The wine tasted even worse than the first sip he took, so Hendrix couldn't help but frown.Then, he saw that figure in white.He stood on the high floor, and everything below seemed to become just a blur of spots. But even then, Hendrix instantly recognized her. He could even see her standing by the trash can, throwing something into it. His grip on the glass tightened instantly.After a long pause, he slowly released it.Hendrix knew that he had never been someone driven by intense emotions. It stemmed from Beatrice's teachings when he was young. Now, when he thought of her, the first thing that came to his mind was still her calm tone and the smile that always seemed too polished.Hendrix once believed that he had no attachment toward her until the moment she was in danger.He suddenly realized something. She was the person in this world who was closest to him and blood-related to him. He had once existed inside of her. A tiny umbilical cord had connected them, tying them toget
Of course, Hendrix knew who they were referring to. This was the first time he asked the security guards of the hospital to kick these people out.The two elderly, despite their frail appearance, shouted with full force as they were dragged out, claiming they would go to the press and make sure everyone knew that Lloyd was killed by the Freeman family.At that moment, Hendrix coldly responded, "Go ahead."His fearless attitude sent a chill down their spine, but he didn't look at them again.After a while, Dan arrived and told him that his items from Serene Street had been moved to Percy Gardens.Hendrix only responded with a hum.Dan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I saw Mrs…. Ms. Swanson didn't look good. She might be sick."Hendrix didn't reply."Mr. Freeman, actually Ms. Swanson isn't at fault in this matter. Are you sure you want to take it out on her…"Dan hadn't finished speaking when Hendrix suddenly glanced at him.Although Hendrix didn't say a word, that one g
Noelle remained silent. She wanted to explain, but she just didn't know how to start. But when the words reached her lips, she ultimately said nothing, quietly swallowing her voice instead.Hendrix had probably long forgotten these things. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suggested vacationing in that same place.So, Noelle understood that what they once called their "intense" emotions was nothing but an illusion. because if he truly liked her, he wouldn't have forgotten about this incident.Just like her—when she liked him, she wanted to engrave every moment and every detail of their time together into her memory. But Hendrix didn't, which meant he never really liked her.He had chosen her, but it was only because of the compatibility of their bodies.This time, Noelle came to Dynalis alone, but she had meticulously planned her trip. She even found a professional local guide online.The guide was a student studying abroad, sporting clean, short hair and exuding a warm and outgoing pe
"Was that your ex-boyfriend?" asked Seline the moment they entered a private room.Noelle was stunned, and she shook her head."No? Why do I feel like you guys—""He's my ex-husband," answered Noelle.Seline was rendered speechless. After a while, she suddenly clapped and said, "I remember now! Is he from Amity Group in Coppersville?""You know him?""Um… I guess so? Since I used to keep myself updated with the news in Coppersville back then. Compared to those fat and bald men in other companies, he's the most outstanding one."Noelle just smiled in response."Who's that girl beside him?""She's the adoptive daughter my parents have adopted."Noelle's words contained a lot of messages here.Seline's jaw dropped slowly, the kind of exaggerated gape that looked like it could fit an entire egg.Noelle couldn't help but chuckle, raising her glass again. "But now, they don't have anything to do with me anymore. I've had fun these past few days. Thank you."Seline studied Noelle
Noelle had had some drinks, so her face was red. But her eyes were wet.She seemed to doubt the scene she was witnessing. She shook her head, trying to confirm she wasn't seeing things, and only then did she call out his name, "Hendrix."Hendrix didn't answer, and his gaze remained emotionless, much like when he had watched her in the bar earlier."It's snowing," Noelle said, seemingly unaffected by his mood, as she pointed at the sky. "Look. It's a lot of snow. You're right. The snow here is definitely prettier than in Coppersville. But I still prefer the snow in Coppersville."Noelle spoke to herself, her steps still unsteady. If not for the tight grip of his hand on her arm, she would have fallen by now."But Coppersville is too cold," she added with a soft laugh, lowering her head. "Of course, it's cold here too. This winter... It feels so long."Her voice trailed off, and her eyes slowly closed.After a glance at her, Hendrix immediately bent down and picked her up in his a
Noelle still didn't like Dynalis. Even though there were countless tourists visiting every year, and the scenery here was indeed beautiful, she still didn't like it.At this very moment, she just wanted to hurry back to Coppersville—back to that small rental apartment that only belonged to her.But as soon as the plane landed, the Swanson family came to her.Well, Matilda was in critical condition. Although Craig had been working hard to find a compatible kidney for her transplant, there had still been no success up to today.Moreover, Noelle was her biological daughter, and from a medical standpoint, she was the best candidate for the transplant.Noelle was almost forcibly pushed into the car.After seeing Craig, she scoffed coldly. "What? You guys are forcing me into an operation now?"Craig looked at her, then gestured for the others to leave.Then, he looked at Noelle. "What do you want?"Noelle looked into his eyes and said, "I told your wife clearly before. If you give m
