Noelle did not feel like going back to bed after hanging up the phone, so she grabbed a towel to begin drying Charles’ hair. “Why didn’t you wake me up just now?” When she thought about how she had somehow managed to fall asleep despite how sticky her body was, she added, “Didn’t you say you would help me clean up?” “You were fast asleep!” Charles said, the look in his eyes gentle as he reached up to take Noelle’s hand. “I can do it myself!” However, Noelle shook her head. "Let me help you!” Then, she added, “Xavier probably got himself into some trouble, so he used another person’s phone to call me,” she said ruefully, “How did I never notice the kind of person he was?!”Charles smirked, and he chuckled when he heard the obvious displeasure in Noelle’s voice. “What kind of person is he?” “I don’t feel like talking about him,” Noelle said, feeling frustrated. “I just don’t understand why he keeps coming back to rile me up when he’s already decided to get together with Winter i
Joseph Harris had always been a crafty, calculating man. He had been planning this for so long, and there was no way he would allow things to fail in the final stages. Charles smirked. “So, Joseph must be thinking about how he can get Xavier and Winter to get married as soon as possible. He won’t have anything to worry about once they’re married.” Charles patted Noelle’s hand as he said, “Xavier’s smart, but he’s not very charismatic, and would never dare go against Joseph. So, he’ll inevitably go down that path.” “You thought of everything." Noelle sighed, thinking to herself how exhausting all this thinking must be. Charles noticed the change in Noelle’s mood and took her hand in his as he lowered his head so their foreheads were touching. “We can’t control what others do, but we can at least live our lives the way we want to. Don’t you think so?” Noelle chuckled as she nodded. "Yes, I know that. Don’t worry. I’ve set clear boundaries with them, and I know what I should do mo
Naturally, the meeting between the two mothers was a pleasant one. As Emilia gazed at Winter, who had dressed elegantly and refined that day, her impression of Winter improved. A wave of guilt washed over her when she recalled what her son had done the previous night, especially when she took note of how polite and demure Winter was. All the dissatisfaction she previously had felt toward Winter vanished into thin air. The two mothers were pleased by the idea of this marriage and immediately agreed upon it. Emilia proposed the third day of the next month as an auspicious date to get married. Jade did some mental calculations. There were about forty days left before the suggested date, so she felt less worried. “Are we both in agreement on that? “Yes, of course. I think matters concerning the wedding should be left up to us women. What do you think, Mrs. Shaw?” Emilia knew her son was probably still reeling from what had happened, and there was no way this responsibility could be h
Noelle smiled ruefully. “But there actually isn’t all that much I can do to them!” “That’s what you think!” Teresa thought otherwise. “Don’t you know what sort of character Winter is?” Teresa recalled something else as she spoke. “Oh, right. Have you heard about the class reunion?” “Class reunion?” Noelle was stunned. “Did they say there would be a reunion this year?” “That’s right,” Teresa said. She gave a rueful shrug before continuing, “You were overseas the entire year, so you probably had no idea. Yael mentioned wanting to meet up with everyone during their wedding earlier, and they called me up the day before yesterday. They heard that you and Rowena were back, so…” An odd look appeared in Noelle’s eyes. “You guys talked about me?” “Yeah,” Teresa replied. When she saw the odd look in Noelle’s eyes, she asked, “You don’t feel like going?” Then, she added, “That makes sense. After all, those classmates…” Memories seemed to float to the forefront of Teresa’s mind, and sh
Noelle racked her brains. She had indeed gotten caught up in a few incidents recently, but it was unlikely her grandfather would know about them. She had kept everything a secret from him because she did not want him to worry. “Grandpa, who have you been listening to lately?” “Your mother visited today and brought up the topic of your sister and Xavier getting married!” The tone of Sebastian’s voice did not sound pleasant, and he seemed to be in a foul mood as well. Noelle felt her eyelid twitch. “My mother dropped by today?” She bit down on her lip before asking, “What else did she talk about besides Winter and Xavier’s wedding?” Sebastian asked exasperatedly, “Did that old geezer, Samuel Shaw, transfer ownership of his shares to you? What on earth is that old coot trying to do? Why does he feel the need to drag you into the mess of the Shaw family?”He sounded extremely displeased with Samuel, so Noelle hurriedly said, “Don’t be angry, Grandpa. That’s not what he intended!”
