Charles had an incredible ability to take control in moments like this, gradually guiding Noelle's emotions as he deepened their kiss.They were so absorbed in the kiss that it was only after a long while that Charles finally released her lips. He rested his forehead against hers. His breathing was heavy, and he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You're mine. Why would I need to be jealous?""Mm, you don't need to be," Noelle murmured, her mind fuzzy from the intensity of the kiss. She was so lost in the moment that jealousy seemed like the least of her concerns.Her heart, however, was filled with joy. No matter what Charles said, she was happy because it showed how much he cared for her. "You don't need to be jealous, and you shouldn't be. Because aside from you, I can't possibly like anyone else, and I won't give you a reason to be jealous.""Hmm, that's more like it," Charles responded with a satisfied hum, pinching her nose playfully. "But don't think I'll let you off
That evening, when Noelle opened her inbox, she found several unread emails. As she clicked through them, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Charlie, I got accepted by Collosus Group!" Noelle was brimming with joy like a child. She quickly set down her tablet and dashed over to Charles, throwing herself into his arms.Fortunately, Charles had anticipated her reaction and had already set aside his work to welcome her with open arms.Noelle buried herself in his embrace as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Her eyes were gleaming with happiness as she looked up at him. "When I talked to Brian that day, I thought I wouldn't get the job. I can't believe I actually got accepted!"She beamed up at Charles. "Charlie, are you happy for me?""Of course, I'm happy!" Charles smiled, seeing her so overjoyed. He leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her lips. "I've always believed in your abilities."Noelle giggled, her confidence swelling. However, she quickly paused and narrowed her
Charles often teased her about her lack of stamina, but Noelle knew it was not her stamina that was lacking—it was his that was extraordinarily strong.Not one to take advantage and then complain, Charles immediately apologized when he saw she was upset. "It's my fault. I wasn't considerate enough of your situation. I promise I'll be much gentler tonight!""Tonight?!" Noelle exclaimed in disbelief. "You're not allowed to sleep in the master bedroom tonight, and definitely not in the same bed as me!"Still fuming, Noelle pushed Charles aside and marched into the bathroom, her emotions churning as she wondered how she ended up with someone like him. She realized now that she had not fully grasped how relentless he could be.Charles watched her with a gleam in his eye, then shook his head in mock defeat. "Hurry up and get ready. I'll go downstairs and make breakfast for you."Noelle had been furious just moments ago, but the gentle, indulgent tone in Charles' voice quickly softened h
Ronald did not claim to know Charles' temperament better than anyone, but he certainly understood it well.Charles was a man who despised being constrained; he operated by his own principles, and unless something was absolutely necessary, no one could sway his decisions.Suddenly, Ronald found himself feeling a bit of sympathy for Frotconn and Joseph. To secure this project, Joseph had gone straight to Maxwell, bypassing Charles entirely.While it was true that Maxwell still held the official position as the head of the Hoffman family, in practice, Charles was the one in charge. Although Charles had yet to formally inherit the title or the shares from Maxwell, everyone in the family already saw Charles as the future leader.Back when Maxwell chose not to pass the family headship to his eldest son, nor to his second or third sons, it became clear to everyone just how significant Charles' position in the family was. Now, Joseph had the audacity to go over Charles' head, directly ap
With the receptionist's guidance, Noelle made her way to the project department. Since she had been there once before, she quickly found Brian's office.Brian's assistant, Arya Millerd, who seemed to have been informed about Noelle's arrival that day, asked, "Are you Noelle Shaw?"Noelle nodded, and as she was about to knock on Brian's office door, it swung open from the inside.Brian had appeared and was seemingly ready to leave. He was momentarily surprised to see Arya and Noelle together but quickly said, "I'm heading to a meeting now. Arya, please show Ms. Shaw around, familiarize her with the environment, and explain any important details."Afterward, take her to the HR department to complete the onboarding process."Brian spoke quickly and left with long strides, leaving Noelle standing there, trying to process his brisk efficiency.Arya smiled at Noelle. "Don't worry about it. That's just how our director is. Once you get used to it, it feels normal," Arya explained, assum
Charles glanced at the disorganized pile of documents on the desk, pushing them aside. "Throw these away and have them produce something presentable immediately."He then looked up and added, "Brian, stay behind."Brian had been ready to leave, but he paused upon hearing Charles' command. "Mr. Hoffman, do you need something from me?"Charles stood up, giving Brian a quick glance. "How is the development plan for the West City plot coming along on your end?""We're in the preliminary evaluation phase. The risk in West City is quite high, and it's located in the suburbs. Some of the land there has already been abandoned," Brian explained, hesitating briefly."I visited the area recently. There's a psychiatric hospital and a drug rehabilitation center nearby. The area was previously deemed unsuitable for development. Mr. Hoffman—"Charles raised his hand, cutting Brian off, "This isn't urgent right now. Finish the evaluation first. There's talk of those facilities being relocated. S
