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
"In any case, you should think about your adoptive mother, who's still in the hospital."That was the last thing Hendrix said to Noelle before leaving.Noelle couldn't help but feel that he had misunderstood something. Perhaps it was because she appeared too calm, and he thought she had already resigned herself to the worst possible outcome. Did he even think she might consider ending her life?If that was what he thought, then he was truly overthinking. What Noelle simply wanted was peace and quiet. And if she did end her life, it would only mean that Craig got what he wanted. After all, wasn't it his ultimate plan for her to be gone?The mere thought of the vile, horrifying things they had done to Noelle made her tremble uncontrollably. She had never imagined that the people so desperate to see her dead would one day turn out to be her own biological parents.Sitting on the bed, Noelle closed her eyes tightly. They were dry now, utterly parched. There wasn't a single tear left t
At that moment, amid the vast city, Hendrix suddenly really wanted to see Noelle. As he gripped the steering wheel and slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road, his phone suddenly rang.It was the hospital calling to inform him that William had woken up.…At the hospital, Craig stood over Matilda's bed, gazing at her ever-paler, frailer face. And with each passing moment, his own expression grew darker.To make matters worse, things were still far from settled with William. He'd heard that Hendrix had already gotten involved, and he couldn't understand why Hendrix would choose to meddle now. But there was nothing he could do to intervene.After all, his dealings with William were far from clean, and if he interfered, it would only expose his own involvement. Fortunately, he hadn't left any evidence behind. With only William's and Noelle's accusations, there was no way to prove anything.As Craig was thinking about this, Noelle's lawyer suddenly contacted him, saying th
The first official day back to work was eight days after Christmas. Hendrix clearly remembered that this day was supposed to be the first trial for Noelle's case. However, not long after, he received word that the trial had been canceled.Moreover, Noelle and William had already signed a memorandum of understanding. Hendrix couldn't believe it. The harm William had caused to Noelle wasn't just the recent knife attack but also the countless trauma in her childhood.Hendrix even thought that if he had been there at the time, he might have truly killed William—no matter how rational he usually was. So, he didn't think Noelle's retaliation was excessive in the slightest. A person like William deserved to go to hell.Yet, Hendrix was told that Noelle had made peace with William? He simply refused to believe it. In fact, his first thought was that Craig must have threatened her with something. But what weakness could she have left?He couldn't figure it out. After all, Cynthia was still
Noelle noticed her reaction. Following her gaze, she was momentarily stunned when she saw Hendrix. She then turned to the caregiver beside her and said, "Could you give us a moment?""Oh, sure." The caregiver remained dazed for a moment. Even though she felt intimidated by Hendrix's presence, she couldn't help but steal a few more glances at his handsome face before finally turning to leave and quietly closing the door behind her.Hendrix stood there, unmoving. From the moment he appeared, he had only coldly watched Noelle, not uttering a single word or making a single move.After a few moments of their silently staring at each other, Noelle finally said, "Mr. Freeman, I suggest you leave if you're just going to stand there and stare at me. I need all the rest I can get.""Are you out of your mind?" Hendrix finally asked, his voice colder than ever. "Do you even know what you're doing?""Yes." Noelle's response was crisp and calm."All this for a little bit of share in Elm Group?
