"Well... I just gave it to Mr. Hoffman, and he hasn't said anything yet," Noelle explained. Charles pointed at Noelle's phone, gesturing for her to hand it over.Noelle bit her lip. "Mr. Parker, I'm with Mr. Hoffman right now, and he says he wants to speak with you!"Noelle handed the phone to Charles, who took it and said briefly, "This is Charles. I've received the documents you asked Noelle to pass on to me, but I haven't had the chance to review them yet. "But everything seems fine. I'll get back to you this evening. Since you're not feeling well, take it easy and rest up.""Yes, Mr. Hoffman!" Brian replied. Since Charles was not in a hurry, Brian naturally did not rush things either. However, Brian seemed to remember something and asked, "Are you with Noelle now, Mr. Hoffman?""Is there a problem?" Charles' tone shifted abruptly. Just then, his phone rang.He glanced down at Noelle and gestured for her to take out his phone and answer it.Noelle pouted and reluctantly pull
"Alright. Let's go!" Charles nodded. He took his phone from Noelle's hand and casually put it in his pocket, but he did not return Noelle's phoneNoelle opened her mouth to speak but then noticed Charles walking beside her, fiddling with her phone.As he had found the right angle, he pulled Noelle closer and quickly snapped a photo. Noelle heard the sound of the shutter and saw that both their faces had been captured.Pouting, she muttered, "What are you doing?" She reached to grab her phone, but Charles held it high above his head. It was out of her reach even when she stood on her tiptoes."Charles, why are you holding my phone? And if you want to take a photo, at least give me a heads-up. I wasn't even ready! Give me my phone," Noelle complained.Charles smirked, his long fingers tapping away on the screen. Finally satisfied, he handed the phone back to Noelle.Noelle was about to grumble a bit more, but then she noticed that Charles had set that photo as her wallpaper. "Why d
"I'm done with you!" Noelle's face turned crimson, and she decided to walk ahead, ignoring Charles entirely.Charles chuckled, smirking as he took long strides to catch up with Noelle. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Let's focus on finding Mr. Click."When they arrived, George was off to the side, anxiously urging his assistant to handle matters. Due to the language barrier, communication was proving difficult. Judging by George's demeanor, the missing luggage was clearly important."George!" Charles approached and extended his hand. "Remember me?""Charles? Oh, were you the one sent to pick me up?" George's face lit up when he saw Charles, but his gaze quickly shifted to Noelle. "And who is this?""My wife," Charles responded in fluent Farisian, and George's eyes sparkled when he looked at Noelle. He then said, "Charles, your wife is beautiful.""Thank you." Noelle had not formally studied Farisian in college, but since Teresa had shown interest, Noelle sometimes audited the
"Yes, I look forward to working together." Charles glanced down and called Noelle. "Haven't found it yet?""Found it! We're just waiting for it to be delivered. How's it going on your end? By the way, it's getting late. Should we take them to the hotel first, or should we grab something to eat?"Noelle considered that they had been on a long flight and might be tired and hungry, especially after lingering at the airport for so long."Come back first, and we'll figure it out. Becky should've already booked the hotel. I'll get the address from her in a bit."Charles ended the call and turned to George. "My wife said your luggage was found and will be brought over soon!""Oh, that's great news." George finally relaxed, but then he asked, "Charles, when did you get married? There was no news at all!""Not too long ago." When Charles spoke about Noelle, his expression softened, and there was a warmth in his eyes. George noticed and nodded knowingly. "Seems like you've found the one me
"Thank you so much, Charles. Your wife is very considerate," George praised Noelle generously."Yes, my wife is amazing!" Charles readily agreed, never holding back on complimenting Noelle in front of others.After dropping George off, it was already quite late, so they decided not to head to the office and went straight home instead.It had been an exhausting day. Feeling worn out, Noelle kicked off her shoes and went straight to the master bedroom to rest.Knowing how tired she was, Charles did not disturb her and went to the study to review the survey data that Brian had given him.He became engrossed in his work and lost track of time. He continued until late into the night. After a nap, Noelle woke up feeling much better. Upon noticing Charles was not beside her, she slipped out of bed to look for him.Seeing the light on in the study, Noelle knocked gently on the door. Charles' calm voice came from inside, "Come in!"Noelle opened the door and saw Charles deeply focused on
