Charles stood up with a hint of exasperation. "I'll let you off just this once!"He then leaned down to pick Noelle up. Confused, Noelle asked, "Charlie, what are you doing?""You're injured. How are you supposed to drive? Sit in the passenger seat." Charles lifted Noelle into his arms. Knowing she had made a mistake, Noelle nodded rapidly like a pecking chick, letting Charles hold her close. There was a smile spreading across her face.Charles glanced down at her. "What are you smiling about?""Charlie, sometimes you're so naggy, even more than my grandfathers. You're like a little old man!""Really?" Charles narrowed his eyes, giving her a warning look.Noelle immediately clung to his arm, trying to flatter him. "But you're my little old man!" She reached up to smooth the frown lines on his forehead. "Charlie, don't frown so much. It doesn't look good."As she gently stroked his forehead, she continued like a concerned old lady, "If you get old, how will you keep up with me?"
"Alright." Noelle nodded. "Hurry up and go."Charles got out of the car and walked into a pharmacy. He bought some medicine, then returned to find that Noelle had dozed off again.He shook his head with a mix of amusement and resignation.When Noelle woke up again, she found herself lying in bed. The bedroom curtains were drawn, blocking out the outside light. She sat up and checked the time, realizing it was already close to 8:00 pm. She had slept for nearly two hours.Looking down, she noticed that her foot no longer hurt, and it had been cleaned and treated with medicine. A smile spread across her face, her heart filled with a warm, sweet feeling.She smacked her forehead when she suddenly remembered something. She hurriedly got out of bed. She got dressed and tidied her hair.She first checked the study but did not find Charles there, so she headed downstairs.As soon as she reached the staircase, Noelle caught the aroma of stew brewing. Her eyes lit up with excitement.She
Although Noelle had encountered Arnold before and had gradually gotten used to him, Arnold's sudden dash toward her still startled her.She quickly got up and tried to move away, but Arnold, thinking she was playing, continued to chase her around.Noelle's face turned pale with fright while Arnold seemed to be having the time of his life."Arnold!" Charles' stern voice cut through the room as he swiftly moved to pull Noelle into his arms, casting a fierce glare at the overly enthusiastic dog.Sensing Charles' displeasure, Arnold immediately calmed down, looking up at Charles and Noelle with a pitiful expression as if he were pleading for forgiveness.Arnold whimpered softly, as if he were protesting Charles' harshness and lamenting that Noelle seemed to have forgotten him."It's okay, don't be scared. He won't hurt you," Charles reassured Noelle, gently patting her back to soothe her.Noelle swallowed hard, taking a moment to regain her composure.Feeling embarrassed, she glanc
However, Charles grabbed Noelle's hand as she was about to go. Noelle turned around and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?""Ignore him," Charles grumbled, casting a displeased glance at the shameless man nearby. "If he wants to eat, he can help himself."Sean clicked his tongue in mock dismay and shrugged nonchalantly. "It's really tough trying to mooch a meal off you. I always have to gauge your mood."Despite his words, he made his way to the kitchen without hesitation as if it were his own home. He grabbed the cutlery and even brought out a bowl for Arnold, placing it on the table.Charles shot Sean a dark look. "Don't let that dog get near the table, or I'll throw both of you out."Sean shivered slightly and exchanged a pitiful glance with Arnold, who looked equally forlorn. Arnold shifted his pleading gaze from Sean to Charles, but upon seeing Charles' stern expression, he wisely turned his attention to Noelle instead.Noelle was already charmed by Arnold's antics. She tu
Charles paused for a beat. "Both you and Peter need to stay sharp.""Oh, I got the scoop from my bro. He said you're eyeing that prime real estate in West City, right? Looks like Frotconn wants in on the action too. Word on the street is it's escalated all the way up to Maxwell. That's pretty crazy!"Charles's gaze sharpened, his eyes slicing through Sean. "You're really on top of things, aren't you?" He had only just caught wind of it himself, yet here was Joseph, brazen enough to go knocking on Maxwell's door.Charles might be running the Hoffman family now, but Maxwell was still clutching onto his shares in Collosus Group, holding enough clout to sway decisions. Joseph had once saved Charles's cousin Layla Hoffman's life, and that had put the Hoffman family in his debt. Years had passed with the family propping him up, yet Joseph still had the gall to ask Maxwell for a favor."So, what's your game plan?" Sean asked. Business was not usually his thing, but this was family, and
Noelle could not help but giggle, finding it almost impossible to picture Charles doing something like this.Charles gave her a sidelong glance, his large hand cradling her slender ankle. At that look, Noelle's cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she kept her foot still.Charles was focused, examining the nail polish bottle like it was the most important thing in the world. He gave it a careful tap, then lifted Noelle's foot again, gently squeezing her toenail. "Do I paint it like this?"Looking up, Charles caught Noelle's gaze—she was sitting there quietly, but her eyes were intently on him. He quirked an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Hmm?"Embarrassed, Noelle came back to her senses and pointed to a toenail. "Maybe you can start with this one. Try not to go over the edges!" She eyed Charles. "You're really going to do this, huh?""I'm a man of my word." Charles settled onto the couch, resting Noelle's foot on his lap and holding her toes with great care. He was su
In a flash, Arnold was smugly wagging his tail at Charles, totally oblivious to the fact that Charles was the one in charge.Noelle gave Arnold a pat on the back, keeping him close, and then grabbed a toy to play with him.Charles could not help but chuckle, though he still shot Arnold a cautionary glance, reminding the big pooch to be gentle with Noelle."Charles, do you worry about what people might think if they knew you were at home painting my toenails?" Noelle mused over the thought, finding the image both absurd and amusing.The head of Collosus Group fussing over painting a lady's toenails! It would be quite the story to tell.Charles hesitated for just a second before looking up at Noelle with a raised eyebrow. "Is it really that weird for me to be doing your toenails?" He did not see the big deal and went back to focusing on the task at hand. "I know everyone wants to look good, but you know this stuff isn't great for you. Try not to use it too much, okay?""I know, I k
Charles was her pillow, and she was nestled securely in his arms. Noelle's arms were wrapped around Charles's waist, and when she woke up and looked up, she was greeted by the sight of his face. He looked even more radiant in the morning light than he did at night.Noelle nibbled on her lip, a twinge of jealousy sparking as she playfully poked Charles's face. Not quite content, she gave his cheek a gentle pinch for good measure.However, Charles had been awake since the first flutter of Noelle's eyelids. His sleep was always feather-light, and the faintest sound was enough to rouse him. Today, he had decided to forgo tradition and sleep in a bit longer. He never anticipated his usually calm companion would turn into such a fidget, first prodding and now pinching his face.In the midst of her mischief, Charles's eyes snapped open and his hand caught Noelle's mid-poke. He quirked an eyebrow. "What's up, my lady?"Caught red-handed, Noelle's cheeks blazed with color. With her wrist in
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