Noelle added, “It’s someone you know!” “I know that person?” Sebastian was stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me something as important as you getting married? And you didn’t introduce me to him beforehand either? Yet you claim you’re no longer a child. Is marriage something you can just decide for yourself on a whim?” Sebastian was somewhat angry at the fact that his granddaughter had gotten married without saying a word to him. No matter how he thought about it, the whole thing felt inappropriate to him. After all, he had known about what happened to Noelle and Xavier’s relationship and also knew just how much she had loved him. Noelle had even turned down his offer to play matchmaker between her and one of his students. Yet, just a few months later, Noelle was married. It was impossible for Sebastian not to feel worried. “Noelle, you’re not a young girl anymore. How could you treat your marriage as if it’s child’s play?” It was the first time Noelle had ever heard Sebastian spe
Charles was a sweet talker, and Sebastian was not an unreasonable man. He knew his limits, and after all, this was Charles, his former student.He knew what sort of character Charles possessed. Otherwise, he would not even have bothered introducing him to Noelle a couple of months before. Back then, he had hoped a relationship would blossom between the two and only stopped willing it to happen when Noelle refused.He was not expecting Charles and Noelle to become an item of their own accord after he gave up trying. When he heard the respectful way Charles spoke to him, all the anger Sebastian previously felt completely dissipated. However, he felt the need to put on an act. “Hmph, don’t think this sweet talk can fool me! I’m telling you, you’d better provide me with a proper explanation. I’m sure you know the kind of temper that I have!” “Of course, I will, sir. I’m sure you know the sort of character I am, sir!” Charles finally managed to cajole Sebastian. He glanced at Noel
“Pfft!” Noelle could not help but laugh. “Do you think Grandpa will buy that?” Noelle gave Charles a once-over before adding, “You don’t seem like the kind to pester someone!” Charles raised an eyebrow as he reached out to tap her on the nose. “That might not necessarily be the case!” Noelle smacked his hand out of the way. “Hmph, then I’ll say that tomorrow, and we’ll see whether Grandpa believes you or not.” After giving it some thought, Noelle realized it truly was the only explanation they could give. “Love is something that’s difficult to explain,” he said as he toyed with her hand. “Alright, let’s not discuss this any further. Where did you go today?” Since Charles brought that up, Noelle was reminded of something that had happened. “I wasn’t expecting your predictions to be so accurate.” “Oh?”Charles led Noelle into their bedroom and began taking off his jacket. When he heard what Noelle said, he put his jacket down and motioned for her to continue. She bit down on
Liliana's arm throbbed where Sean had grabbed it, but she bit her lip, refusing to give in. "I didn't do it on purpose. I had no idea she invited you.""Oh, you didn't know? Isn't she supposed to be your best friend?" Sean's voice was edged with sarcasm. "Or maybe this was your plan all along?""I didn't!" Liliana felt a tightness in her chest at his accusation.She pulled her arm free from his grasp, her face twisted with both anger and shame. "I truly didn't know.""Who knows what the truth is?" Sean said with a light laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tania doesn't know about us, and you think you're in the dark too? What if Tania found out who you really are? Would she...""Don't."Liliana's voice was loud and full of panic. "Please don't tell Tania." Deep down, she was being selfish. She did not want Tania to find out about her secrets.When she first became friends with Tania, all she wanted was a simple friendship. She did not want Tania to know about her embarrassi
The next few moments dragged on painfully for Liliana. She would have bolted if Tania, her best friend, had not been there.She felt that neither Sean nor Peter wanted to see her around.She did not want to be near them either.Peter was a mystery she did not dare to unravel, and as for Sean...Liliana snuck a peek at Sean when no one was looking. It had been over a month since she had last seen him, and despite herself, she was thrilled.She tried to bury her feelings in work every day, but she knew how hard it was to forget Sean completely.They had promised not to meet again, yet there they were. He could not possibly think she planned this encounter, could he?As Liliana watched Sean and lost herself in thought, she noticed him suddenly glance her way. She quickly turned away, dodging his gaze.Liliana felt like she was a thief caught red-handed when she unexpectedly ran into Sean.Upon laying eyes on Liliana, Sean could not quite figure out what he was feeling.They had
Tania's lips quivered, as if she wanted to say more, but seeing Liliana so determined, she held back.However, as Tania paid, she leaned in and whispered something to the cashier, then scribbled down an address. "Make sure it gets here, okay?"Tania settled the bill, grabbed the shopping bags, and linked arms with Liliana as they headed out. "Liliana, you're joining me for dinner tonight!"No backing out this time. You've canceled on me too many times already.""Okay, fine!"Liliana had no idea that Tania's dinner invitation also included Peter. If she had known, she would have stayed far away. When Liliana returned from the restroom, she found not just Tania and Peter, but also Sean sitting there. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave.She was about to do just that, her foot already inching backward, when Tania caught sight of her. "Liliana, where are you off to? We're right here!"Frozen in place, Liliana could not seem to move a muscle.Standing with her back to th