"Hmm?" Charles smiled faintly. "Extraordinary?""Yeah, are you not? Just look at you. Not only are you great at work, but you're also amazing at racing—practically at a professional level. Tell me, how is it that we're both humans, yet you're so much better than me?" Noelle spoke with a hint of envy.Charles shook his head with a chuckle. "Everyone excels in different fields. You're amazing too."Setting his teacup down, Charles picked up a few sheets of paper, marking and circling diagrams before handing them to Noelle. "You need to watch out for these areas. The rest looks good. Has Brian already stepped back to let you handle this?""How did you know?" Noelle looked up in surprise, then chuckled. "Alright, I get it. My mentor's work wouldn't have been this bad, huh?""Don't underestimate yourself. You're doing well. Brian just has more experience, which naturally means he has faced more complex issues. Like these, and these." Charles pointed to the marked areas on the drafts. "
Noelle nodded. "I know that, but their company is small and not really in the scope of consideration. I didn't think you'd change anything because of them."Charles heard her and smiled slightly. He got up, walked behind Noelle, and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them.Noelle looked up, surprised by Charles' actions. She was about to pat his hand and ask him to sit down when Charles placed one hand over hers. "You seemed uncomfortable from working with your head down for so long," he noted.Noelle blinked, then smiled softly. "Alright. Thank you, Charlie."She realized she had indeed been hunched over for too long. Her shoulders and back were sore and numb. She had not expected Charles to notice such small details."I'm the kind of person who doesn't like anyone having control over my lifeline," Charles said as he continued to massage her shoulders with just the right amount of pressure, making her feel comfortable.She tilted her head to look into his eyes a
Charles thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, here's the plan."Tomorrow, I'll have Ronald find a place for George. Staying in a hotel for a year isn't ideal. As for the tea culture, don't you have a friend who runs a garden house? Take him there for a visit."I might not have much time this weekend. I need to meet with Peter.""Don't worry, leave it to me!" Noelle said.…Over the weekend, Charles went to meet Peter as planned while Noelle took Ronald to meet George. Ronald mentioned that they had already found a place—one of the standalone villas under Peter's name left over from when Lennon Group developed the area.Each of them had a few, though Charles rarely visited his.Noelle and Ronald picked up George, who seemed pleasantly surprised by the arrangements. "I didn't expect you to think of everything. I do need to stay in Brookville for about a year. Just yesterday, I was telling Dani that we should find a comfortable place since I'm not too fond of hotels.""The
The kid shivered when he saw Peter's piercing eyes. "I don't know where he is!""You're lying!" Peter said, spinning a scalpel in his hand with a smile that did not reach his cold eyes. "If you don't take me, let's see if you can run faster than my knife can fly!"Peter pretended to throw the knife at the kid, who shook with fear and quickly gave in. "I'll take you!"Peter raised an eyebrow and put the knife away. "Move it!"The kid did not know who Peter was, but after seeing what he could do, he did not dare say no. "Not just anyone can meet Mr. Holt!""Oh, really?""Yes!""Where are you from, sir?" the kid asked Peter in Spanyric."Zyphonia!" Peter answered, then looked at the kid and said, "You've been hiding behind that mask for a long time. Isn't it time to take it off?"Surprised, the kid did not react fast enough, and Peter quickly pulled off the mask, revealing a young and innocent face underneath.She had a soft and detailed face, like that of a girl around fifteen
Peter covered his mouth with a handkerchief, crouched down, and with his trusty military knife, he flipped over a body to take a closer look. To his surprise, he found some strange marks on the body, like a secret code.He squinted his eyes and checked the other bodies. They all had the same mysterious marks.With a chill in his gaze, Peter stood up, cleaned off his knife, and hopped into his car. He followed the path the kid had taken just moments before.Bodies were everywhere, and only a few people were still alive. Most were in shock, and some were rescue workers.However, Peter's sharp eyes quickly spotted a group of people and zeroed in on the kid. Something told Peter that the kid was in trouble. He got out of the car fast and followed the kid's tracks.That kid was no regular Joe. He knew he was being followed after just a few hundred feet and started dodging through the town littered with bodies.Peter's smile grew. He was getting more and more curious about that little
"I know, but Noelle, I had no other way. He put a virus in you. Do you understand what that means?" Charles's piercing eyes softened a bit. "You know I couldn't just do nothing. I couldn't stand to see you in pain!""But my sister is innocent too!" Noelle inhaled deeply. "What if that man didn't care about my sister? Isn't doing this like throwing her into a fire?" Noelle could barely imagine what had become of Kelly then.Noelle had seen that man before, and she knew just how harsh and mean he could be. They had only talked for a little bit, and she did not really get to know him, but she could tell he was the type of person who would do anything to get what he wanted.He was the kind of guy who would put a virus in people like Tania and Bran, and even in women and kids like her. Noelle was scared to think about what he might do to her sister, Kelly."Noelle, you've got to believe me!" Charles pleaded.However, Noelle shook her head. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just.