After Craig listened to Sandra's words, his expression changed instantly, and his eyes widened as he looked at Sandra, seemingly unable to believe that such a cruel idea could come from her mouth.Sandra realized this and hurriedly said, "I… I just want Mom to live. You saw for yourself how much she's been tormented by the illness. I really can't bear to see her like this."Craig didn't say anything.Although he, too, resented Noelle for not saving her and had cursed countless times wishing for her death, Sandra's words still shocked him deeply.Sandra didn't say anything more and just looked up anxiously at him.Just then, the nurse's urgent voice came through, "Why is everyone here? Hurry! The patient's condition isn't looking good!"Craig's face instantly changed, and he rushed out.Matilda had already been pushed into the emergency room, and when Craig arrived, all he received was the doctor's notice of her critical condition.Craig could only sign the document with trembli
Noelle seemed to be followed by someone.Her job was to stay at home and paint, so she didn't have many opportunities to go out, but once or twice a week, she would go out to buy some groceries.Normally, her outings were at random times, so it wasn't likely anyone would be following her.And because of that, whenever she turned around, she didn't notice anything unusual, so she didn't really pay attention to it.Until one day, when she was heading to the supermarket, a motorcycle suddenly sped toward her.The motorcycle had a clear intention, and it was heading straight for her. Noelle was startled and took several steps back, just as someone else happened to be walking by.The motorcycle zipped past her and drove off into the distance.The howling wind seemed to still echo in Noelle's ears, and her whole body froze as she was too scared to move.What stood out most to her was the look in the man's eyes when he had glanced at her. It was as if he was going to tear her life apa
Hendrix didn't reply. Instead, he simply tossed the folder in his hand to Dylan.Dylan glanced down at the folder. Something flickered across his eyes, but in the end, he reached out and took it.The moment he skimmed the first few pages, his face turned as pale as a sheet, and his grip on the documents tightened instinctively.After a moment, Dylan finally looked at Hendrix. "What's the meaning of this?"Hendrix let out a soft laugh. "What do you think it means?"Dylan quickly regained his composure and asked, "Where did you get these?""That's not something you need to concern yourself with.""So? What do you want?"Sitting on the couch, Hendrix leisurely poured him a glass of wine and took a sip. Throughout the entire process, he maintained his usual elegance and composure, whereas Dylan's expression grew darker and darker.Finally, Hendrix said, "What do I want? I thought I'd already made it very clear.""Mr. Freeman, we're both men. Don't you think using tactics like thi
Hendrix grew exasperated. When he heard the sound of the door lock turning, he lifted his head and barked, "Get lost!"The single, decisive shout silenced everything outside instantly. Even the woman in his arms went completely still.Noelle seemed to realize that her resistance was futile. The hands she had been pressing against his chest slowly dropped away, and even the tears in her eyes vanished in that moment.She slowly sank back and tilted her head upward. Then, she simply stared at the glaring incandescent light with eyes filled with emptiness.Hendrix stared at her for a while before suddenly laughing. "Are you really that upset? Or do you feel wronged? Does it really hurt you so much to leave him?"He was smiling, even forcing a mocking tone into his words, but his hands were trembling uncontrollably. It was a pain that started deep in his chest, spreading through his bloodstream until it reached his fingertips.Noelle didn't answer him, but her expression was as good a
Hendrix reached out and gripped Noelle's chin. In a deep voice laced with a clear trace of anger, he asked, "You've fallen for Dylan, haven't you?"Noelle didn't answer, but she pressed her lips tighter and tighter. Her eyes still brimmed with tears, but the moisture only made them shine more brightly, more vividly. In their reflection, Hendrix could see himself clearly, and he could also see the unmistakable hatred within them.She hated him. Hendrix knew that, of course. From the moment he decided to take this path, he had already anticipated how she would react.But so what? Was he supposed to stand by and watch as they became nothing more than strangers who had nothing to do with each other?If that were the case, Hendrix would rather she hated him.He could live with that outcome—it wasn't something he couldn't accept. But the one thing he absolutely couldn't tolerate was her heart belonging to someone else.She could hate him because of the incident with Elm Group, beca
