Xavier saw them too, and his face turned pale.Noelle squinted her eyes. While Xavier was not looking, she dashed away and hopped into her car, leaving him coughing in a cloud of exhaust.Xavier tried to follow, but the sight of the flashing cameras made him clench his teeth in frustration, and he walked away quickly. The photographers, realizing they had been spotted, scrambled off.Meanwhile, Winter was studying a script when a package arrived for her. The downstairs servant brought it up, and she opened it, puzzled. However, her confusion turned to fury when she saw the photos inside.She grabbed the photos and tore them to shreds. "Noelle... You snake!"Winter shook with anger. "Xavier is mine, all mine!"Noelle felt she was still being followed, so she called Charles. She was still feeling sick from her encounter with Xavier, and her voice was sharp with irritation.Charles was in a meeting when he heard Noelle's special ringtone. His eyes narrowed for a moment.The other
Noelle was not really worried, but she thought it was important to let Charles know what was going on. Charles's words made her feel better. "I wasn't worried. I just wanted to keep you in the loop. I have no idea why they're following me!""Hmm," Charles murmured as he got back to his office and opened up his documents. Sure enough, there was an email with photos of Noelle and Xavier. The pictures were taken from such an angle that anyone who did not know better might think there was something going on between them.Charles tapped his fingers on the desk, a sharp look in his eyes. "I'll sort this out. Are you on your way back now?"Noelle was feeling down, so she was just wandering around. "No, there's nothing for me to do back home. Are you busy?" It hit her then that she might be interrupting Charles's work. He was always so busy, yet she was calling him at the office. "You know what? You should go back to work. We can talk after you're off."“No need for that." Charles chuckled
"Mom!" Winter, on the verge of tears, clung to Jade. "What do I do? Xavier still loves Noelle..."Jade's eyes were icy. She despised Noelle deeply too. "You're overthinking it. You're engaged to Xavier. Why worry about Noelle?""But it's just an engagement, not a marriage. You know how Xavier is..." Winter's grip tightened in frustration. "I don't care. He has to be mine!"Even though she initially got close to Xavier to steal him from Noelle, she fell for him after spending so much time together. She was so happy with Xavier, and if Noelle was not in the way, Xavier would have surely fallen for her too."Mom, can you help me, please?" Winter put all her hope in Jade. "Noelle isn't with Xavier anymore, so why does she keep hanging on to him?"Jade saw the photo on the ground, her face turning stormy and fierce. The face from her memories and Noelle's face merged in her mind, and Jade clenched her teeth. "Winter, don't worry. I won't let you go through what I did back then. That wo
Emilia told Joseph about the conversation. He just raised an eyebrow. That night, Joseph seemed pretty happy about it in the study. "The Shaws are getting impatient, huh?""It looks like it. The lady called today. She was kind of feeling things out, and she invited me out for tea tomorrow," Emilia explained. "Looks like it might get decided soon." She paused, then asked, "What do you think?"Joseph let out a short, brisk laugh. "What do I think? Of course we’ll say yes."Emilia was not so sure. She was a woman of simple values and did not get the world of business. She had met Winter a few times. She was beautiful, sure, but she just did not click with her. However, she had liked Noelle, Winter's sisterHer son had talked fondly about Noelle before, and Emilia had high hopes for those two. She never saw his new relationship coming..."I get what's on your mind, but you've got to realize that kid's got no standing in the Shaw family. She can't do a thing for Xavier. Winter's a whol
"In the end, isn’t it all about the shares Winter has? " Xavier glared at his dad, Joseph. "Why can't anyone see why I'm with Winter? Don't you get it, Dad?" Xavier was upset. "Noelle and I were great together. We...""Enough!" Joseph cut him off. "You're being so ungrateful. Can't you see that I'm doing this for you? Marry Winter and get her shares. Someday, you’ll get the whole City Ring Corp. and the Shaw family. What's Noelle got to offer? If she was capable, would I care if you two were together?""Noelle..." Xavier tried to say something but stopped. He remembered Noelle's harsh words from earlier and felt like he had been slapped.He thought back to his school days when he was free-spirited and full of life, a star student with so much drive. However, working life had trapped him, making him overthink every move.Today, he really felt Noelle's scorn.Xavier's hands balled into fists, his veins popping out.He thought about Noelle saying she would sell her shares to anyone
