"Thank you, Charlie!""One meal was all it took to win you over?" Charles raised an eyebrow.He sipped his soup leisurely, his innate aristocratic air making even a simple, everyday meal appear elegant and refined.By contrast, Noelle seemed a bit more disheveled. She was genuinely starving—she had not eaten much before they went out the previous night, and she had a drink. After such an energy-draining night, Noelle was famished.If she had not been too tired to get up in the morning, there was no way she would have waited this long to eat breakfast."By the way, Charlie, are you heading out today?""Probably not." Charles set down his soup platter. "Do you want to go out?"Noelle shook her head. "No, I don't. I'm too tired!" She didn't feel like taking a single step or moving at all.Charles chuckled. "Are you full?"Noelle nodded. "I'm full." She had already eaten three slices of toast and two bowls of soup; if she did not feel full after that, she was definitely on her way
"Alright, I'll ask Aunt Nancy first." Charles then hung up the phone.Noelle noticed his serious expression as she entered from the garden. "What's wrong? Is it something troublesome? From work?""No, nothing to worry about." Charles reached out and gently patted Noelle's head. "It's Mr. Fischer.""What happened to Steven?" Noelle raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't everything fine with him last night?""He's fine, but he wants to see someone," Charles said, holding Noelle's hand as they walked to the living room. "Are you feeling better now?"Noelle raised an eyebrow, smiling. "How did you know I was feeling unwell earlier?""I could tell. You ate so much in one go; can your little stomach handle it?" Charles playfully tapped Noelle's nose. "No more overeating from now on.""Got it. But it's because you made everything so delicious." Noelle grumbled. "Don't change the subject. Who does Steven want to meet? Does it have something to do with you? You seemed a bit off—was it difficult to a
"Him? Dating someone?" Henry shook his head. "You know Charlie's temperament well. Even Janet couldn't catch his eye; he's probably still thinking about that person." Henry sighed and shook his head.Nancy had a different perspective from Henry. "Henry, you know Charlie's temperament. What does he despise the most? Those two women both did exactly that, so Charlie won't have anything to do with them."Since Charles had grown up by Nancy's side, she understood his personality well. "I trust Charlie on this. If he's asking me to go over, it's probably because he doesn't want to come here, and that he certainly doesn't want the family to know. I'll go over and have a look.""That boy always preferred you, ever since he was little. Even though I'm his uncle, we ended up being distant." Henry spoke with a hint of jealousy, though it was not clear whether it was directed at Charles or Nancy.Nancy chuckled. "If Charlie knew his Uncle Henry felt this way, he'd be hurt.""That boy? Hurt?
"That's true. Ms. Nancy's condition has been quite severe lately, and although Mr. Clarrise hasn't done anything specific, her attitude toward Ms. Nancy hasn't been very good," James agreed that Henry and Nancy leaving for a while was for the best. "But is it okay for Mr. Henry to take care of Ms. Nancy on his own?""You don't need to worry about that. Henry can take care of his own wife just fine," Maxwell replied with a slight smile.In truth, Henry had been his favored choice for a successor back in the day, but Henry's heart was not in it, and Maxwell had not pushed further. Later on, with Charles's emergence, Maxwell felt reassured.The car sent by Charles was parked a little distance from the Hoffman residence—close enough for Henry and Nancy not to have to walk too far, but out of sight of the Hoffmans' household.Ronald and Andrew got out of the car. "Mr. Henry, Ms. Nancy."They quickly took the luggage. After helping Henry and Nancy get in, they started the car.Henry's
"She does look a bit like her, but it's not her." Henry sighed softly. "This girl seems quite nice." He turned to Ronald behind him and asked, "When did Charlie get married? Why didn't we know anything about it?""Well… Mr. Hoffman got married about five months ago. It's not just you, many people don't know about it," Ronald explained.Since Charles had invited Henry and Nancy over today, and Noelle had openly acknowledged the marriage, Ronald assumed Charles was not planning on hiding it from Henry and Nancy, so he decided to be upfront.Henry and Nancy were both shocked. They had not expected that Charles not only got married but had done so quite early and had kept it hidden for so long. Five months ago meant that Charles got married around the time when Robert had his incident.This kid really kept things under wraps, fooling everyone. If he had not invited them over today, they would probably still be in the dark."This girl…""Rest assured, she's very nice. You can see sh
"Your parents?" Nancy asked, looking up at Charles.However, Charles appeared calm and indifferent, as if he truly never considered telling them. Nancy understood and decided not to press further. "You brat, you didn't mention your marriage on the phone earlier. Your Uncle Henry and I came empty-handed, and this is our first time meeting...""Aunt Nancy, my name is Noelle Shaw. You can just call me Noelle," she smiled."Oh, Noelle." Nancy noted how Noelle behaved with grace and poise. Most importantly, Nancy could tell Noelle was genuinely pleasant and had treated them with respect, neither too humble nor arrogant.Plus, she seemed attentive to Charles as well, her eyes often following him. "Charlie, your Uncle Henry and I are meeting Noelle for the first time, and we didn't bring anything—that's just not right!""It's not a problem, Aunt Nancy," Noelle reassured her without any concern. "Actually, Charlie has wanted to introduce me to you for a while, but I felt the timing wasn
