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
Before he could finish speaking, Noelle suddenly kicked his crotch.She was hard with that kick. Besides, that was every man's most vulnerable spot. William quickly let her go, and he started cursing, "Fuck! How dare you fucking attack me? I'll fucking kill you!"With that, he jumped her again. This time, he left no mercy as he straightaway tried to strangle Noelle."Bitch! You fucking ingrate! I'll kill you today!"He was still berating while applying more force on his hand, which hindered Noelle's breathing. Soon, her face turned red, and she started to scratch William's arms as an attempt to break free. However, she could only injure him at most."I know you've always been ashamed of me, thinking I'm not as capable as your biological father, right? But how good can your rich father be to you? He won't even acknowledge you, and now, he even wants you to die and give his wife your life!"William's words made Noelle's already fading consciousness suddenly snap back into clarity.
"I'm your father! Let go of me quickly! I'm going to the hospital! I'm going to die!" William bellowed. He still wanted to struggle, but Noelle stabbed the scissors deeper into his neck."You are lying. I don't believe it.""It's true! I didn't lie to you, Luna! They originally wanted me to tie you up and orchestrate a car accident for you," William told her the plan."They said that you were unwilling to perform a transplant on your mother, but you signed the body donation form, so as long as you died unexpectedly, she would get a transplant opportunity!"I was a little selfish. I just thought that you were going to die anyway, so I could at least get my pleasure…"Before William could finish speaking, Noelle suddenly stepped on the wound on his abdomen. Blood quickly gushed out from the wound, and the bone-chilling pain made William scream endlessly.What scared him the most was how Noelle was staring at him. Her hands were shaking due to fear, yet the coldness in her eyes wa
Noelle slowly rose to her feet. However, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, her gaze lingered on the wound on William's abdomen before slowly drifting downward.William sensed that something was wrong. But before he could do anything, Noelle suddenly lifted her foot and stomped down hard on his family jewel."It's best if this thing rots away!" said Noelle vehemently.That was the last thing William heard before the searing pain overtook him, plunging him into unconsciousness.Noelle didn't spare him another glance. When she stepped out, she collided head-on with someone."What the hell, you—" scolded Helen Myrtle, the woman next door.She had been spying on Noelle for a month and had noticed that Noelle's "boyfriend" hadn't shown up during that time. Naturally, she felt no fear toward Noelle—who had clearly been dumped.Just as Helen was about to lash out at Noelle, she noticed the bloodstains on Noelle's clothes, her disheveled hair, and the hollow look in her eyes."Holy shi
Hendrix could hardly believe it when he first heard Dan say that Noelle had been arrested. In fact, he even thought it was absurd.In his memory, Noelle had always been far more rational than most people. Moreover, the very idea of her being involved in a stabbing incident seemed utterly ridiculous.But there was no denying it when he got into the car and read the detailed news article on his tablet. As soon as he saw the victim's name, William Kaplan, he no longer felt the slightest bit surprised at Noelle's surprise.The police had learned from the surveillance footage that it was William who had followed Noelle, and he was carrying another weapon that the authorities had found on the scene.Later, they discovered signs of strangulation on Noelle's neck. When she turned herself in, both her clothes and hair were a mess. All the evidence pointed to her acting in self-defense.Even so, with William now unconscious from excessive blood loss, a part of the responsibility still reste
However, before Sandra's lips could even touch Hendrix's, the latter shoved her away. He used so much force that she stumbled back several steps before finally steadying herself.She looked up at him. "Rix…""It seems you really have a poor memory." Hendrix gazed at her coldly. "I'll give you one more chance. Are you going to tell me or not?"Sandra sat down on the floor and looked up at him without a trace of fear in her eyes.Hendrix suddenly laughed. "Fine. Have it your way."With that, he turned to leave.As soon as his back was turned to her, Sandra suddenly said, "It was my father who planned all of it."Her words made Hendrix stop in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around.Sandra looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. "He did it because my mother's condition is really bad, but Noelle refused to go through with the kidney donation. So, my father had no choice but to do it."Hendrix didn't reply, but his expression darkened instantly. He couldn't help but clench his hands into
The moment Hendrix fixed his eyes on Noelle, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. As their eyes met, even the tips of her ears began to flush red without her realizing it."Why are you looking at me like that?" Noelle couldn't help but ask."So, have you remembered everything?" Hendrix asked instead. "Everything about us?""No," Noelle replied, turning her head away. "My head hurts. Didn't you say you were going to get the doctor? You can go—"But before she could finish, Hendrix suddenly grabbed her hand. His grip wasn't strong, but the way his fingers gently moved across hers felt like an intimate caress.Noelle couldn't help but tremble, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back.But then Hendrix suddenly said, "Actually, even before we got married, I'd seen you many times."Noelle hadn't expected him to bring this up. She froze for a second. Then, she quickly said, "I know. Back then at college—""Not just at college. After I graduated, I went to see you,
"Who are you?"That was the first thing Noelle said when she opened her eyes.Hendrix had still been basking in the relief of her waking up, but the moment he heard those words, the expression on his face vanished completely."What did you say?" he asked, his voice slightly strained.Noelle didn't answer. She simply stared at him, confusion clear in her eyes.Hendrix clenched his fists tightly. Maybe it was because he had gone through something like this before that he was able to calm himself down quickly this time."I'm your husband. My name is Hendrix Freeman. Do you still remember your own name?" he asked."Husband?" Noelle frowned slightly. "As in—we're married?""Yes. And we have a daughter. Her name is Rosie. She's three years old. This is her picture."As he spoke, Hendrix started to pull up a photo on his phone.But Noelle quickly asked, "Then why don't I remember you?""You were injured. But don't worry. I'll get the doctor to take a look at you."As Hendrix moved