Seeing Joanna in a new light, her friend still tried to be supportive. "Joanna, don't listen to that lady's wild stories. You and Mr. Smith are the perfect pair. You’re both so smart and good-looking. Everyone at the hospital is jealous of you guys! I bet she doesn't even know Mr. Smith, and she probably doesn't have a rich boyfriend either!"As she spoke, Joanna's friend watched her closely. She saw Joanna's worry fade away after her words. Joanna replied with a hint of frustration, "I don't know why she said that. I wasn’t even in the same faculty as her, but we were involved in a school event together once. We were in a competition together back then. I never thought she cared about it that much!"Joanna mentioned the school beauty contest she and Tania were in, suggesting there might be some old rivalry between them.Joanna's friend knew exactly what was happening. She was getting to see all the drama for free but did not want to call Joanna out. After all, they were coworkers a
"Look, you’re my junior.” Joanna had not expected Tania to say something like that in front of her friend. It was impossible for her to maintain her dignity at this point.What would her friend think if she owned up to it? If she denied it, what was Tania going to do?Tania watched Joanna's face turn beet red, a smile playing on her lips the whole time.Truth be told, Tania did not have beef with Joanna. However, she was Peter's girlfriend, and she knew Sean, so she could not stand watching Joanna strut around, lying and using Sean's good name."Look, Joanna, I'm not trying to be mean or anything. I just think your friend isn’t really thinking about how you feel, you know? You say you're single, yet she's out here telling everyone you're taken. How's that going to help you find a real boyfriend, right?"Joanna's nails were digging into her skin, but she did not even notice. She was drowning in embarrassment, and it was all Tania's fault."I don't know what I did to make you mad,
Joanna looked a bit upset. She was used to being the star everywhere she went, with everyone always fussing over her.However, Tania and Liliana did not seem to notice her at all.Tania slipped out of her dress and had it neatly packaged. She strolled over to a quiet corner and began flipping through a magazine.Meanwhile, Joanna and her friend were browsing through racks of clothes, chatting about which ones were the prettiest. Joanna's friend could not stop mentioning Sean, insisting that Joanna would look stunning in certain outfits and that Sean would surely be impressed.Tania watched Joanna with a smirk and called out, "Hey, Joanna!"Joanna and her friend paused and turned to Tania. "What's going on?" Joanna asked."Oh, nothing, really. I’m just curious—Joanna, are you and Mr. Smith together now?" Tania asked with feigned innocence. "I thought Sean turned you down before!""You...""Turned her down? Don't make things up. Our Joanna and Mr. Smith are very much an item!" Jo
The woman with Joanna gushed, "You're so lucky! Your boyfriend Sean is so handsome and rich, and your future mother-in-law adores you too!""Please, you're making me blush. Sean and I aren't even official yet." Joanna laughed off the compliment."It's only a matter of time. Everyone at the hospital knows you two are an item. And your future mother-in-law is so generous, showering you with gifts. You wouldn't believe how many people are green with envy!""You're making it sound too good to be true!"As Liliana overheard Joanna and the woman's conversation about Sean, she felt like a creep for eavesdropping.Yes, Sean had been with Joanna for a while. Where did that leave Liliana?She had been with Sean, which explained why he was so cold that day. He must have really disliked her, or else it would not have made sense.Liliana squeezed her hands together, trying hard not to eavesdrop on Joanna and the other woman's chat. However, their words floated to her ears, every single one c
Adalee had braced herself for tough negotiations, but to her surprise, they were ready to shake hands on the deal he moment she stepped into the other company's office. The previous unreasonable demands were gone. They were going to work together just like they had before.Even though Adalee thought it was odd, she was just glad there were no hiccups in the partnership. She signed the contract and decided to give Liliana some time off, hoping it would help her shake off the blues from that unhappy evening.Ever since Liliana came back from Cascade City, she had been quiet. Her life was work, work, and nothing but work. She did not go out, not even when Tania tried to coax her into hanging out.Tania could tell something was off with Liliana, but Liliana clammed up whenever she asked, saying she was swamped with work and had no spare time.Liliana had even forgotten about the date with Keith she had planned to arrange after her business trip.Her routine was simple: she would work
Adalee had just stepped out of her room when she ran into Sean. Sean's face was stormy as he walked past, not even noticing Adalee."Mister..." Adalee called, but Sean did not even look back.Adalee's brows knitted together in worry. She rushed to Liliana's door and called, "Liliana? Liliana?"Adalee did not hear Liliana answer, so she knocked again. "Liliana, are you in there?"After Sean left, Liliana could not stop the tears from coming. However, she did not let herself cry loudly. It was just a quiet, steady sob.When she heard the knock at the door, Liliana quickly stopped crying.She bit her lip, hurried to put on her clothes, and dried her eyes.Adalee waited outside, not leaving before she heard from Liliana. Liliana had no choice but to open the door.As soon as Adalee saw her, she noticed her red, puffy eyes and the marks on her face and neck. "Liliana, what's wrong?"Remembering the drink Liliana had taken for her sake the previous night, Adalee gasped and grabbed h