"Oh?" Henry raised an eyebrow and glanced at Charles, who nodded. He was clearly satisfied with Noelle's words. "It's true, Uncle Henry.""In that case, I have nothing more to say," Henry agreed. "I know you're prudent in your actions. Since you chose not to inform us earlier, I assume you had your reasons. I won't press further. But as for your parents and your grandfather…""I will tell them when the time is right. For now, I'd ask to keep this confidential, uncle," Charles responded, his expression turning serious.It was rare for Henry to see Charles take something so seriously. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "This is ultimately your decision, but I still think you should inform your father."Dealing with your parents will be rather tricky, especially with Janet in the picture. How do you plan to handle that?"Henry glanced at Noelle, noting that she did not seem fazed, which suggested she was already aware of Janet."You're both grown-ups with your own thoughts and th
Nancy smiled and shook her head. "Charlie is like my own child. I know his thoughts well. Since you both went through the trouble of inviting me, there's no harm in meeting whoever it is."With that, Nancy took out her phone and called Henry. "Henry, I've been craving fruit cake. Could you get some for me?""Right now?" Henry furrowed his brows together. "Alright, I'll go in a bit."After ending the call, Henry turned his gaze to Charles. "Since you've chosen to get married, live honestly and properly from now on. I think this girl is good—treat her well.""I will," Charles replied with a smile. "I married her, so I'll take responsibility for her for life."Henry chuckled. "You remind me of myself when I was young." Then he added, "But the girl's appearance…"Charles frowned. "She is who she is, and she's not anyone else. Uncle Henry, I know perfectly well whom I love.""That sets my mind at ease." Henry patted Charles on the shoulder. "You and Noelle take care of your Aunt Nanc
"Your mom is a homewrecker, a vixen who destroys other people's families.""You're the daughter of a mistress. My mom says you're an illegitimate child!""We don't want to play with you! My mom says no one wants you because you're just a bastard!""Go away! We don't want to play with someone as dirty as you!"…"Mommy, Mommy, why don't you want me?"Liliana felt so cold.It was her first winter in Brookville after coming from the misty waters of Jacksonville, and the chill seeped deep into her bones.The Hoffman residence was enormous, yet Liliana still felt cold—not just from the weather but from the people. Their gazes were cold and indifferent. Even at school, the way those elite students looked at her was filled with mockery.She was only five when her mother brought her to this bustling metropolis, leading her straight to this grand yet icy mansion.The people here were dressed elegantly, so dazzling that it was impossible to look away. However, when they looked at her a
Even though she loved him deeply now, Noelle still felt as if a part of her memory was missing. It seemed unfair to Charles.Charles simply smiled, lowering his head to place a gentle kiss on the corner of her lips."Alright. Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you." He agreed, his tone warm and unwavering. "But before that, I think we have something more important to do.""What is it?" Noelle looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with a misty glow that made Charles' heart ripple."Our wedding night, of course, Mrs. Hoffman."Noelle's face turned bright red in an instant. "But… we're in a hotel, not Phoenix Tree Residence!""It doesn't matter where we are. As long as I have you, that's all that matters."Tonight, every word Charles spoke was as if dipped in honey, making Noelle's heart race. She stole a shy glance at him. "But… my brother and the others are still outside—""Forget about them."Without another word, Charles scooped her up and carried her straight to the bed, b
"Charlie, I forgot about you. Tell me the truth—are you angry?"Charles sighed. "No, how could I ever be angry with you?"He reached out and gently tucked a strand of Noelle's hair behind her ear. Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he let out a soft chuckle. "Even if you never remember me for the rest of your life, I still wouldn't be angry.""Really?"Charles nodded.Noelle hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to look straight at him. "Charlie… if—just hypothetically—if things between me and Xavier had never gone wrong… If Winter never came between us and I was still with Xavier… What would you have done? Would you have just watched me get engaged to him? Marry him? And then—"Before she could finish, Charles pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her.Noelle blinked and saw that his gaze had deepened. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist."No. That would never happen," he said firmly. The very thought of her with someone else, marrying someone else
