Noelle was supposed to visit Samuel in the hospital after they finished breakfast. Mr. Thompson had called with good news: Samuel was awake. Noelle was in a hurry to see him, but Charles gently pulled her back. "Hold on!"Confused, Noelle asked, "What is it?""Let's go upstairs first," Charles said, putting away the dishes. He led Noelle to his study and handed her the contract from the day before. "This is yours. Go ahead and sign it."Noelle hesitated. "Didn't I say I'd swap shares with you once mine were sorted?""Do you think you'll run into your parents on the way to see your grandpa?" Charles asked, getting right to the heart of the matter. Noelle's face tensed up a bit. She nodded, her smile tinged with a touch of sadness. "I suddenly feel like I'm not doing so great at this whole ‘life’ thing."Charles gave her a reassuring grin. "You're making a smart move right now. Go ahead and sign it!" He wanted to make sure she got the best, even if she did not seem to care much abou
Noelle's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a mix of embarrassment and happiness. She tried to push Charles away, but he just would not let go. His kiss was gentle, and he traced her lips slowly, deepening it further.It was the gentlest kiss Noelle had ever felt, and for the first time, she realized that kissing could be something truly amazing.It was like Charles was magical. He made her relax and start to kiss him back. Still, he was definitely leading the way. Noelle got lost in his sweet kisses, and it was a long while before they could bring themselves to stop.Noelle's face felt warm, and she held Charles's arms, her cheeks red as he nibbled on her lip.Charles looked down into her pretty eyes, hidden beneath her long lashes. He softly touched her cheek, lifted her chin, and gently bumped foreheads with her. "Nelly, what do we do now?""What?" Noelle was confused.Charles held her chin gently and kissed her again. This time, Noelle was a bit surprised, but she was ready.
"Oh, I'm not the best with these things. I guess you'll be responsible for tying my ties from now on!" Charles said.Noelle paused. Was there a hint of joy in his voice?The thought of tying his tie every day made her feel warm inside, so she did not object. "But I'll need a little something for my trouble!""How about I make you breakfast every morning to make up for it?" Charles suggested with a light laugh, enjoying their playful banter. He pulled her close and planted a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "See you tonight!""See you tonight!" Noelle almost added something more, but she then thought better of it. She decided to keep quiet and save the surprise for Charles when she saw him later that evening.They walked downstairs together, where Ronald was already outside waiting for them. When he saw Charles and Noelle, he quickly stood up straight and greeted them, "Good morning, Mr. Hoffman, Madam."Charles nodded and handed Ronald some papers they had signed. "Please take ca
Noelle rushed to the hospital and found Samuel awake. The doctors had checked him over and said he was stable, so he was resting in a regular ward now.Samuel had been so angry that he had a stroke. When he finally woke up in the hospital, the only person he wanted to see was his granddaughter Noelle. The doctor remembered Noelle from the day of the surgery and agreed to Samuel's wish.Even the Shaw family could not visit Samuel without his permission. The doctors were worried about him suffering another stroke because he was old and had been so sick.Jade was really mad outside the hospital room, saying she would sue the hospital for what they were doing. Julian sat quietly, but inside, he was hurt. He was Samuel's son, yet his dad did not ask for him first.Winter was bundled up and wearing glasses, trying not to be seen. She was already in a lot of trouble, and she did not need more problems. She was worried she would lose everything. Jade's loud complaining was getting on her n
"Grandpa!" Noelle set her things aside and rushed over. Seeing how frail Samuel looked, tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I got here late.""Don't be silly, my dear," Samuel said, taking Noelle's hand in his. Noelle squeezed his hand. "Grandpa, are you feeling any better?""I'm doing quite well," Samuel replied, though it seemed hard for him to speak. He glanced outside. Noelle nodded. "Everyone's waiting outside. Grandpa, they found out you gave me the shares!" Noelle said. "Did Mom argue with you about it?""I saw it coming." Samuel shook his head. "I've been expecting it, but I'm not as strong as I used to be," he sighed. "Noelle, I gave you the shares, so I won't take them back. I know they'll give you a hard time, but I can't do much about it. I'm getting old, and one day I'll be gone. If I don't give them to you, they might end up with strangers, and then our City Ring Corp. won't belong to the Shaw family anymore. You understand, right?"Noelle stopped talking, her fi
Samuel sounded startled again as he asked, “Royal Star Entertainment?” Samuel was not in the entertainment industry, but he had heard of Charles’ name. Charles was involved in plenty of industries, so he was not unfamiliar with Royal Star Entertainment. However, he had never imagined Charles would go to this extent for Noelle. Finally, Samuel felt the stress that had been weighing him down recently lifting off his shoulders. He patted Noelle’s hand as he smiled in relief. “Alright, my dear child. I always knew you’d be able to find someone who treated you much better than that detestable man before.” “I did, Grandpa. He’s really good to me,” Noelle said as she smiled shyly. “Grandpa, once you’re all better, shall I arrange a meeting so you guys can get to know each other officially?” “Of course!” Samuel was delighted to hear his granddaughter willingly offering to introduce his grandson-in-law to him. He suddenly felt like there was nothing wrong with his health anymore, and he