The night after Hendrix visited Noelle, she suddenly heard a commotion from the room next door. When she got out of bed, she learned that something had happened to Matilda. Her condition had been unstable since the evening, and now, it had taken a sharp turn for the worse.Craig had already arrived, whereas Sandra was nowhere to be seen. When he saw Noelle sitting outside the emergency room, he immediately rushed over and grabbed her shoulders."How is she?"Noelle shook her head. "The doctors are still trying to save her.""How could this happen? She was fine when I left! Did you say something to her that caused her to be upset?"Craig's emotions were boiling over, and his first reaction was to find someone to take his frustration out on.Noelle simply looked at him calmly. "Aren't there cameras in the room? Why don't you check for yourself?"Her calm response left Craig at a loss for words.Soon, the door to the emergency room opened, and Craig immediately rushed forward."T
Sandra's voice was shrill, her eyes burning with anger and hatred as she glared at Noelle. But Noelle simply looked back at her calmly.In contrast to Noelle's composure, Sandra's outburst made her seem like a frenzied fool. Her expression darkened even more, and just as she was about to say something, Noelle beat her to it."If I were you, I'd start thinking about what to do next.""What do you mean by that? What are you talking about?""The person who's been protecting you all along is on the verge of death," Noelle said slowly. "Have you given any thought to what you'll do after that?"Sandra instinctively wanted to argue, but just as the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back. It was obvious Noelle was referring to Matilda.Over the years, it might have seemed like Craig was the one calling the shots in the Swanson family, but when it came to his attitude toward Noelle and Sandra, the real decision-maker was Matilda. Craig had always treated the two of them according
Despite the rushed nature of the wedding, all the important guests were still invited. Noelle, as the bride's family, stood at the entrance with Craig.She wore a champagne-colored gown, and her long hair was neatly styled up, exposing her slender neck. Her makeup was subtle, enhancing her natural beauty and giving her an exquisitely refined appearance.Although her outfit was modest enough, it was inevitable that people would still gossip about her due to the recent events. They naturally didn't say anything in front of Noelle, but the odd glances directed toward her still cut her like a knife.However, Noelle had anticipated this would happen before arriving, so she didn't react at all. Instead, she continued to greet everyone with a smile. It was at this moment that Ruth appeared.She was dressed quite extravagantly, wearing a pale, moon-white gown, seemingly unconcerned about clashing with the bride's wedding dress. Her makeup was strikingly bold, so much so that before anyone
Noelle had already muted the group chat, but private messages kept popping up.They were from the mothers she'd met in the apartment complex while taking Rosie out to play. They were all asking when Hendrix would arrive today. Some even said that if he wasn't coming, he should've given them a heads-up, since their kids had been looking forward to it all day.Noelle stared at the messages blankly. Truthfully, she should've seen this coming from the moment Hendrix started this charade. Manipulating people and controlling them like puppets were the things he had always excelled at.She had finally found some stability in this apartment complex, but now, he had ruined it. He certainly understood the saying, "Give someone an inch, and they'd take a mile", better than anyone.And the money he spent on all those toys? It meant nothing to him. What he really wanted was to control people's minds and shatter Noelle's peace."Mommy! Mommy!"Rosie's voice brought Noelle back to reality. She
Rosie's straightforward answer made Noelle smile. "Alright. Let's go home, then."With that, they walked away hand in hand, as if the noise and excitement behind them seemed to have nothing to do with them.…The next day, Hendrix came again. This time, he wasn't alone, as several bodyguards followed him, each carrying heavy bags.Without Hendrix even saying a word, all the children rushed over. Even kids from neighboring apartments had heard about it and came running.Hendrix didn't discriminate—any child who approached was given a gift. Today, he didn't need to interact with them personally, so he had time to glance over at Noelle to gauge her reaction. However, he quickly realized that Noelle and Rosie were no longer there. He hadn't even noticed when they had left.The same thing happened on the third and fourth days, but by the fifth day, Hendrix didn't show up. But after several days of free gifts, both the children and their parents had gotten a taste for it. Now, they
"So, does that mean you're not going to accept my apology?" Hendrix asked.Noelle finally snapped out of her daze. She stared at him for a moment before picking up her glass and lightly clinking it against his.Noelle wasn't sure what Hendrix was trying to do. After all, based on his past behavior, he wasn't the type to just apologize like that. Yet here he was, doing exactly that. She found it strange but decided not to dwell on it, pretending nothing had happened as she took a sip of her water.Hendrix didn't say much after that.Surprisingly, the meal passed in relative peace. Noelle couldn't even remember the last time they had shared a meal so quietly.So, when Hendrix later suggested that he might occasionally come over to have meals with Rosie, Noelle was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.Hendrix, however, took her silence as permission granted. He then pulled a plushie from a bag and handed it to Rosie. It was a character from the stage performance they had seen a