Charles's fingers hit the decline button, but Xavier kept calling back. Charles's eyes swirled with an icy anger. He just let the phone keep ringing, holding it tightly.Noelle came out of the shower and saw Charles with her phone. "What's up?"Charles just lifted an eyebrow and handed her the phone. Noelle saw who it was, frowned, and declined without a second thought. She looked at Charles and started to say something, but the phone interrupted her, ringing again. Noelle's frown got deeper as she declined again. Before she could get a word out, Charles asked, "Didn't you think to grab a towel for your hair?"Noelle paused, watching Charles's tall silhouette head inside the bathroom. She bit her lip as he came back with a towel, signaling her to sit down.Noelle hesitated. "Um...""Come over here!" Charles called out, not even glancing at the buzzing phone that displayed Xavier's incoming call. Noelle felt a bit unsure about what Charles was thinking, but she walked over and sat
Noelle's smile turned playful. "Sure, but you'd only have one customer—me!"Charles chuckled and playfully tapped Noelle's nose. "You're such a tease!"Noelle blinked and stretched her neck, trying to reach Charles's face with her hand, but she was too far away. She pouted. "Come down a little!"Charles gave her a look, holding her wriggling hand still. "Settle down. Your hair isn't dry yet!""Hey, duck down a bit!" she exclaimed, trying to get up, but Charles gently pushed her back down. "No more playing around!" He did lower his head, though, and Noelle was delighted. She playfully rubbed and pinched Charles's smiling face, noticing his eyes seemed to sparkle even more.Noelle raised an eyebrow when she saw the look on Charles's face and quickly let go. "Come on, don't be lazy. Dry my hair already!"Charles gave her a soft look and then tenderly held Noelle's face, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. Noelle giggled, feeling ticklish, and tried to push him away, but Charles
The landlord was fast on his feet, but the police were faster. When they saw Xavier looking like a mess, they did not hesitate to take him away.Xavier was pretty drunk, but he could still think straight. The sight of two cops made him a bit more alert. "I'm just looking for my girlfriend. What's going on? Let go of me!""Girlfriend? You're out here making a scene in the middle of the night. People say you've been hanging around here a lot. And hey, I recognize you! Didn't we just bring you in for questioning the other day?"One cop remembered Xavier right away after seeing him like this. The other cop glanced over and said, "Yep, it's you. Let's go. You're making too much noise, and it's late. You know that's not allowed, right?"The cops did not wait for an answer before they took Xavier with them. He did not want to go and kept yelling for Noelle, "Noelle, come out! Tell them I'm your boyfriend, Noelle!"After spending two hours at the police station, Xavier finally started to
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
"I understand," Liliana said quietly, though deep down she wanted to retort, "You're not my real brother, so why do you care so much?"She truly did not want Sean meddling in her business. It would only make her overthink things. Especially when he reached out and ruffled her hair again, it only made her heart more chaotic.Sean looked at her expression and seemed to realize he might have overstepped. "Your brother isn't here, and you're out here alone. I'm his best friend. Of course, I should look after you."Liliana gave a faint, bitter smile. She knew it. Sean was only kind to her because she was a Hoffman and because she was Charles' sister."It's getting late. Have you finished eating?" Sean asked, rubbing his temples. His head throbbed a little—probably from the alcohol he'd had during the earlier dinner.He ran his long fingers through his thick hair, massaging his temples for a while before easing up. When he noticed Liliana staring at him, he looked up. "What is it?"Lil
