grew serious. "It's not good to be too thin."He preferred her with a little more weight, looking strong and huggable. "Being a bit plump is nice. It's comfy to cuddle!""Oh, stop it!" she protested, feeling he was teasing her.Blushing, Noelle looked down, too shy to meet Charles's gaze.Even after being married for so long, whenever Charles playfully teased her, Noelle's heart would still skip a beat. It raced so fast she could hardly keep up."I'm doing all this for you!" Noelle snuggled against Charles's chest. "You only get one wedding day, and I want to be the most beautiful bride!" She sighed, tilting her head. "You wouldn't believe it, but the wedding dress and gown mom and Aunt Nancy picked out yesterday were all too tight!"Remembering yesterday's dress-fitting fiasco, Noelle felt a twinge of frustration. "I told Mom my size from before I got pregnant. I could fit into i
Charles gently tousled Noelle's hair. "Weren't you just saying how tired you were? What happened? Not sleepy now?" He teased her as she acted all wiggly and giggly like a little kid.Noelle blinked her big eyes. "Nope, I just want to hug you!"Charles smiled softly. "Okay then!" He closed his eyes. "Time to sleep!""Alright!" Noelle closed her eyes, too.When she woke up, Charles was gone. Noelle looked around, got out of bed, and after getting ready, she went to check Ice and Glitter's room, but they were not there.She went downstairs and found Maxwell holding Ice and Glitter, playing together with a caregiver nearby.Noelle was surprised. "Grandpa, when did you get here?""Ah, Noelle, you're up?" Maxwell smiled warmly and waved her over. "Come sit with me!""Where's Charles, Grandpa?" Noelle asked since she had not seen Charles since she woke up."Oh, he just said he had some stuff to take care of and went out," Maxwell said, not too worried. "I haven't seen the kids for a
The Majestic Lounge was Charles's next stop after leaving Phoenix Tree Residence. He had agreed to meet there and went straight to the private room. Sean was there, drinking non-stop.Charles walked up, took Sean's drink from his hand, and looked over at Peter. "What's happening?"Peter's eyebrow shot up. "Wow, drama!" He could not help but chuckle. "This is the first time I've seen him so worked up, acting like it's the end of the world, and he won't even tell us why!"As he spoke, Peter poured a glass of wine for Charles. Charles squinted and shook his head. "No thanks, I've stopped drinking."Peter's mouth gave a quick twitch. "Come on, really?""For real, I've quit!" Charles insisted. "I've got kids now, and I need to be a good role model for them!"Charles said it with such a smug tone that Peter almost wanted to toss a wine bottle at him. Sean, with his heart recently broken, just could not take it. He looked up, his eyes red with emotion, glaring at Charles as if he was
Autumn had painted Brookville in shades of gold and crimson when Noelle Shaw stepped off the plane. She grabbed her suitcase and walked out into the crisp air, a familiar sense of home wrapping around her.A whole year had passed since she left to pursue a corporate training program overseas, and now, she was back just in time.Her third anniversary with her boyfriend Xavier Harris was just days away, and she had been working nonstop to make it back early enough to surprise him.She hailed a cab and headed straight for Xavier's office. The moment she walked through the front doors, Alice, the receptionist, gave her a look of total shock. "Ms. Shaw? You’re back? Are you here for the CEO's engagement party?"Noelle's brow creased in confusion. "The CEO's engagement party? What are you talking about, Alice?""It's Mr. Harris's engagement party with your sister!""What?" Noelle's heart skipped a beat, and the happiness drained from her face. "Whose engagement party?"Alice seemed to
Noelle bolted from the hotel, her previously defiant face now streaked with tears.Out of nowhere, a black Cayenne screeched to a halt, its tires screaming against the pavement. Caught off guard, she tumbled to the ground.The driver gulped, his eyes darting to the man in the back seat, "Sir... Sir?"The man in the back, unfazed by the nearby accident, merely glanced at the passenger seat beside him. "Ronald, go see what happened.""Right away, sir." Ronald was out of the car in a flash, checking the front for any damage.About six feet ahead of the car, a woman sat on the ground with her eyes wide open, looking totally freaked out. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and she had obviously been crying. "Miss? Are you okay? Do you need a ride to the hospital?"Noelle was scared out of her wits. She just gazed at Ronald, lost in shock, until she finally managed to pull herself together and stand up. Without a word, she tried to sidestep him, eager to get away.Ronald was puzzled
Trapped in the man's grip, Noelle struggled to break free, her body refusing to cooperate. Her vision was blurry as she glared at him. "What are you trying to do?""Just having a bit of fun..." He chuckled, his voice dripping with sleaze as he steadied her. "Let's go somewhere more entertaining, shall we?"Noelle might have been out of it, but she could still sense the danger in the man's tone. However, her whole body ached, and she knew she was no match for them. She scanned the area for anyone who could help her, but she was invisible to the passersby.She spotted a figure approaching through her haze. Acting instinctively, she shoved the two men aside and bolted, slamming right into the newcomer. "Save me!" she gasped.Her fingers dug into the fabric of the man's shirt, and she inhaled a sharp, clean scent. "Please, save me," she pleaded.Charles squinted, taking in the woman who had just collided with him. There was a flicker of something sharp in his gaze.Noelle did not let
