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
The medicine was clear and tasteless, and it would disappear after a while. Linda wanted Janet to fall into a deep sleep fast. In no time, she noticed Janet's eyebrows twitch, and then she was out like a light."You're so mean, poking so many holes in people. Well, let's see how you like it," Linda said.She hopped onto the bed, grabbed some silver instruments from her bag, and with quick, sure moves, she stuck them into Janet's body. Janet, fast asleep, did not feel a thing.Linda had always been fascinated by special treatments, even though her family did not want to teach her. She had learned it all on her own, sometimes even practicing with Saxon. Saxon himself said Linda was better at it than he was. In fact, Linda's talent was way better than Saxon's.However, Linda was not done. She felt like she had not had enough fun. She took out another bottle from her bag and popped a pill into Janet's mouth. "This pill? I made it from a virus I got from those dead rats of yours. It mig
"Don't worry, these small fries are no match for me," Linda boasted with confidence. "Even if I can't beat them physically, one poke with my instrument and they'll be begging for mercy!"Sean smirked when he heard that. "Alright, I've already scoped the place out. The first floor is where the servants bunk, so let's not stir them up. The second floor is Milo's and the Baker family head's pad. Janet and Jace are on the third floor — remember, Janet is our mark, so don't mess up the rooms."Sean pointed at the floor plan he had managed to get his hands on.Linda shot Sean an impatient look. "Okay. I'm not a kid, you know!"After stashing their gear, Sean gestured to the side. "You take the southeast approach, and I'll start from this end."With that, they set off on their mission.The guards might have had some fight in them, but to Sean and Linda, they were a walk in the park to deal with, especially in the dead of night when guards were sleepy and dropped their guard. Seizing the
Liliana bit her lip, "Brother, I...""Don't rush to give me an answer. Think about it. It's late, so you should head back."Liliana nodded, "Okay, I'll go then." She got up, hesitated for a moment, and added, "Brother, your wife is going to be okay!"Charles gave a small smile, "I know." He had always known.Once Liliana was gone, Charles sat down next to Noelle, watching her sleep peacefully. He gently touched her skin.While she had been sick, he might have looked composed and calm, but nobody knew the pain he felt better than he did. He knew he could not let himself worry, especially not in front of Noelle.Yesterday, when he walked into the bedroom and saw Noelle sleeping so deeply, he fought hard to keep his feelings in check. He did not want to lose his composure.Today, all of the poison was finally out of her system, and he felt like he had gotten back something very special that he had lost. He gently stroked Noelle's face and said, "I've waited so long for you. No more
Those people were so irritating. Could they not see Noelle was still out cold? There they were, acting all lovey-dovey right in front of him? Charles was really upset.Peter and Yves caught each other's eye and had to stifle a laugh. Charles had been all about showing off his own romance before, but then he could not handle a bit of theirs?"Are you guys going or what?"Peter smirked and replied, "Sure thing!"Once everyone had left, the big hospital room was quiet with just Charles and Liliana left. Liliana paused, looking from Charles to Noelle.She had thought about leaving with Peter and the rest, but she stayed because she had something on her mind. Charles could tell. He gently fixed Noelle's blanket before turning to Liliana, "You wanted to talk?"Liliana nodded, "Yeah.""Let's hear it."Charles had a pretty good guess already. It was all about old family drama. He had not wanted Liliana to go back to the Hoffmans, and it was not just to be mean. With her awkward place i
"Yes." Tania agreed with a nod. "Ms. Holt told me mine is the first-generation poison."Saxon gave a small laugh. "You're lucky that little Linda didn't wear you out completely." However, even as he said that, he checked them over with care. "You're all okay. Linda used silver instruments to get the poison out, and what else did she give you?""Um... Ms. Holt said it was sugar, and it was really sweet," Tania recalled that Linda had indeed given them lots of candy.Saxon smiled again. "Well, keep on eating!" Actually, the candies Linda had were not the ones she made, but the special ones Saxon had switched with hers. Those candies were like treasures, and he never thought she would give them all away to help. It looked like these folks meant a lot to her.Saxon pulled out some more candies from his pocket and handed them to Tania and Kelly. "This is all I've got right now. We'll figure it out once you've finished these."He seemed pretty relaxed about it, but the one who had poiso
"Okay, as soon as Noelle gets out of the hospital and Ves comes back to the Hoffman family, we're going to throw a huge party. It's been ages since we've had such a good time, and with Yves and Liliana both here, it'll be perfect!" Maxwell announced, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked at Yves.Maxwell had thought his brother's family line had ended, but to his surprise, there was still Yves. He was beside himself with joy. "Ves, please come back home to the Hoffman family, and to the Collosus Group too!"Yves scrunched his face and was about to respond, but Kelly cut in quickly, "He'll definitely come back!"Yves paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes, but he quickly smoothed out his expression, hiding the flurry of emotions inside.The two families could not just stand around forever. After spending a little more time admiring the two adorable babies, they visited Noelle's hospital room. Since Noelle was still asleep, they all decided that it was time to head
Bran's innocent comment had everyone laughing. "Oh, Bran, they just haven't opened their eyes yet. When they grow up, they'll be as cute as you!""Really?" Bran asked, tilting their head, "Okay then!"Liliana had been quiet the whole time, just watching the babies in the incubator.She had not really wanted to come, since the Hoffmans and the Smiths were not exactly her biggest fans. However, she wanted to see those babies, to see the little ones who belonged to Charles and Noelle.Today, both families were filled with joy, and nobody paid much attention to Liliana. Even if they were not fond of her, they would not send her away on such a happy day.Liliana gazed at the two little babies in the warm nursery, and her eyes quickly filled with tears. She placed her hands gently on the glass, a small smile spreading across her face as she whispered to herself, "They are so beautiful."Clarisse watched Liliana and felt a mix of emotions stirring within her.She did not feel very clos
Yves gave a gentle smile and stroked Seth's hair. "Are you having a good time?""Yes!" Seth bobbed his head enthusiastically. "Bran and Bobby are really nice!" Seth had clearly made friends, and Yves' smile grew wider. However, then he turned to Kelly. "Would you like to visit the hospital?"Kelly's eyes lifted. "Is that okay?" She had been worried about Noelle's safety, but she knew that her presence might not help and might even be a hindrance. Besides, the kids needed someone to watch over them, so she had been trying to stay calm.When Yves made the offer, Kelly wanted to go. "How's Noelle doing?""Charles just called. The mom and babies are all doing great!" Yves told Kelly with a big smile, looking really happy. "It's a boy and a girl, but they came a bit early. They're still in their cozy incubators for now.""And how's Noelle?" Kelly asked quickly."She's fine too, just getting some rest," Yves replied, softly touching Kelly's forehead. Kelly blinked in surprise, looking
"Winter mailed the package. I thought Mrs. Hoffman would open it, but she didn't!" The maid's face showed a flicker of disappointment. "Winter promised the item would surely frighten Mrs. Hoffman, so...""So, you tried to scare her?" Yves thought that Winter must really hate Noelle, especially since she was pregnant.Yves squinted and asked, "What happened next?""When Winter heard that it didn't work, she met with me and handed me a lamp. She said it was from Mr. Baker and told me to light it while Mrs. Hoffman was fast asleep. She said that it would go unnoticed!"After she spoke, the maid fell to the ground, too much in pain to stand. The guard service member, seeing that, stabbed her thigh with a knife, "Ahh..."The maid screamed again, but the guard service member quickly covered her mouth.The pain had nearly knocked her out, but then she was wide awake again, "I've told you everything I know, I don't know anything else, I really don't.""How do you two keep in touch?" Yve