Dylan had been wrong all along.Money and power—none of that had ever been what he was truly meant to chase. Because no one could stay at the center of power forever, and no one could possess those things for all time. What he should have been chasing was just that one light. That one light that would stay on for him late into the night. But now, he knew it was all too late.As he closed his eyes, Dylan suddenly thought of his mother, Leah. He remembered how, as a child, he had longed for a new set of paintbrushes. He had asked his parents for them many times. He even wanted to use his own Christmas money to buy them. But they refused.They believed it was wasteful. It didn't align with the frugal and disciplined lifestyle they lived by. So in the end, Dylan stole the set of paintbrushes from the stationery store.Because he came from a prestigious scholarly family and always kept a refined, gentlemanly image in public, the store owner never suspected a thing.But his parents fo
"Are you crazy? Noelle, let go of the wheel!" Dylan struggled to regain control of the car, but Noelle held onto the steering wheel tightly, refusing to let go.The car didn't slow down. On the contrary, it raced forward at an even faster pace.How long did this go on? Maybe it lasted only dozens of seconds. But for Dylan, it felt like the blink of an eye. Because the next moment, he saw the oncoming car.That car was speeding as well.Dylan didn't even have time to grab his gun. Just as he was about to slam on the brakes, the two cars collided at high speed. There was a deafening crash as the cars were thrown into the air, then slammed back down.Dylan's eyes widened. But in that instant, his first instinct was to turn and look at Noelle. Her eyes were already closed. She looked as if she had been prepared to face death all along. She must have known what he intended to do, and she also knew he didn't actually want to die.The only reason he took her away was so he could use her
Erwin was just about to repeat his question when a voice came from behind."Excuse me, but I think I know where your wife is."Hendrix spun around immediately.Standing behind them was a woman with long hair and big eyes. "I saw her just now in the backyard. Someone was taking her away. If I'm not mistaken, I think it was Mr. Pritchett from Morphy Fund?"At the mention of Dylan, Hendrix's expression turned dark as thunder. He charged up to the woman. "Where did they go?""I'm not sure. But I did take down his license plate number. Do you need it?""Where is it?" Hendrix barked.The woman held out her hand. "I'll give it to you for 1,000 dollars."Hendrix didn't carry cash with him. But he shoved his bank card into her hand without hesitation. "The license plate number!"The woman looked at the card, a little dissatisfied. But considering Hendrix's status, she figured he likely wouldn't care about such a small amount of money. Thus, in the end, she still showed Hendrix the phot
"Erwin!"The voice came just as Erwin stood on the terrace, smoking a cigarette in frustration.Although they had technically won the battle and he had earned a great deal from it, he felt, strangely enough, not the slightest trace of satisfaction. Maybe it was because Hendrix had forced him into the game. Or maybe, by now, winning and losing simply didn't stir anything in him anymore.At the beginning, Erwin had been somewhat excited. He had thought Dylan would be a difficult opponent—someone who could cause serious trouble, maybe even defeat them entirely. That would have been interesting. But instead, everything had gone far too smoothly. There had been no twists and no turns. Just a clean finish. It was boring, to say the least.And the current victory party? Equally so.Hendrix had insisted Noelle attend the party, saying she had flawlessly completed her part of the plan and that this victory was also hers. So, the party had turned out very wholesome, or rather, dull.Erwi
Erwin still showed signs of dissatisfaction. It seemed he was saying something, but Noelle could no longer hear him. She didn't look back either, instead turning her gaze to the other people at the party.The loud music continued, and the excitement and energy of the crowd remained high. But Noelle knew that this wasn't the usual celebration. This, in fact, was just Hendrix's way of making her adapt and accept the situation.Though she had known this for some time, the realization still made Noelle uncomfortable. Then, she suddenly remembered something Dylan had told her a few days ago about her past with Hendrix.Even though she knew Dylan's words weren't necessarily true, that didn't mean everything he said was a lie. How much of the past he mentioned was real, and how much was false?Noelle actually thought her life was fine now. She was willing to accept her past choices and believed in Hendrix's feelings for her. At least, this was what she thought sometimes.But at other tim
Dylan didn't dare to stay there. He immediately drove back to his place.He wanted to take Noelle with him and leave. Even if she didn't have her passport, it didn't matter. After all, there were definitely people looking for him right now.But no matter what, he was going to protect her. Even if they had to roam the world, it didn't matter. As long as they were together, it was fine. Even if it was just a shabby house, as long as there was a light on, that would be their home.However, when Dylan returned to the apartment, he found Noelle nowhere in sight. Gone also were all her things. The desk and floor were spotless, as if nothing had ever existed there.Dylan remained standing where he was. It took him several minutes to finally process what he was seeing. Then, he couldn't help but laugh. It was as if he had just heard the biggest joke—he laughed so hard that his whole body shook.Of course, how could he have thought she would be waiting for him here? How could she possibly
"I'm damned for ever believing your words! Now, just die!" George didn't give Dylan another chance to speak. He pulled the trigger, aiming to shoot a bullet through Dylan's forehead.In that instant, Dylan finally understood. This time, Hendrix didn't intend to leave him alive.If the goal had only been to swallow up Morphy Fund and make Dylan lose everything, the matter would have ended there. However, it seemed that Hendrix must have said something to George, which led him to believe that Dylan and Hendrix were working together—that Dylan had betrayed Morphy Fund.At this point, George had no way out. So, it wouldn't be surprising if he shot Dylan in the head. What Hendrix wanted was for him to die.Dylan didn't know what he was thinking at that moment. By the time he reacted, he had already grabbed the gun's barrel and twisted it violently. The bullet scraped past his head.Without hesitation, George moved to pull the trigger again when Dylan, still holding onto his wrist, forc