Noelle had been to this restaurant a few times before with Dylan, so the server immediately recognized her. One of them started approaching her with a warm smile, but the moment she saw the man walking behind Noelle, her expression faltered slightly.Noelle ignored her reaction and simply said, "I'll have my usual order and an omelette for my daughter.""Got it," the server said with a nod, though she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Hendrix before turning and heading back to the kitchen."Have you been here before?" Hendrix asked.Though the restaurant was decently decorated, it showed its age. The tables and chairs were made of lacquered wood, clean but with a noticeable sheen of grease from years of use.Noelle noticed Hendrix frowning slightly, but he didn't say anything. The frown lasted only for a brief second before he sat down as if nothing had happened. Then, he looked at her, waiting for her answer."Yeah. I've been here a few times.""With Dylan?" Hendrix aske
"Mommy, why hasn't Mr. Pritchett come to see me lately?"Rosie's sudden question caught Noelle off guard. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "He's been really busy lately, so he can't find the time to come."Rosie let out a soft "oh" and continued swinging. Her movements were gentle, and Noelle sat quietly beside her, watching.But after a while, Rosie suddenly hopped off the swing and ran over to Noelle, tightly grabbing her hand.Noelle was puzzled, but still she hugged her quickly. "What's wrong?"Rosie didn't say a word, her eyes fixed straight ahead. It was then Noelle noticed the man standing there.It was early autumn in Stormridge, and the man was dressed in a crisp, well-tailored suit. His tall, slender figure and strikingly handsome face instantly drew the attention of several people in the apartment complex.It was a weekday, and most of the people playing with the children downstairs were their grandparents. Their gazes were anything but subtle, openly sw
Noelle couldn't help but clench her hand.She had no idea how long the silence stretched before Dylan suddenly burst into laughter. It was as if he had just heard an unbelievably funny joke. His laughter echoed through the phone, carrying a hint of finality.Then, he said, "You want me to be honest? Do you really think we'll have a future together if I were to be honest with you? Do you think if I tell you everything now, we can live happily ever after? As if I'm ever going to believe that."The answer Noelle had been dreading finally came crashing down. She slowly unclenched her fist. Her lips parted, about to say something, but Dylan beat her to it."You're right. I did lie to you. The so-called investor is actually Jean. Her father left her some assets abroad, and I'm going with her to retrieve them."Yes, I'm with her again, but you know how I feel about her. I've never liked her, and I'm just using her. Besides, you should know that the reason I'm doing all this is so that I
Noelle had just finished putting Rosie to sleep when Dylan sent over the e-tickets for the amusement park."I just checked. There'll be plenty of staff on-site. So when you're there with Rosie, you can just go straight to them if you need anything," his message read.He seemed to know she'd be busy settling Rosie, so he didn't call. Instead, he sent a thoughtful, detailed text, listing out several precautions for their upcoming trip.After reading through his message, Noelle hesitated for a moment before dialing his number.Dylan picked up almost immediately. "Hey, is Rosie asleep?"His voice was the same as always, no different from what Noelle had heard over the past few days.But this time, she paused. It took her a moment before she finally answered, "Yeah, she's asleep.""Did you see the list I sent? The staff should have most things covered, but you should still bring a couple of towels. And don't forget Rosie's favorite floatie—""Dylan," Noelle suddenly cut him off.Ju
Noelle raised her head, her eyes locking onto Jean's. "I thought you hated me? So, why are you telling me all this?""Because I hate Dylan even more. I know it was him who set me up back then. If it weren't for his tip-off, my father would never have fallen from grace. So, how could I not hate him?""So, the assets you mentioned were just a lie to fool him?""Of course." Jean nodded without hesitation, turning to face Noelle with a smile. "So, are you going to tell him that?"Noelle pressed her lips together. "I don't believe you're doing this alone.""What?""You said it yourself—Dylan was the one who reported your family, leading to the investigation. He knows exactly what happened to your family, so he'd know whether your father left you any overseas assets or not."And you just got out of prison. Even if you wanted to forge an asset certificate, you'd need a professional to help you with that. Dylan has been in the business world for years, so it wouldn't be easy to fool him
"You must be wondering why I'm telling you all this, right?" Jean chuckled softly. "To be honest, I still hate you. Or maybe it's more accurate to say I'm jealous of you. Because you have so many things I wanted but could never have."Just look at your face. With that alone, you can easily get whatever you want. Thinking about it makes me seethe with envy and drives me mad.""Ms. Fisher, you once had plenty of things yourself," Noelle said.Jean paused, caught off guard by the response. Then, she nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, you're right. But what does that matter now? I've already lost everything. Well, not everything. I still have some connections my father left me, along with a few assets abroad."She slowly shifted her gaze back to Noelle. "So, do you understand now what my advice to you really means?"Noelle frowned."Dylan must have told you he's going on a business trip abroad soon, right?" Jean continued, her lips curling into a sly smile. "To be frank, he's going wit