Kelly was gone. The day after she vanished, little Seth cried his heart out because he could not see her. Tania and Nancy tried everything to calm him down, but nothing worked. They had no choice but to tell Charles about the situation.Noelle and Kelly could have been twins. They were so alike. That was why everyone thought it would be a good idea for Seth to meet Noelle. However, Charles was dead set against it, and nobody had ever seen him so stubborn.Nancy and Clarisse were in the dark about the whole thing, but Tania knew the score. There had not been a peep from Peter lately, and Tania was getting worried that something bad had happened.That day, Tania and Bran headed to the hospital. Charles had moved all his work there, and Ronald was dealing with everything, big and small, right in the hospital.Charles kept Noelle out of the loop, though. She figured she was just there because they had not gotten her sickness under control yet. She knew she had a virus, so she went alon
"What's the matter? Is looking at me enough to fill you up?"Yves turned to Kelly, pulling out a chair and sitting beside her. His long fingers picked up the silverware and served her the meal. "Eat up. Isn't this your favorite?"Her favorite?Kelly stared back at Yves, her gaze frosty. "Do you even know what I like?"Yves put his hands down and gazed at Kelly. "What's wrong? Don't you like the food?" Without waiting for her answer, he quickly summoned the two servants from earlier. "Madam doesn't like the food. You know I don't keep anything around that isn't useful.""Please, madam, have mercy! Sir, have mercy!" The servants' faces turned ghostly white as they stood stiffly on the marble floor, apologizing repeatedly. Kelly's heart raced with fear. "Stop, please. I'll eat, okay? Isn't that enough?"She bowed her head and started gobbling up the food, scared that Yves, who she thought was crazy, might do something unpredictable if he got upset.Kelly could not see the slight
Kelly felt a chill run through her. "Yves, you're just too scary."Kelly did not know much about the Lennon family, but she remembered how Peter had single-handedly brought down Lennon Group six months ago. What if they had not fallen? What about Peter's uncle..."Scary? What I've done is nothing compared to the Hoffman family. They're the real filth. Once you get involved with them, you're tainted too. Don't you think so?" Yves's eyes burned with undisguised hatred as he mentioned the Hoffman family."It's getting late, and you must be hungry by now!"Yves ignored Kelly's protests, bent down, and scooped her up in his arms.Kelly tried to wriggle free, but Yves held her tight. "Unless you fancy going hungry!"Realizing she was getting nowhere, Kelly stopped struggling. She had used up a lot of energy arguing and messing around with Yves, and then she felt drained.Once Kelly was calm, Yves carried her down to the restaurant on the ground floor.Several people stood guard in th
"What did you say?"Just a second ago, Yves might have looked totally calm and unbothered, but then he was like a scary fighter from the darkest night. He grabbed Kelly's hand, his frosty stare locking onto her. When he squeezed just a little, Kelly was trapped, unable to move at all.It hurt so much, like her heart was being drilled into.Kelly's face went white as she looked at Yves, whose face was hidden behind a mask.Somehow, even though she could not see his face, she could tell from his icy, sharp eyes that he was surprised, shocked, and hurting.He held onto Kelly's wrist so tight. His eyes looked like they could eat her up. "Say that again!" he said through clenched teeth, like he was so mad he could gobble her up.Kelly had never seen Yves look so ruthless and fierce, like a messenger from the underworld. She shivered, totally scared, but Yves kept his gaze right on her. "How could you, how dare you!"Was this woman out of her mind? She actually dared to inject herself
Yves just laughed when he heard her. "You've lost respect for me?" He towered over Kelly, who was sitting on the bed. He reached out and gently lifted her chin with his finger, gazing intently into her eyes. "There's no such thing as an innocent person in this world, right?""Let me go!" Kelly jerked her head away. "That's just your dark heart talking. Noelle never hurt you, and neither did Tania or Bran. I can't figure out why you're after them. Sure, you have issues with Charles and the Hoffmans, but go after them, not innocent people!"Yves squinted, then let go of her chin and looked at his finger. "Going after the Hoffmans, huh? Just wait and see what happens.""Yves, are you out of your mind? What did the Hoffmans ever do to you? Aren't you a Hoffman too?"Kelly was confused about Yves's motives, so she tried to get him to spill the beans. However, Yves took her words the wrong way, thinking she meant something else."Do you feel bad for Charles?" "I don't know what you're
Kelly trembled from head to toe when she heard Yves's words. She tried to push him away, but Yves was too strong, and she could not get free. "Let me go, Yves! You're crazy, a creep, let me go!" Kelly kept struggling. She tried to slap him, but Yves caught her other hand.Yves pulled Kelly close, and his chilly breath wrapped around her. She shivered, but Yves just hugged her tighter. "After all these years, you haven't changed a bit!"Kelly felt a chill all over her body. She wanted to push him away, but she could not muster the strength.Yves held Kelly in his arms. His firm chin was visible outside his mask, and his cool lips brushed against Kelly's cheek as he softly laughed. "Kelly, I've missed you too!"Kelly suddenly looked up, her surprised eyes meeting Yves's deep ones.His eyes were different from Charles's. Charles's gaze was icy and emotionless, like chunks of ice.However, Yves's eyes were different. They were just as deep but had a touch of warmth. His eyes were lik