As soon as Hendrix finished speaking, Noelle suddenly stepped forward and raised her hand. But her slap never landed. Hendrix had caught her wrist, his face completely expressionless."You're crazy!" Noelle said.Hendrix smiled faintly. "Yeah, I know."Noelle didn't say another word, but she trembled even more violently as tears began to fall. Still, it seemed she refused to show any weakness in front of Hendrix. So, she quickly wiped away her tears."Dylan's grandfather is sick," she finally told Hendrix. "Alzheimer's. His condition is deteriorating quickly, and he might not remember anything soon. That's why Dylan proposed to me."But when she finished speaking, the answer she wanted never came.Hendrix's gaze remained cold as he looked at her. When he noticed Noelle was still staring at him, he even asked, "So? What does that have to do with me?"Noelle took a deep breath. "So, could the wedding—""No," Hendrix cut her off without hesitation, and Noelle's question was left u
Noelle's expression changed as she heard Hendrix's words, and she turned to look at him.Her expression made Hendrix feel like something was stabbing into his heart. It seemed like he was right.That contractual relationship seemed more than that now. Noelle had fallen for Dylan. If not, what could explain the look in her eyes now?Noelle didn't even react this way when he brought up her and Elm Group.The dull pain quickly spread across Hendrix's chest, accompanied by a familiar metallic taste. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and after taking several deep breaths, he finally managed to suppress the feeling and said, "It seems like you really care about him.""Hendrix, this is between us. Can you stop being so despicable and dragging innocent people into this mess?""Innocent?" Hendrix chuckled. "It seems like you really don't know much about your fiancé. Do you know what he's been doing behind your back?"Before Noelle could respond, Hendrix handed her a file. "Take a look
"That's right." Hendrix nodded satisfactorily. "We already had bad blood, so why bother with fake pleasantries now?"He continued as he picked up the coffee cup in front of him. "You must really wish for my death right now, don't you?"Hendrix's voice was calm, with a faint smile on his lips, but the words he spoke were enough to leave Noelle speechless.She paused for a moment, but she quickly responded with a smile, "Yes, so you know.""Mm, but unfortunately, I'm still sitting here just fine," Hendrix said, showing no concern. He met her gaze with a cold stare. "And based on the current situation, I doubt I'm the one who's going to be ending things first."Noelle couldn't reply. Although Hendrix had treated her with this kind of attitude before, she still remembered clearly the taste of the drinks he forced upon her that night in Vinton City. At this moment, all she could see in his eyes was an endless coldness.Noelle's voice grew hoarser. "If that's the case, Mr. Freeman, w
Noelle subconsciously glanced at the person in the hospital room after hearing the secretary's words.Dylan was sitting quietly there.Looking at him, Noelle suddenly remembered the hug he gave her that morning. She knew that her relationship with him was purely contractual, including their marriage, but all she wanted at that moment was a hug.She knew this went beyond the scope of their agreement, but Dylan didn't bring it up, and neither did she.Perhaps Noelle had been looking at him for too long. Dylan sensed something unusual and immediately looked over at her.Noelle took a deep breath. "I need to go back to the company for a while. I'll arrange for a nurse to come over. As for here…""It's fine. Go ahead," Dylan quickly replied. "I don't have much to do today anyway.""But…""Have you forgotten? We're getting married soon, so your father is my father-in-law. Isn't it normal for me to take care of him?" Dylan's words rendered Noelle speechless.It was clearly not appr
"Noelle, I'm just an ordinary friend of his. I don't have that kind of influence." Sandra laughed, then added, "Actually, if you want to meet Mr. Mueller, maybe you should have Dylan…"Dylan, who had been sitting nearby, finally lifted his head when Sandra mentioned his name.But Noelle didn't pay him any attention. She grabbed Sandra's hand and pulled her out of the room."What's this about, Noelle? You're hurting me!" Sandra still spoke in a sweet tone, but as soon as Noelle dragged her to an isolated spot, she immediately yanked Noelle's hand away, her voice turning cold as she asked, "What do you want?""I should be asking you that," Noelle replied. "You should know very well what's going on with the family right now. If I could contact Javier myself, that'd be one thing, but the problem is now…""Now what? Noelle, I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be the one asking me for help." Sandra laughed, raising her chin and looking at her. "So, go ahead. Ask away. If it's a r
Noelle looked at Dylan for a long while, then smiled. "No need. Just stay with me like this." Dylan reached out and pulled her into his arms. His hug wasn't tight, and the faint fragrance on his body instantly filled Noelle's nose. Noelle made no effort to resist but slowly reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. "How's your father?" Dylan asked her. "Acute stroke," she said softly. "But we got to the hospital on time, and the doctor said that as long as he wakes up, everything will be fine." "Mm, how about you go back and rest? I'll keep an eye on things here." "No. I won't be able to sleep even if I go back. Haven't you noticed my phone hasn't stopped ringing?" Dylan didn't reply. Noelle didn't know if he was feeling guilty for being unable to help her, so she said, "The wedding doesn't need to be postponed. Your grandfather has been looking forward to it for so long, so we can't disappoint him." "But…""Don't worry. I can still spare a day, and with Elm