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Chapter 196

Author: Jean Song
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
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    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?

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    Noelle simply smiled. She waited until Ruth had entered before lifting her gaze to welcome the next guest."Welcome."As she got to the last syllable, her voice noticeably softened, and her smile faltered for a brief moment. But she quickly regained her composure, her smile blossoming once more."Hello, Mr. Freeman."She wasn't sure when Hendrix had arrived, but judging by the presence of others behind him, it seemed he must have overheard her exchange with Ruth.Hendrix quickly swept past Noelle with his gaze before walking up to Craig."Congratulations.""Thank you."It wasn't even a second that they shook each other's hands before releasing them again.Noelle, however, was no longer looking at him. Instead, she turned her attention to the other guests, her smile still as bright as ever.…There were over a thousand guests today. Just the greeting portion alone made Noelle feel like her smile was about to freeze on her face. The next part of the event no longer required he

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    The ballroom was filled with a lively buzz in the air. Despite the rush, everything had gone smoothly, and the wedding was turning out just fine.Now, they had reached the moment of the evening—the exchange of rings, an event that would mark the climax of the night.Sandra looked at the man standing before her and asked suddenly, "Do you know whose idea it was to have the wedding today?"Maxwell didn't answer.Sandra smirked. "It was actually Noelle's idea. Don't you still have feelings for her? And look what happened. She didn't hesitate to drag you down just to spite me."Maxwell remained silent, as if he hadn't heard a word. He simply continued with the ceremony, slipping the ring onto her finger.Sandra clenched her teeth in frustration. "Does she think that just because I'm getting married, I'm no longer part of the Swanson family? Well, she's wrong. I agreed to this only because I wanted my dad to see how much I've been wronged. "Just wait. I'm going to take back what's m

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    Noelle didn't respond to his words. Instead, she simply glanced at this retreating figure before slowly turning her gaze back to the portrait of the deceased. The woman in the photo was Matilda in her younger years. Ironically, she looked almost exactly like Noelle.On the day of the funeral, rain suddenly began to fall in Coppersville, and the temperature seemed even lower than it had been during last year's winter.Noelle had already put on her coat, but as she stood in the cemetery, she could still feel the cold wind seeping deep into her bones.The urn containing Matilda's ashes had already been laid to rest. It was only when the sound of the pastor's voice echoed through the cemetery that Noelle, almost as if waking from a daze, fully realized that Matilda was truly gone.Whether it was love or hate, it all seemed to vanish with Matilda's death. Noelle suddenly recalled the day Matilda closed her eyes for the last time. She wasn't sure whether it was guilt or something else, b

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    "Ms. Swanson, are you sure it's a good idea to have dinner alone with Mr. Carter? I mean, he—" Her assistant, Oliver Shaw, hesitated, leaving the rest unsaid.Noelle, of course, understood their concern. Ethan's reputation in Vinton City was far from stellar. His insistence on having dinner alone with her tonight naturally set off Oliver's alarm bells—and rightly so."It's fine. It's just dinner," Noelle replied calmly.After that, she opened the car door and stepped out onto the pavement. She had chosen the restaurant herself and, to avoid any potential "surprises", arrived half an hour early to order the food in advance.Ethan arrived just as Noelle finished filling up her glass with water."My apologies for keeping you waiting, Ms. Swanson.""No worries. I just got here myself," Noelle replied with a smile.Their first interaction was smooth, and everything seemed normal so far.After a few glasses of red wine, the conversation began to shift."Ms. Swanson, you've been here

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    "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

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    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

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    "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

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    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

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