After leaving The Majestic Lounge, Noelle hailed a cab to get home. She had moved out of her childhood home a long time ago because of her messy relationship with her family and because it made it easier for her to go to and come back from work.When Noelle got out of the cab, she stood and stared dazedly at the neighborhood she lived in. Xavier had helped her move out back then, and they even had plans to get engaged and then married when the time was right. She never imagined the entire thing to be nothing more than a joke and to be later reduced to nothing more than the ‘instigator’.She felt like everything that happened yesterday was just a bad nightmare.“Are you home, Noelle?” When Noelle walked out of the elevator, she saw Winter standing by her front door with a worried look on her face. Her brows knitted themselves together instinctively, and she was about to turn and walk away when someone grabbed her arm. “Noelle.” Noelle froze and tried shaking her arm free of Xavie
“Look at how kind Winter is to you, Noelle. How could you…” “F*ck off. I don’t want to see you two.” It was only then that Noelle finally knew what Xavier thought of her.“Don’t do this, Noelle. No matter what happens, we’re still family. Do you know how angry Grandpa was when he learned about what happened? He… He wouldn’t want bad blood between us sisters over something as minor as this.” Winter grabbed Noelle’s arm, tears streaming down her face as she said passionately, “You know just how much Grandpa loves you, Noelle. What happened is all my fault. Please come home with me! Grandpa would be so upset if you didn’t!” Noelle's sadness only intensified when she heard those words leaving Winter’s mouth. “Grandpa? So, you know how disappointed Grandpa would be as well. If you knew that, you should never have done what you did in the first place. Why didn’t you think about how sad Grandpa would be when you did all this despite knowing Xavier was my boyfriend?” “Noelle, don’t yo
Noelle could not stop herself from raising her voice, and tears streamed down her face without warning. She reached out and pried Xavier’s fingers off the handle one by one before shoving him away forcefully. “If both you and Winter aren’t to blame, does that mean that I’m the one to be blamed? If you had been even the slightest bit considerate of my feelings, you wouldn’t need to be doing all this today. Xavier Harris, you could have told me you didn’t like me, and we could have broken up. I’m not the type of girl who’d give you trouble over it. As for you, Winter Shaw, you say time and time again that we’re sisters, but what have you ever done for me? You could have told me you had feelings for Xavier, and I would have given you two my blessings when I realized he liked you too. After all, I would not have survived till today if it wasn’t for what you did all those years ago. But does that mean I’ll forever be indebted to you? Huh?” Tears were flowing freely down Noelle’s face when
Noelle slept through the night, but she was not in very high spirits when she awoke. As she gazed at her pale face and puffy eyes reflected in the mirror, she vehemently splashed water at her eyes until some color returned to her cheeks. Then, she propped her hands against the sink dispiritedly and gazed at herself sadly. “Wake up, Noelle! There aren’t any hardships that you can’t get past!” After preparing herself mentally, she began putting on makeup. She heaved a sigh of relief when all signs of disheveledness could no longer be seen on her face. However, she frowned when she saw her grandfather, Sebastian, her maternal grandfather, calling her. She hurriedly answered, “Hello, Grandpa? What’s the matter?” “You haven’t forgotten that I asked you to come home today, have you?” Sebastian’s voice rang out. He might be getting on in age, but his voice was filled with as much vim and vigor as it had during his younger years. He had his many years of delivering lectures to students t
Sebastian caught on to what Charles was hinting at almost instantly. His face tensed for a split second before he regained his composure. "Noelle just got back from a trip, so she’s still mixing up timezones! Hey, Charles, you might as well stay for dinner since you’re here."He waved May over. "We need some groceries, May. Noelle and Charles are both dining in tonight, so make it snappy!" Sebastian handed her a wad of bills.May had been with the family long enough to read between the lines. With a knowing squint, she grabbed the cash and headed out the door. "You three have a good chat."Seizing the moment while Sebastian was busy giving May instructions, Noelle's gaze fixed on Charles. How on earth did Charles know her granddad?Charles's eyes, which were sharp and narrow, met Noelle's with a light-hearted laugh. "Ms. Shaw, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.""Give me a break. Aren't you the least bit shocked? You're really my granddad's student?" Noelle's skepticism was palpab
Charles squinted, his gaze dropping to the slender hands pushing against his chest. Noelle looked like she was playing hard to get, but Charles knew better that she was not the type to send mixed signals. Right now, her hands were shaking slightly, the warmth of her touch making his eyebrows rise a little. His eyes lingered on Noelle's overly made-up face.Charles reached out with a frown and touched her cheek, his voice laced with annoyance. "Lay off the heavy makeup next time. It's not your style."Noelle's temper flared instantly, and she shoved Charles back, "Back off! It's my face, so I’ll do whatever I want with it. I'll wear as much makeup as I want. Keep your opinions to yourself."Noelle stood up with a huff. "I'm going to check on what Grandpa is up to!"She made her way to Sebastian's study, tapped lightly on the door, and called out, "Grandpa, can I come in?""Come in!"Upon hearing Sebastian's voice, Noelle swung the door open and found him by the bookshelf, thumbing