Charles left after that, leaving Ronald and Brian staring at each other in surprise.Brian, in particular, was even more shocked.He had not expected Charles to so openly admit to favoritism and to do so in such a thorough manner.The West City Development Project was incredibly challenging, and even he was not fully aware of all the difficulties it entailed. With so many experienced people in the project department, not everyone had the qualifications or experience to participate.Yet, with just one word from the boss, a newcomer like Noelle, who was practically a novice, got to join the project.Brian found this hard to accept.Ronald sighed and patted Brian on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. You have no idea how surprised I was the first time I saw Mr. Hoffman being so attentive to Ms. Shaw. I almost couldn't believe my eyes!""Mr. Hoffman, being attentive? To Noelle?" Brian's eyes flickered with realization. "Are they…"Ronald nodded. "It's exactly what you're thinkin
Noelle had just started at the company. Since Brian had not assigned her any specific tasks, she was not quite sure what she was supposed to be doing. She asked Arya for some past project files to review, trying to understand Brian's style and approach.While she was engrossed in her research, Brian himself unexpectedly appeared. Noelle closed the files and followed Brian into his office.This was the second time Noelle had been in Brian's office, and it looked much the same as before, with the only noticeable difference being that the previously cluttered desk was now tidy and clear of documents.Brian noticed Noelle observing the office and gestured for her to sit down. "Ms. Shaw, there's no need to be nervous. Since you've passed the assessment, welcome to the project department. Let's work hard together and make progress.""Thank you." Noelle nodded and smiled. "Mr. Parker, there's no need to be so formal. You can call me Noelle."Brian was a bit surprised by her response. Alt
Just as he had predicted, Julian had teamed up with Milo, which explained why Winter arrived so quickly. Charles had anticipated that, so he was not too surprised."Make sure someone keeps an eye on Winter. I'm curious to see what they're up to!""Really? I thought you'd confront her directly!" Peter chuckled softly. "That's not like you!"With Noelle involved this time, Peter had assumed Charles would be furious and have Winter captured right away."Didn't you say the Baker family is involved too? Well, then let's give them a surprise!" After ending the call, Charles's expression turned fierce and intense.Sean and Linda were quick to act. They quickly devised a plan and made their way to Capiton, using academic research as a guise to avoid raising any doubts about Sean.However, Grant showed up when they got to Capiton.Sean and Grant had crossed paths before but were not exactly friends. When Grant showed up at his door, Sean could not quite figure out his intentions. Meanw
Linda recalled the stuff she had sent to Noelle and thought, if Noelle did not care, why should she?It turned out the folks from the covert Lifebringer clan were far more ruthless than Sean had ever imagined."Hey, you there?"Sean lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to come with me?"Linda nodded.With a grin, Sean revealed a secret door in the lab. Linda's eyes widened as she trailed after him. "Wow, I've been here many times, but I never knew there was a whole other world in your lab!" It exceeded her wildest expectations.The lab she knew was just a simple study, but this new room was packed with shiny tools and gadgets, everything she could dream of. "This place is even better equipped than my family's. Hey Sean, I've made up my mind. I'm going to work here!"For a doctor, that equipment was priceless. Linda was a genius, just like Saxon, completely devoted to her research. So, once she laid eyes on all that gear, she could not pull herself away. However, she did not
Sean's expression grew serious. "But you said before that it wouldn't have any effect on them. I assumed you had a solution!"How could that kind of virus not affect the babies in Noelle's womb? Sean had always harbored some doubts, but considering Linda came from a prestigious medical family and was also the sister of the legendary Mystic Lifebringer, he had trusted her judgment.Linda smacked her lips. "Honestly, there's no way to completely eliminate it unless we find my brother!"She was well aware of the limits of her medical skills. "But don't worry. I've been adding special medicinal ingredients to the herbal soups Noelle drinks every day. They're designed to flush out toxins while strengthening both her body and the babies."She glanced at Sean. "So, you don't need to worry for now.""When exactly is your brother coming?" That was Sean's real concern."How would I know?"Sean was about to press further when his phone rang. It was Charles. "What is it?""Winter's out. Lo