At the top of The Majestic Lounge was a room that belonged to Charles alone. He swung the door open and carried Noelle in. She was feeling so awful that she hung onto Charles like she was trying to meld into him, her limbs all over the place with nary a hint of elegance.He managed to detach Noelle from himself with a bit of a struggle and gently placed her in the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, he dialed Ronald’s number. "I need ice, and make it quick."Once he ended the call, he saw Noelle trying to get out of the tub. He gently but firmly pushed her back down and turned on the cold tap. "Stay still!"His voice was firm and grew even more intense as he noticed how the water in the tub accentuated her figure. His gaze sharpened.Ronald was fast, arriving shortly with two buckets of ice. "Here's the ice, sir.""Hold on," Charles instructed Ronald. "Just set them down and leave, thanks." His tone was cool and detached.Ronald raised an eyebrow at Charles's unusual sternness. Howev
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I’m here to help." Charles tapped his cufflink, his gaze steady and serene as he watched Noelle.A wave of alarm washed over her. Something about this guy screamed that he was more complicated than he was making himself out to be. "I don't need your help.""Really? Then why were you here last night, trying to drink away your troubles? Your boyfriend is now your brother-in-law, your parents don't trust you, and now, you're the town's favorite punching bag. Did you miss the front page of the news?""That’s none of your business." Noelle's jaw tightened. "You helped me out yesterday, and yes, I'm thankful for that." She swung her legs out of bed and started searching for her clothes, but they were nowhere in sight. "Hey, mister!""Charles." He leaned against the wall with an easy grace, watching Noelle's panicked search. "That's my name."Hearing the name 'Charles' made her eyebrows twitch. It rang a bell. "Are you related to Xavier?"
The Majestic Lounge was Charles's next stop after leaving Phoenix Tree Residence. He had agreed to meet there and went straight to the private room. Sean was there, drinking non-stop.Charles walked up, took Sean's drink from his hand, and looked over at Peter. "What's happening?"Peter's eyebrow shot up. "Wow, drama!" He could not help but chuckle. "This is the first time I've seen him so worked up, acting like it's the end of the world, and he won't even tell us why!"As he spoke, Peter poured a glass of wine for Charles. Charles squinted and shook his head. "No thanks, I've stopped drinking."Peter's mouth gave a quick twitch. "Come on, really?""For real, I've quit!" Charles insisted. "I've got kids now, and I need to be a good role model for them!"Charles said it with such a smug tone that Peter almost wanted to toss a wine bottle at him. Sean, with his heart recently broken, just could not take it. He looked up, his eyes red with emotion, glaring at Charles as if he was
Charles gently tousled Noelle's hair. "Weren't you just saying how tired you were? What happened? Not sleepy now?" He teased her as she acted all wiggly and giggly like a little kid.Noelle blinked her big eyes. "Nope, I just want to hug you!"Charles smiled softly. "Okay then!" He closed his eyes. "Time to sleep!""Alright!" Noelle closed her eyes, too.When she woke up, Charles was gone. Noelle looked around, got out of bed, and after getting ready, she went to check Ice and Glitter's room, but they were not there.She went downstairs and found Maxwell holding Ice and Glitter, playing together with a caregiver nearby.Noelle was surprised. "Grandpa, when did you get here?""Ah, Noelle, you're up?" Maxwell smiled warmly and waved her over. "Come sit with me!""Where's Charles, Grandpa?" Noelle asked since she had not seen Charles since she woke up."Oh, he just said he had some stuff to take care of and went out," Maxwell said, not too worried. "I haven't seen the kids for a
"You don't need to lose any more weight," Charles said, playfully squeezing Noelle's waist. His eyes grew serious. "It's not good to be too thin."He preferred her with a little more weight, looking strong and huggable. "Being a bit plump is nice. It's comfy to cuddle!""Oh, stop it!" she protested, feeling he was teasing her.Blushing, Noelle looked down, too shy to meet Charles's gaze.Even after being married for so long, whenever Charles playfully teased her, Noelle's heart would still skip a beat. It raced so fast she could hardly keep up."I'm doing all this for you!" Noelle snuggled against Charles's chest. "You only get one wedding day, and I want to be the most beautiful bride!" She sighed, tilting her head. "You wouldn't believe it, but the wedding dress and gown mom and Aunt Nancy picked out yesterday were all too tight!"Remembering yesterday's dress-fitting fiasco, Noelle felt a twinge of frustration. "I told Mom my size from before I got pregnant. I could fit into i