Noelle gritted her teeth and turned to Sebastian, who gave her an awkward glance. She huffed, "Grandpa, I usually go along with your ideas, but not this. This is about who I spend my life with, and I can't afford to make that decision lightly. I don't want a repeat of the Xavier disaster. That would just be... tragic."Sebastian did not know what else to say. He had hoped that introducing Noelle to Charles might ignite a spark, but with Noelle so against it, he could not push it. "Okay, okay, I won't mention it again. But you should know that Charles is a great guy, and...""Grandpa!" Noelle's frown deepened. "If you keep this up, I won’t visit you again!”Noelle cut off Sebastian, saying, "We should head out. It doesn't feel right to leave Mr. Hoffman by himself in the living room.""You and your stubbornness..." Sebastian sighed, resigning himself to her will.As Noelle and Sebastian emerged, Charles's eyes twinkled with a teasing glint as he looked at Noelle. His lips curled in
"Ms. Shaw, don’t fight it. If you can't avoid something, then just try to enjoy it. Makes sense, right?" Charles's gaze held a hint of mystery as he spoke. Noelle bit her lip, her fight fading away.When Charles felt Noelle's resistance ease up, he let go of her hand. "Hop in, Ms. Shaw."Noelle shot Charles a reluctant look but followed him into the car anyway. Charles flashed a grin. "Buckle up!"Noelle had barely settled into the car seat when she rattled off her address to Charles, then clammed up, only piping up to correct his driving once or twice. Charles was not clueless and picked up on Noelle's cold shoulder. Pulling up to her place, he shot her a look. "Remember what I said before? The offer is still valid, Ms. Shaw. Call me if you’re thinking about it again."Noelle bit her lip, "Look at you, Mr. Hoffman. You’re successful, loaded, and the town's most eligible bachelor. You could snap your fingers and have the ladies of Brookville lining up from here to kingdom come. Why
Once Charles left, he called Ronald and instructed him to find Liliana a better school without all the drama.Ronald could not figure out why his boss suddenly cared so much about Liliana's problems. However, when he thought about how sad the young girl's situation was, he could not help but feel concerned too.Sean was surprised to get a call from Charles. "Hey, what's got Mr. Busy so free to ring me up?" he joked.The two were buddies. Even though Charles was a couple of years older, it did not get in the way of their friendship.Charles gave him a look. "You're not the type to poke your nose into other people's business!"Sean was stunned for a second, then laughed out loud. "What's that supposed to mean? Do I seem so standoffish? Let's just say I was being nice for once!" Sean explained, "But really, what's going on? That girl looked so helpless. She was getting picked on and too scared to stand up for herself. If I hadn't decided to skip the front gate and hop over the fence
"If you won't step up, then I'll look after her!" Charles declared, striding past Mateo. "We can't let the Hoffmans be pushed around without even realizing it!"“What do you mean by that?"Liliana had no idea that she had become the Hoffman family’s center of attention. By the next day, James had her room fixed up beautifully with every amenity she could ever want. She did not lack anything that Layla had, be it in her wardrobe or jewelry box.The servants escorted Liliana to her new room, and James handed her a card. "Miss, this is from Mr. Hoffman. He said you can buy whatever your heart desires with it!"Liliana could not believe it. She had no idea why Charles was being so nice or what he was up to. She did not even know that he had taken care of all the people who had bullied her before.All Liliana knew was that she felt nervous sitting in her room, waiting for Charles to come back.When Charles returned and saw Liliana waiting, he asked, "Were you looking for me?""Sir, y
Liliana stayed silent."Where's your room?"Charles felt a rare sense of defeat when Liliana would not answer. "Change your clothes. I'll take you to the hospital!""No, there's no need for that!" Liliana quickly gestured with her hands. She had already been to the hospital once today and could not possibly go again. "I have medicine!"Charles was not convinced. "What really happened?"Liliana fidgeted with her hands. "I was just clumsy. I've already bought some medicine, so there's really no need for this!"Clumsiness was a ridiculous excuse for how she looked right now.Charles was too clever not to notice what was going on. However, when he saw how scared Liliana looked, he did not push her any further. "You can put the ointment on yourself. Just remember that you're part of the Hoffman family. From today onward, don't let anyone push you around. If they do, they're messing with my reputation too!"Liliana nodded quickly, too scared to say much, and scampered off.With a fr