Meanwhile, Linda and Sean worked together in the hospital lab, splitting tasks to analyze the virus as quickly as possible. Neither of them slept all night as they were completely absorbed in their experiments.Although Linda was highly skilled in alternative medicine, her knowledge of modern medicine was self-taught. Conducting large-scale experiments on her own was not feasible, which was why she had asked Sean to join her.Sean was meticulous in his work while Linda, on the other hand, was starting to doze off beside him.It was not entirely her fault. Under normal circumstances, she would have gone to bed by now. Even though she was energetic for her age and generally disciplined, this was the time she usually rested.As Sean continued working, fatigue crept up on him as well. When he glanced over, he saw Linda struggling to keep her eyes open, looking half-asleep but still forcing herself to stay awake. It was an amusing sight.Sensing Sean's gaze, Linda opened her eyes. "How
Meanwhile, after Ronald left, Elijah immediately made a call. "Hello? Are you trying to get me killed? Winter was someone Charles Hoffman wanted to deal with, and you made me release her! Didn't you say she wasn't a problem?"Elijah was convinced he was doomed. What he did not know was that Ronald had already locked onto his phone number and quickly traced the call's recipient.When Ronald identified the number, he was momentarily stunned before his expression turned cold. It was a number from Capiton."Mr. Hoffman, Winter is indeed no longer in prison," Ronald reported with his head lowered.Charles remained silent while Ronald stood still, waiting.It was not until Charles finished reviewing the document in his hand that he looked up, his icy gaze sweeping over Ronald's face. He let out a cold scoff. "You know what your punishment should be.""Yes, Mr. Hoffman!" Ronald admitted his failure to handle the matter properly."Additionally, I found that Mr. Wonderton made a call to
Ronald was still half-asleep and stared at the darkened phone screen for a long moment before realizing that Charles had hung up on him.Early the next morning, he rushed to the prison to check on things. However, the result left him deeply dissatisfied. "What do you mean someone took her away? Who took her? She committed such serious crimes, and you just let her go so easily?"Having woken up so early, Ronald was already in a foul mood. Hearing this response only made his temper flare, and once his anger rose, so did his irritation.The man across from him was none other than the warden, but even he had to tread carefully around Ronald.Seeing Ronald's stormy expression, the warden wiped his sweat nervously. "Uh… Mr. Wells, I… I wasn't aware this person was important. Is she?"Ronald's face darkened even further, looking absolutely livid. The warden turned his head and snapped at the officer nearby."Who told you to release her?! Didn't you hear Mr. Wells? She's a high-profile c
After coaxing Noelle to sleep, Charles finally stepped out of the bedroom, only to find Peter standing at the doorway with a cigarette between his fingers.When he saw Charles coming out, he raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"Charles' expression was heavy. "Nothing."Peter smirked. "Need any help?""Not for now." Charles glanced at Peter. "Got kicked out?"Peter's face darkened instantly. "You really seem to be hoping for my misfortune."Charles let out a cold snort. "Your house is big enough. There's no need for you to squeeze into my tiny place."His meaning was clear—Peter wasn't welcome here.However, Peter had no intention of leaving. "I think you should be begging me to stay. After all, trouble could break out here at any moment. Do you really think you can handle everything alone?"His wicked grin made Charles grit his teeth."Peter, it's been a long time since we sparred," Charles said through clenched teeth."I don't fight. My wife is waiting for me in the room." Pe
"Trust the people you use, and don't use those you don't trust." Charles knew where to draw the line.Noelle did not press further. "Alright then. You said it yourself—you're staying with me. You'd better not go back on your word!"As she spoke, she nuzzled against Charles' chest, resembling a content little kitten. "By the way, since Yves is part of the Hoffmans, what does Grandpa think about all this?"At the mention of that, Charles pondered for a moment. "Naturally, Grandpa hopes he'll acknowledge his heritage, but Yves has his own thoughts. As for what will happen in the end, I don't know.""Oh, I see." Noelle nodded in understanding.Charles reached out and smoothed a stray strand of Noelle's hair. "He's my eldest uncle's only grandson. My uncle's son turned out to be a disappointment, but Grandpa never seemed to mind. Now, Yves is the last remaining child from that branch of the family, so...""Wait, then what about Simon?" Noelle had heard a bit about Simon from Charles b
"There's more!"Wearing gloves, Linda picked up the rest of the items. Bob's gaze landed on them, and he raised an eyebrow. "This?"His long fingers pointed at the tattered rag doll. "What's this?"Noelle's name was written on it, and the doll had been so badly mutilated that it barely resembled its original form.This really was targeted at Noelle?"Has Noelle offended anyone recently? Think carefully!" This was no trivial matter.Today, it was just a package containing dead rats and a doll to scare Noelle, but who knew what might happen next?Phoenix Tree Residence had guards, but if someone was determined to act, nothing was impossible.Charles remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'll investigate."Bob nodded. "Good. If you need my help, just say the word.""Alright." Charles nodded before turning to Yves. "It's getting late. You should head back."Yves gave a slight nod. "Alright."Once everyone had left, Charles stared at the items for a long while before orde