The moment Noelle finished speaking, the world seemed to fall silent.Charles' lips curved into a faint smile, his eyes glinting with amusement. Yet if one looked closely, there was a serious intensity in his gaze as he fixed it on Noelle. "Hmm? What did my wife just say?"Noelle shot him a sharp glare. "I don't care. Whatever it is, you're not allowed to read it. Give it back!"She pouted, her expression just as serious and determined.Charles raised an eyebrow, surprised by how adamant she was.Though curiosity tugged at him, he would not force her if she felt so strongly about it. "Alright, I won't read it."Hearing this, Noelle exhaled in relief and reached out her hand. "Then give it back."Charles' eyes glimmered with amusement. "I promise I won't read it now, but I'll wait for the day you show it to me yourself."After saying that, he placed the diary into Noelle's hand. Instead of letting her go, however, he pulled her into an embrace as if he wanted to merge her into h
So, that was why the name felt so familiar—because Noelle had known Charles since she was a child.No wonder, the first time she met him, his gaze had seemed to pierce right through her as if he were looking for someone else. Had he been looking at her all along?Noelle reached up and touched her own face, realization washing over her. The memories she had lost all this time… They were about Charles?Her emotions swelled uncontrollably. Moving carefully, she knelt before him, her gaze fixed intently on his face. She compared his features to the descriptions she had recorded in her diary.With a trembling hand, she reached out, stopping just shy of touching his cheek.She simply watched him, quietly, taking in his features. They were so similar to the ones she had once described in her diary. A sudden chuckle escaped her lips.Even though she still could not recall the details of how they had met, she could tell from her own words just how much she must have liked him back then. O
Noelle smiled softly. "It's nothing. He probably just drank too much."Tania handed her a cup. "Here's some honey water. Let my brother drink some later."She paused for a moment before adding, "Don't worry about Ice and Glitter. Peter and I will take care of them.""Thank you, Tania." Noelle had indeed been worrying about the babies.The adults could stay up celebrating, but Connor and Nora were only two months old. They needed rest."It's nothing," Tania reassured her. "This is such a big day for you two. Don't worry, we'll take good care of the kids. Most of the guests have already left, and Grandpa and the others have gone home too."Noelle nodded. "What about you?""Peter and I will take Bran home soon, but we'll stop by Phoenix Tree Residence first to check on the babies.""Alright.""Just stay here and rest for now. Sean and the others are still partying pretty hard. I doubt they'll be leaving anytime soon."After Tania left, Noelle tested the temperature of the honey
This wedding was nothing short of spectacular. Every moment was meticulously recorded by a dedicated team, with cameras set up throughout the venue to capture every detail of the ceremony from all angles.Charles and Noelle barely had a moment to rest as they moved from table to table, toasting guests with endless glasses of wine. The atmosphere remained lively and joyous deep into the night. It was not until the early hours of the morning that Noelle finally helped Charles to a private lounge on the second floor of the hotel.Though many had stepped in to shield them from excessive drinking, there was no avoiding the celebratory nature of the occasion. The alcohol had inevitably taken its toll. After settling Charles onto the couch, Noelle fetched some honey water and a warm towel before returning to his side.Charles lay slightly on his side, propping his chin up with one hand. Noelle sat beside him and handed him the towel, but he did not reach for it.Sighing, she called soft
Sean clicked his tongue, shaking his head in amusement. "Charles, your body is here, but your heart is clearly somewhere else."Then, as if making an even bigger discovery, he gestured toward a spot not far away. "Oh, I say, Charles, this is a real crisis. See that?"With the enthusiasm of someone who thrived on drama, Sean pointed at Noelle and Grant. "I don't know, man. That guy doesn't look like he's here with good intentions."Charles raised an eyebrow, his gaze darkening as it settled on Noelle and Grant. He gripped his glass a little tighter, but his eyes refused to move away from them. Still, his words were dismissive. "He's just another big brother-in-law. That's all.""Yeah, right. Just admit it—he's a strong rival."The second Sean finished speaking, he felt an icy stare pierce through him. Charles' glare was sharp enough to cut. "Hmm? What did you just say?""Nothing!" Sean swallowed hard, instantly backtracking. Dear god, a jealous man was terrifying!"You think he's
Grant's eyes carried too many emotions—too many things unspoken. Noelle could not fully understand, but she could sense that there was something significant behind his words.The diary in her hands had to hold something important that was possibly related to the past she had forgotten. Perhaps they were the lost pieces of her memory that she had always assumed were not crucial.She had assumed so because otherwise, she would have recalled them after all these years. Besides, they had not seemed to affect her life in any meaningful way.Over time, she had gradually let go of the idea of remembering.Yet now, with Grant handing her this diary, an unsettling feeling crept over her as if she had forgotten something incredibly important—something she could not afford to lose.Holding the diary tightly, Noelle felt a strange mix of emotions that she could not quite describe.She hesitated before murmuring, "Thank you."In the end, she did not ask Grant where he had gotten the diary. I