"Look at this, look at this, now you're mad at me!" Maxwell started to make a scene. Charles held his head, feeling a splitting headache, "Noelle and the kids are asleep, do you want to wake them up?"Hearing that, Maxwell immediately quieted down, "You little scamp, why didn't you say so sooner? If you wake Ice and Glitter, I'll tan your hide!"Maxwell pretended to swing at someone in the air while Charles gave him an annoyed glance and then asked the servants to bring Maxwell's bags inside.Then Maxwell started ordering the servants around to get his room just right. After a lot of commotion, he finally settled down and asked for some coffee.Charles, nursing a headache, asked Maxwell, "What brings you here?" "Hmph, didn't you hear? Your dad and Uncle Henry don't want me anymore. So what's it going to be? Are you going to start looking down on me too?""No way!" Charles thought Maxwell was really getting too cranky with age. "This isn't like the old family home. There's no one
Kelly got it, "So, Grandpa, you're planning to?""I'm going to stay with Charles for a bit." He added, "Or you could come with me. I could have the driver drop you off at the school to take a look first?""No need, Grandpa, I'll take Seth myself. I've already talked to the folks there.""Alright then!" Maxwell nodded, "That's fine, but does Yves know about the school thing for the kid?"Maxwell was not just concerned about Charles and Noelle's wedding. He was also anxious about Yves and Kelly's situation.Since Maxwell had made his feelings clear last time, he would not let Yves and Kelly leave the family home, insisting they stay. Kelly could not argue with Maxwell and had to agree.Kelly nodded, "He knows, he's been really busy lately, I'll go have a look myself!""Oh yes, he's swamped since he took over the Collosus Group. There's so much he has to do himself. However, dear, if you don't want him to overwork, just tell me, and I'll get Charles to go back and lend a hand!""N
"Okay."Seeing that, Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'll be off then, Mr. Hoffman."Once Ronald was gone, Noelle spun around and gave Charles a stern look. "Why don't you go to work? You're always just hanging around the house, getting in the way!" Noelle noticed that Charles had changed a lot since Ice and Glitter came into their lives.He used to be so passionate about his job, often bringing work home and staying up late in the study. However, then? He was always cuddling with Glitter, eating, napping, and not doing much else.Ronald was his assistant, after all. However, what about then? That look of disdain he had just given him.Charles squinted and raised an eyebrow. "Are you tired of me, Noelle? Don't want me around?"Noelle pressed her hand to her forehead. "That's not what I'm saying. I'm trying to have a serious talk with you, you should know...""I know, you're jealous!" Charles cut her off, stood up with Glitter in his arms, walked over to Noelle, and wrap
Although Charles and Noelle were not in a rush to plan their wedding, the Hoffman and Smith families certainly were. Everyone was eager to make sure every detail was perfect as no one wanted anything to go wrong.Clarisse, who had initially been preoccupied with the Bakers' situation, found herself too busy with the wedding preparations to think about anything else. Once she got caught up in the planning, there was simply no time to spare.Meanwhile, Nancy's health had improved significantly. Given how significant this wedding was for the Hoffman family, she naturally wanted to be involved.However, Henry remained concerned about her physical condition, only allowing her to oversee the decorations and review the guest list rather than taking on anything too strenuous.Charles and Noelle's wedding had become one of the grandest social events in Brookville's elite circles. Ever since the news of their marriage broke, countless socialites had secretly mourned the loss of another eligi
Sean felt a deep irritation rising within him. Savannah always assumed that Liliana was still clinging to him, unaware that she had long stopped loving him.Now, she probably wished he would disappear from her sight altogether. How could she possibly still be chasing after him?Yet every time Savannah spoke like this, it felt like a knife twisting in his heart, making it even harder to bear.He desperately wanted to find an escape, some way to let go, but he could not do it no matter what he did. He simply could not bring himself to let go.To Savannah, his impatience only added to her displeasure toward Liliana. "I'm talking to you! Are you even listening?" she snapped. I don't care what that woman does. I'll never approve of your relationship with her, so you'd better give up!"Sean's eyes remained fixed on his phone. On the screen was a private message from Charles. It was a video taken just moments ago in the Hoffman family's living room, where they had been discussing Liliana
Liliana flinched slightly. "Grandpa, I'm really not in a hurry right now.""How can you not be?" Maxwell sighed. "Look at the rest—they're all married. You're the only one still single in the Hoffman family. How can I not be worried?"He let out another heavy sigh, shaking his head. "I'm getting old. I've spent so much of my energy worrying about you all."Liliana could not help but smile wryly. "Grandpa, don't say that. I really have been thinking about it. Once Bobby recovers, I'll take my future more seriously.""Really?" Maxwell's eyes lit up. "Well then, don't you worry about Bobby's illness. If you don't want to go to the Smith family's hospital, that's fine. I'll find an even better hospital for him."I'll make sure someone takes care of it. You just focus on yourself, and leave the rest to me."Liliana chuckled. "Alright." She gently patted Bobby's back, soothing him as he drifted off to sleep.Once he was completely asleep, she stood up. "Grandpa, Bobby is asleep now. I