It was at this moment that Noelle asked from the inside, "Oliver, who's at the door?"That voice gave Hendrix a definite answer—he had been right all along. This was indeed Noelle's place, and inside her home was another man.Hendrix let out a sudden, cold laugh. Then, he turned and walked away without hesitation.All the time she told him she loved him and asked if there was a possibility of them ever being together again—it was all a lie! After all, if she had truly been devoted to him, she would never have divorced him so decisively.Moreover, if he remembered correctly, she had been secretly taking birth control pills before their divorce. Would a woman deeply in love with him do something like that? No, she wouldn't!Her feelings were clearly something she could control with ease. But then, he shouldn't be surprised, because if it weren't for this ability of hers, how could she possibly thrive so effortlessly in Vinton City?He had already seen the video of her charming ever
Hendrix wasn't sure if such a law really existed in the world—a law that claimed the more one worried about something happening, the more inevitable its occurrence. Similarly, the more one tried to avoid seeing someone, the more certain it became that they would cross paths.At that moment, Hendrix was staring expressionlessly at the woman not far away. Noelle's outfit today was simple yet elegant—a light blue shirt paired with a black skirt. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and her makeup was much more understated than the night before.But the smile on her face was genuine. She was laughing as she spoke to the man in front of her, and the entire atmosphere was one of warmth and happiness."Mr. Freeman?" Clayton Hayes asked hesitantly, standing beside Hendrix and still waiting for his instructions, when he noticed Hendrix had suddenly stopped walking.Hendrix tried to take a step forward, but for some reason, his feet felt unbearably heavy. And no matter how hard he tried, he
But it was as if Hendrix could read Noelle's mind, because before she could say anything, he spoke up, "Mr. Russo, Ms. Swanson—are you two close?"His question left everyone momentarily stunned, and it clicked—they all remembered the history between Hendrix and Noelle. In that instant, cold sweat began to trickle down Dominic's back.Noelle, however, remained composed. She smiled faintly and answered, "We're just friends.""Oh. In that case, we're all friends here. There's no need for formalities," replied Hendrix as he raised his glass.Everyone at the table immediately raised their glasses as well. After all, who would dare to refuse Hendrix?Noelle didn't understand just what the heck Hendrix was thinking, but she had no choice but to lift her glass and drink along.But after just one round, Hendrix suddenly turned to Dominic and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, the South Garden project belongs to your company, right?""Yes," Dominic quickly answered, a big smile on his face. "We
In truth, Noelle didn't want to be the one to stand out. In fact, the dinner had been going smoothly until Hendrix suddenly made his move, clearly aiming to put Dominic in a difficult position.She wasn't sure what personal grudges existed between them, but she knew one thing for certain—Dominic valued his pride deeply. And he would eventually take it out on Noelle for the way Hendrix had put him on the spot today. So, she had no choice but to step up.Hendrix fell silent, his fingers idly tracing the rim of his wine glass. His deep and unpredictable eyes, however, never left her.Noelle swiftly refilled her glass before continuing, "Coincidentally, it will soon be the tenth anniversary of Hayes Group's founding. Allow me to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. Hayes, in advance."Clayton's expressions remained slightly sour, yet he still lifted his glass. "You're too kind, Ms. Swanson."Hendrix watched the scene before him, a sudden chuckle escaping his lips. He then turned to N
Hendrix fell silent. His eyes narrowed as he observed her, as though waiting to see how she would handle downing the entire bottle of wine.Noticing his unspoken approval, Noelle immediately grabbed the bottle and raised it to her lips. She then poured the entire content straight down her throat.What no one noticed was that, under the table, Hendrix was clenching his fists tightly.…As soon as Noelle came out of the restroom, it was immediately clear to herself that there was no way she was okay.The waitress, noticing her unsteady gait, went up to help her. But before she could, Noelle shoved her away and leaned over the nearest trash bin. The next second she found herself retching violently.A sharp, fiery sensation surged from her stomach, bringing with it bitter bile, all of which she vomited out completely. She hadn't fully recovered from her cough, and now, tears and snot were streaming down her face. Her delicate makeup was ruined beyond repair, leaving her looking utter