Noelle continued talking to Samuel, but he soon fell asleep because of his frail health. She pulled a blanket over him and gazed at him for a while before taking her purse and leaving the room. Both Julian and Jade were still outside when she left the room. Upon seeing her, Jade hurried over and asked, “What did your grandfather tell you? Did you talk to him about the shares?” Jade grabbed Noelle by the arm and shook it violently. “Come on! Say something. Has he agreed to transfer ownership of the stocks to your sister?” “Let me go!” If Noelle had harbored any hope for Jade to eventually start treating her better, she could admit now that she had been a blind fool. Jade’s intentions were obvious. She could not care less about Noelle or about Grandpa’s health. All she wanted was the shares. “Grandpa is still unwell, yet all you care about are those shares and not his health.” Noelle gritted her teeth. “I’ve already told you that I won’t help you with that. It’s up to Grandpa h
Noelle began laughing all of a sudden. She gazed coldly at Jade as she said, “You guys should just give up. I’ll never let you guys have ownership over these shares!” “Does that mean you really do own them now?” Winter caught the point Noelle was trying to make, and a sinister look settled across her features as her hatred intensified. She had not expected that old geezer to actually give Noelle, that b*tch, ownership over those shares. How could that be allowed? If Noelle owned shares in City Ring Corp., it would mean she had a voice within the organization. If that were the case, Noelle would take away everything that rightfully belonged to her.Winter glanced at Xavier, who had remained silent all this while, as she gritted her teeth and curled her hands into fists. However, she soon drew in a deep breath and smiled as she turned to Noelle and said, “Noelle, I don’t think you have much use for those shares anyway, right? How about I buy them from you? What do you think?”
Linda's big, sparkling eyes glimmered with mischief as she smiled at Jeremy.Jeremy suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. His gut told him this little girl was full of schemes. "No way. Mr. Lennon specifically said I can't untie you!""But I'm still a minor! I'm just a little kid! You've tied me up too tightly. Look at my wrists, they're red and bruised!" Linda blinked her eyes pitifully. Her expression was almost heartbreakingly innocent as she stared at Jeremy.Jeremy, however, was completely unfazed. He was like a blind man ignoring her performance. "Nope. Without Mr. Lennon's orders, you're staying tied up like this."Linda quickly changed her approach. "Oh, big guy, don't be like that!"Seeing Jeremy about to leave, she tried to lunge at him. However, with her hands tied, she could not grab onto him. Jeremy instinctively stepped aside, and Linda ended up falling flat onto the ground with a loud thud."Oh, my chest! My flat chest is going to cave in!" Linda shouted, glari
Jeremy's laughter froze on his face, and his head started to throb as he stared at the girl before him. "You're so young. Why do you have to say such mean things?""If you don't like it, just cover your ears. I didn't ask you to listen!" Linda rolled her eyes. "Hey, what do you want with me anyway? I'm not worth your trouble. If you want my brother, go find him. Leave me out of it!"Linda yelled at Peter, but he ignored her and went into the room, giving Jeremy a knowing look. Linda's eyes bulged in disbelief as Peter left her there, shouting and finally bursting into tears. Still, Peter did not come back out.Jeremy massaged his forehead. He would not have let Linda be if he had not heard Peter call her Ms. Holt and guessed she might be connected to the Holt family, especially since she mentioned her brother. He sighed and looked at her. "Listen, young lady, Mr. Lennon isn't going to bother with you.""Mr. Lennon? Who cares about Mr. Lennon? Pah!" Linda was too angry to care. "Jus
"If you won't lead me to Saxon, then you're coming with me!"With that, Peter grabbed Linda, restrained her, and tied her up in the vehicle.Linda felt like crying, but no tears came. On the other hand, Peter did not seem to care about being gentle or kind. He gave Linda a quick look, then grabbed the cloth bag she was holding and tossed it to the ground."Hey! That's everything to me! You... You..."Before Linda could say more, Peter covered her mouth. "Ms. Holt, if you won't lead me to Mr. Holt, then you'll just have to come with me.""Go?" Where were they going?Linda's mouth was covered, and she could barely make a sound.Peter tied Linda up good and tight, then casually picked up a cigarette and held it between his fingers, looking at Linda with interest. "The Holt family just lost a daughter. What do you think they'll do?"Linda's eyes went wide. She could not believe this man could be so low and vile.Peter saw the look in her eyes. He tapped his finger on the window si