Liliana was scared of Charles. She did not know what he was up to, but she had not stolen anything or damaged Layla's necklace.She stood up from the floor and faced Charles with earnest eyes. "I didn't steal anything, and I didn't break her necklace. I really didn't!""You're lying! If it wasn't you, then why is my necklace broken?" Layla refused to let Liliana off the hook. She was convinced that Charles would not take Liliana's side. After all, who would side with an illegitimate daughter?Liliana's mom had caused a lot of trouble for Charles's family, and Layla was determined to set things straight with Liliana today. She thought of Liliana as nothing but trouble.Charles looked at Layla with an icy stare. "Are you saying that my sister, Liliana, would need to steal your necklace?" His voice was steady, but it made Layla tremble with fear. "I... She's not really your sister. She...""She's not?" Charles let out a grim laugh but did not look at Layla again. Instead, he turned
Liliana was on the ground, getting hit and kicked by Layla. She wanted to hit back for a second, but thinking of her mom made her stop."You think you can hit me?" Layla sneered. "You're nothing but a nobody, yet you think you're one of us?""I didn't do it! I didn't ruin your necklace! I was just cleaning!" Liliana cried."Yeah, right," Layla mocked. "Like I'd believe that. You're just a thief!""What's going on here?"A sharp voice cut through the air, and both girls froze.Layla quickly let go and ran to Charles. "Charles..." However, he stepped away before she could touch him.Layla's hand hung awkwardly in the air, but she quickly smiled. "Charles, this girl stole my stuff and broke my necklace!" Layla complained, holding up the necklace. "It was my birthday present from Dad!"Charles might have been only twenty-one, but he was already the vice president of Collosus Group.In the small town of Brookville, he was something of a legend. He had gone overseas when he was just
If the servants caught her in those clothes, they would definitely give her an earful.After tidying up, Liliana stepped out to join the bustle of the household. The servants were all busy, and she pitched in to help clean and prepare dinner. With her hair pulled back, her bruised face was visible. She glanced at the big bag of ointment on her bed and felt tears well up again. She whispered his name in her heart, "Sean, Sean!"Liliana whispered the name to herself repeatedly, as if she was etching it deep into her rib bones, right over her heart, so it would never fade away.When Liliana stepped out, the maid took one look at her and gasped. "You look like a ghost! Are you trying to give someone a heart attack?"Liliana looked down, murmuring a quiet, "Sorry.""Well, don't just stand there. Come and help with the chores. You're not some fancy lady of the Hoffman family!" The maid was used to it. She knew that even though Liliana had the last name Hoffman, nobody in the Hoffman f
Liliana gazed into Sean's eyes, not looking away for even a second.Sean felt a jolt in his chest as if something had struck him, and a flurry of thoughts burst through his mind.He grimaced as if snapping out of a trance. "Is that why you pulled away from me?"Liliana looked down, silent.Feeling a mix of frustration and amusement, Sean asked, "Do you think I would think less of you because of that?"Liliana did not answer, and Sean chuckled lightly. "If I really thought less of you, do you think I'd have saved you? Would I have helped you?"Liliana suddenly lifted her head. "But I...""Nobody gets to choose where they come from, Liliana. It's not your fault," Sean said, looking into her eyes, which seemed to be on the verge of tears. Despite her delicate appearance, she had strength within her. She held back her tears, and her gaze stirred a sense of compassion in Sean.Liliana's heart skipped a beat. All her life, she had lived in the shadows. She thought everyone looked at
"Have you eaten yet?”Sean checked the time and realized it was getting late. It was way past dinner time.Liliana was still silent, her head bowed."I'm hungry!" Sean announced.Liliana glanced up, then quickly looked away. "Then you should go home and eat!""Don't you want to eat too?" Sean asked, reaching out and gently taking Liliana's hand.Liliana jerked her hand away as if she had been burned, leaving Sean's hand hanging in the air. He stared at her, surprised and a little hurt.Liliana felt bad about her reaction. "I'm sorry, Sean!"Sean scrunched his eyebrows. "Sorry for what? I told you, you've done nothing wrong. Why do you look so sad?"Sean did not usually have that much patience for people he barely knew, but he told himself that this was his good deed for the day. Besides, Liliana looked as sad as a puppy left out in the rain, and he could not help wanting to cheer her up. "Come on. Look at me," he said gently. "What's got you so scared?"Liliana did not know w
Sean was really pleased with the principal's promise. "You've got to keep your word, Principal. I may not be here, but the school is still in Brookville, and so is my family, the Smiths!" "Absolutely!" With his mission accomplished, Sean left with Liliana."Oh, and since Liliana is hurt right now..." "Of course, the school will give her some time off. Don't worry about your studies, Liliana. If you run into any issues, just come to me or the head of teaching. Your grades will be just fine!" Satisfied, Sean walked away. Liliana tagged along behind Sean. With his long arms and legs, Sean towered over her. Even though he was only eighteen, he was already much taller than Liliana by more than a head.Liliana stood by Sean, looking as tiny and frail as a malnourished child. Sean moved quickly, and Liliana had to trot to keep up with his long strides.The lawyer trailed behind them, a small smirk playing on his lips as he watched the scene unfold with amusement.After Sean dismisse