Hendrix gazed at her in silence.Noelle could barely stand at this point. She was relying entirely on the last thread of willpower left in her mind to hold herself up. But the moment the elevator doors opened and she saw Oliver standing outside, that last thread of willpower instantly snapped.Noelle knew precisely what Dominic's intentions were. Although she had come alone tonight, she had sent Oliver a message earlier, informing him that he would need to pick her up when the time came.Oliver, knowing exactly where to find her, had been anxiously scanning the restaurant lobby. So when he finally spotted her in the elevator, he let out a sigh of relief.Ignoring Hendrix standing nearby, Noelle staggered a few steps toward Oliver before collapsing entirely. Without a second thought, Oliver rushed to catch her."Take me to the hospital," Noelle managed to whisper through the pain before everything went black and she passed out.Oliver didn't have the chance to ask what had happene
"Didn't you meet with Hendrix last night?" Craig mercilessly exposed her lie.Noelle fell silent.Craig, as if he knew what she was thinking, said, "Amity Group is planning something big over in Vinton City. By now, you should have a clear understanding of the current market trends there. If you can secure this partnership, you should know what it means for Elm Group."You wouldn't want to stay stuck in that subsidiary company forever, would you? If this partnership is finalized, it will prove your capabilities to everyone. When that time comes, I will officially transfer you back, and no one will question your position as a successor."Craig's words were unhurried.Noelle was tempted to take him up on his offer, but she was also well aware that he absolutely wouldn't really agree to let her go back and become the successor.The death of Matilda had always stayed with him, and the only reason he let Noelle stay in the company was merely because she was his only biological daughte
After seeing Clayton off, Noelle stood alone in front of the café. The heatwave rolling in from the street was a sharp contrast to the cool air from the air conditioning inside, and it made her throat itch uncomfortably.Fighting the urge to cough, Noelle pulled a throat lozenge from her bag and popped it into her mouth just as a call from the office came through, urging her to return for a meeting.The meeting's agenda was similar to what Craig had mentioned to her a few days ago. The past two years had seen a sluggish market, but Amity Group, as the industry leader, seemed untouched by the downturn.The incident with Beatrice had caused quite a stir at the time, and Hendrix was labeled as cold and unfilial by the media. He was also accused of pushing Beatrice to the brink, leaving her with no choice but to take that tragic path.Meanwhile, the couple who had lost their son, Lloyd, took every opportunity to find reporters to smear his reputation. Hendrix seemed completely unconcer
Noelle didn't answer. Instead, she turned her head to look out the car window.Silence settled over the inside of the car.After a moment, Rosie broke the quiet. "Mommy, I still want to hang out with Seline.""I know. I've already made plans to have dinner with her tonight.""Is Mr. Pritchett going, too?" Rosie asked.As soon as she spoke, Noelle glanced at Hendrix. She wasn't worried about anything else—just that Hendrix might suddenly lose his temper. But to her surprise, he didn't say anything, and the car continued to move smoothly forward.Only then did Noelle answer Rosie softly, "Yeah."Rosie nodded happily. "Yay! I like playing with Mr. Pritchett!""Why?""Because he's so good-looking, and I believe he can protect you, Mommy."As soon as Rosie said that, Hendrix couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. Then, he shot Noelle a sarcastic look.Noelle simply ignored him and smiled at Rosie.…Noelle had indeed made dinner plans with Dylan that evening. After all, it had
Noelle knew Rosie wanted to talk to Hendrix alone, so she didn't say anything. After giving Hendrix a glance, she turned and left the room.There was a convenience store right outside the hospital. Noelle bought milk for Rosie and also picked up a small bag of cakes.She didn't know what Rosie would say to Hendrix, but she wasn't in a hurry to return. After paying, she took a couple of laps around the hospital before heading back upstairs.By the time she returned, the conversation between Rosie and Hendrix was clearly over. The two of them sat quietly, neither speaking.Noelle had always thought Rosie's features resembled her own. But seeing them sitting side by side now, she suddenly realized her facial structure actually resembled Hendrix's more. Especially when they both pursed their lips—they looked like they were carved from the same mold.She stood there for a moment, observing them, before finally walking over."Mommy!" As soon as Rosie saw her, her eyes lit up, and the s
"No place to hang it? I'll just hang it in the living room," Beatrice replied."It doesn't really match the decor there," Noelle countered."It doesn't matter. Rosie drew this for me, and that's something money can't buy."Beatrice's words left Noelle at a loss for a response.Beatrice then turned to Rosie with a smile. "What would you like? I'll have someone buy it for you, okay?""That's okay, Grandma." Rosie shook her head. Then, she added, "Also, Grandma, I want to go home."Her words stunned Beatrice. After a moment, she replied, "What do you mean, 'go home'? Aren't you already—""No, Grandma. I want to go back to Stormridge, where it's just Mommy and me," Rosie answered seriously.A frown slowly appeared on Beatrice's forehead. At the same time, she turned to look at Noelle, who was just as surprised as Beatrice by Rosie's request.Noelle immediately crouched down and asked Rosie, "What's wrong? Why do you suddenly want to go back?""But aren't we ever going to go back?