By the time Liliana and Adalee left the factory, it was already evening. Adalee noticed that Liliana had been unusually quiet, so she tapped the notebook in her hand and asked, "Any thoughts?"Liliana blinked and replied, "Not really… Ms. Cobb, do you always handle everything personally like this?"Adalee found the question amusing. "Do you think getting to this position just means sitting comfortably behind a desk?""I didn't mean it like that!" Liliana's cheeks flushed slightly. "I actually admire you a lot."Adalee did not seem very old, yet she held a managerial position, which proved just how capable she was.Adalee waved a hand casually. "I was just lucky, and I worked hard for it. With time, you'll get there too.""I hope so."Liliana did not say more, and Adalee, thinking she might be hungry, brought her to a well-known seafood restaurant in Cascade City. "This place is pretty decent. I used to come here often when I traveled for work. Try it."Perhaps Adalee saw a bit
The first thing Liliana did after returning to the hotel was take a shower. When she came out, she noticed a missed call from Keith.She immediately called him back. "Keith? Sorry, I was in the shower when you called.""It's fine. I just wanted to check if you arrived safely."Keith sounded busy on the other end. He majored in computer science, and after graduating, he naturally found work in a related field. Liliana never asked much about his job, though Tania had mentioned that the company Keith worked for was quite decent."Have you finished work?""Almost. Just a bit more code to finish," Keith chuckled. "What about you? Tired?""Not really. I just had dinner with my supervisor. Now I'm back and planning to rest," Liliana said, rolling over on the bed.Remembering what Tania had told her the night before, she hesitated a moment and added, "Um, Keith… When I get back, let's go on a dinner date."There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then came the sound of s
"That's right!" Liliana nodded.Tania suddenly let out a squeal. "Didn't Keith come looking for you? Or at least ask you out for a farewell dinner or something?""What are you talking about? It's not like I'm never coming back," Liliana said as she reached out and tapped Tania on the forehead."I still need to pack and check on the flight. You think I'm just sitting around with nothing to do?""No, no, that's not what I meant. You're going away for a whole week! Are you telling me you two can stand being apart for that long?" Tania looked at her in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're in some fake relationship!"Liliana paused slightly while packing, clearly affected by Tania's comment.She had not thought much of it at first, but now that Tania mentioned it... Even though she and Keith were "trying things out", it felt like he was the only one putting in the effort. Had she done anything at all?"Normal couples would probably go out for a meal before a trip, right?" Liliana reflect
Joanna's expression turned utterly sour. She had not expected Liliana to react that way. There was no admiration or envy, just a sharp, sarcastic jab that left her embarrassed.It was obvious Liliana meant to mock her, implying she had no authority to make decisions because she was not actually Sean's girlfriend.Joanna was furious with Liliana's attitude. She had thought that even if Liliana did not say much, she would at least show a bit of jealousy. Maybe she would act like her classmates earlier at the restaurant, casting admiring and envious looks her way.Liliana had no idea what Joanna was thinking at the moment, but if she had, she would probably think Joanna was out of her mind."Joanna, I've got something to do. I'll head off first."Liliana spotted a cab pulling up, waved it down, and got in before Joanna could even react.Joanna stood where she was, watching the car drive off with her fists clenched tightly. "Liliana, what are you so smug about? Even if Sean treats yo
"Ms. Cobb?""Mhm, Adalee was my student. If I didn't know her well, I wouldn't have recommended you to her." Sofia looked at Liliana's serious and focused expression."You're capable, but some personal matters affected your work recently. You'll be graduating soon. It's important to plan things out. Figure out what you want and how to get there.""Thank you, Ms. Chapman!"Liliana genuinely felt Sofia's concern. "I'll definitely keep your advice in mind.""Good, very good." Sofia nodded in approval, clearly pleased with Liliana's mindset. "By the way, that young woman who's often with you… Her name is Tania, right? How's she doing?""Thanks to you, she's doing well."Dinner went smoothly. Perhaps it was because Liliana realized she would soon graduate and that she would not have many chances to see the professor who had taught her for four years.After walking Sofia out, Liliana lingered by the roadside for a bit.Suddenly, a shadow loomed in front of her. Liliana turned her he