Linda had that idea to study the same thing as Saxon and prove she was just as good, if not better. However, things did not go as planned. She had been waiting for a group of people, and when they finally showed up, they were all killed.Stuck with no other choice, Linda started to examine the bodies. What she did not expect was that someone would notice her so quickly. She had worked so hard on her disguise. How could that man see through it right away?Linda felt like crying but had no tears left. "Listen, mister, there are so many people you could catch, why are you after me?"She scratched her head, on the brink of a meltdown. "I can't let my brother find out I'm here, or I'm dead!"There was no way she could bring Peter to Saxon, she would be in big trouble if she did.Peter had finally found someone connected to Saxon, and he was not about to let her slip away that easily. "Do you know how to heal?"Linda eyed Peter warily, unsure of his intentions. Peter was amused by her
The kid shivered when he saw Peter's piercing eyes. "I don't know where he is!""You're lying!" Peter said, spinning a scalpel in his hand with a smile that did not reach his cold eyes. "If you don't take me, let's see if you can run faster than my knife can fly!"Peter pretended to throw the knife at the kid, who shook with fear and quickly gave in. "I'll take you!"Peter raised an eyebrow and put the knife away. "Move it!"The kid did not know who Peter was, but after seeing what he could do, he did not dare say no. "Not just anyone can meet Mr. Holt!""Oh, really?""Yes!""Where are you from, sir?" the kid asked Peter in Spanyric."Zyphonia!" Peter answered, then looked at the kid and said, "You've been hiding behind that mask for a long time. Isn't it time to take it off?"Surprised, the kid did not react fast enough, and Peter quickly pulled off the mask, revealing a young and innocent face underneath.She had a soft and detailed face, like that of a girl around fifteen
Peter covered his mouth with a handkerchief, crouched down, and with his trusty military knife, he flipped over a body to take a closer look. To his surprise, he found some strange marks on the body, like a secret code.He squinted his eyes and checked the other bodies. They all had the same mysterious marks.With a chill in his gaze, Peter stood up, cleaned off his knife, and hopped into his car. He followed the path the kid had taken just moments before.Bodies were everywhere, and only a few people were still alive. Most were in shock, and some were rescue workers.However, Peter's sharp eyes quickly spotted a group of people and zeroed in on the kid. Something told Peter that the kid was in trouble. He got out of the car fast and followed the kid's tracks.That kid was no regular Joe. He knew he was being followed after just a few hundred feet and started dodging through the town littered with bodies.Peter's smile grew. He was getting more and more curious about that little
"I know, but Noelle, I had no other way. He put a virus in you. Do you understand what that means?" Charles's piercing eyes softened a bit. "You know I couldn't just do nothing. I couldn't stand to see you in pain!""But my sister is innocent too!" Noelle inhaled deeply. "What if that man didn't care about my sister? Isn't doing this like throwing her into a fire?" Noelle could barely imagine what had become of Kelly then.Noelle had seen that man before, and she knew just how harsh and mean he could be. They had only talked for a little bit, and she did not really get to know him, but she could tell he was the type of person who would do anything to get what he wanted.He was the kind of guy who would put a virus in people like Tania and Bran, and even in women and kids like her. Noelle was scared to think about what he might do to her sister, Kelly."Noelle, you've got to believe me!" Charles pleaded.However, Noelle shook her head. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just.
Kelly was gone. The day after she vanished, little Seth cried his heart out because he could not see her. Tania and Nancy tried everything to calm him down, but nothing worked. They had no choice but to tell Charles about the situation.Noelle and Kelly could have been twins. They were so alike. That was why everyone thought it would be a good idea for Seth to meet Noelle. However, Charles was dead set against it, and nobody had ever seen him so stubborn.Nancy and Clarisse were in the dark about the whole thing, but Tania knew the score. There had not been a peep from Peter lately, and Tania was getting worried that something bad had happened.That day, Tania and Bran headed to the hospital. Charles had moved all his work there, and Ronald was dealing with everything, big and small, right in the hospital.Charles kept Noelle out of the loop, though. She figured she was just there because they had not gotten her sickness under control yet. She knew she had a virus, so she went alon
"What's the matter? Is looking at me enough to fill you up?"Yves turned to Kelly, pulling out a chair and sitting beside her. His long fingers picked up the silverware and served her the meal. "Eat up. Isn't this your favorite?"Her favorite?Kelly stared back at Yves, her gaze frosty. "Do you even know what I like?"Yves put his hands down and gazed at Kelly. "What's wrong? Don't you like the food?" Without waiting for her answer, he quickly summoned the two servants from earlier. "Madam doesn't like the food. You know I don't keep anything around that isn't useful.""Please, madam, have mercy! Sir, have mercy!" The servants' faces turned ghostly white as they stood stiffly on the marble floor, apologizing repeatedly. Kelly's heart raced with fear. "Stop, please. I'll eat, okay? Isn't that enough?"She bowed her head and started gobbling up the food, scared that Yves, who she thought was crazy, might do something unpredictable if he got upset.Kelly could not see the slight