"Where is he?"When Rosie suddenly asked Noelle this question, Noelle was taken aback for a moment.Then, she handed Rosie the colored pencil she needed. "Who?"Rosie took the pencil and began coloring in the grass in her drawing. She didn't give a direct answer, instead pressing down hard with the colored pencil before saying, "You know… him."It was then that Noelle realized who she meant. "Are you talking about your daddy?""Yeah," Rosie said softly."I don't know. Why are you looking for him?"Hendrix had never come to Sienna Villa often, but Rosie had never asked about him before. In fact, she'd often shown clear resistance whenever she saw him. Yet today, she'd brought him up out of the blue.Noelle studied her for a moment before asking, "Why are you suddenly asking about him?""No reason. I just wanted to ask." Rosie avoided her gaze, pressing the colored pencil so hard against the paper that it tore.Noticing this, Noelle asked, "Do you want to see him?""No," Rosie
Hendrix's grip on Noelle's arm was tight—so tight that it felt like he was about to crush her bones.Noelle couldn't help but furrow her brows from the pain. But she didn't make a sound. Instead, she simply looked at him intently.Then, she said softly, "You know, when Rosie fell ill, the first person I thought of was you. I wanted to call you, but I couldn't muster the courage. Because I knew I had hurt you by leaving, and I didn't know how you felt about me or Rosie."Later, Seline told me that you were planning to get married through a matchmaking arrangement and that you knew about Rosie's condition but chose to ignore it—""That was a misunderstanding!" Hendrix interrupted her. "When I met Seline back then, I thought she was talking about your work on set. That's why I didn't—""I know. But what about after that?" Noelle asked.A frown slowly appeared on Hendrix's forehead, as if he didn't understand what she meant by "after that".Noelle curled her lips into a faint smile.
Hendrix stood there in silence. Only he knew what had driven him to make that proposal earlier. Noelle was right—he hadn't forgiven her. He also knew their relationship was riddled with emotional scars.But they had a good time together today, didn't they?Hendrix admitted that his initial suggestion to join them had been motivated by Dylan. He didn't want the person standing by Noelle's side in the end to be him. So that was why he had inserted himself into their plans, to which Noelle had agreed.To his surprise, he had genuinely enjoyed himself today. So, he had thought, maybe the three of them could just continue like this—even if it was just for Rosie's sake.But now, Hendrix realized how naïve he had been. Noelle had only wanted to create a good memory for Rosie, with emphasis on the word "memory". Meaning to say, there was no future for them to be together anymore.At this thought, Hendrix couldn't help but laugh. "Then, who do you feel comfortable being with? Dylan?"He k
Rosie was clearly exhausted from the day's activities and slept soundly in Noelle's arms the entire ride home. She had been much happier recently and had put back on some weight. By the time Hendrix parked the car, Noelle's arms were almost completely numb.Hendrix quickly got out of the driver's seat and walked around to her side. "Let me carry her up.""No, it's fine," Noelle replied without hesitation.But after taking a glance at her slender arms, he asked, "Are you sure you can carry her up? Or should we wake her and let her walk by herself?"Noelle really couldn't carry Rosie anymore, yet she couldn't bring herself to wake the little girl when she saw how peacefully she was sleeping.Hendrix took one more look at her, and without giving her any time to hesitate, he simply bent down and scooped Rosie up in his arms.He had initially wondered how heavy such a small child could be. But now, holding her, he realized it wasn't as easy as he had imagined. Especially since she was
Soon, they reached the amusement park.Even though it was a weekday, the place was still bustling with people. But Hendrix had made arrangements in advance, so as soon as they arrived, staff members came out to greet them.They were given exclusive access to whatever ride Rosie wanted to go on, so they didn't have to wait in line at all. Noelle actually didn't want to take advantage of this. After all, she and Hendrix were no longer together.Not to mention, this was his first time taking Rosie to the amusement park, and it would likely be his last. So, Noelle didn't want Rosie to get used to this kind of treatment or develop any false expectations.But right now, Rosie was clearly excited, and standing in long lines under the sun wouldn't be good for her health, either. So, Noelle bit her tongue and stayed silent.Once inside the park, Hendrix took Rosie to the carousel first. This particular carousel had a fountain in the center, and at certain points, water jets would spray out
Rosie looked at Hendrix, then at Noelle.Finally, she answered, "The carousel.""Just the carousel? Have you tried the space tunnel? Or the pirate ship? What about the roller coaster? There's also a special stage show. Would you like to take photos and interact with the sea lions?"Hendrix had experience in the amusement park business as well. Even though he had never personally spent much time at one, he was now rattling off various rides and activities with ease."You like Simba, right?" Hendrix suddenly remembered the lion plushie she had. "There's a stage show about that. I can take you to see it."Though Noelle didn't want to think of him that way, at this moment, Hendrix seemed like a devil who was trying to tempt Rosie. And as her mother, Noelle could naturally sense Rosie's resolve wavering. Especially when the little girl heard about the stage show—her eyes lit up instantly.It was something Rosie had always wanted to watch. But the last time they went to the amusement