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Chapter 218

Author: Jean Song
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
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  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 219

    "We're at Neufit Sports Arena. Mr. Freeman mentioned he'd like to speak to you personally," said Julio.Noelle froze for a moment, then frowned. "With me?""Yes. Where are you right now? Should I have the driver come pick you up?""No need. I'll drive myself over."Noelle wasn't sure what Hendrix wanted, but since Julio was Craig's man and had already made it clear she should go, refusing would undoubtedly result in a report back to Craig. Reluctantly, she headed over.Hendrix and Julio were at the tennis court. Today, Hendrix was dressed casually in a white sweatshirt, his bangs falling over his forehead, giving him a slightly youthful, almost boyish look."Noelle's here." Julio quickly walked over and patted Noelle's shoulder in a mentor-like manner. "Even though she's only been with the company for a few months, her performance has been outstanding. "Take this recent project proposal for the Continental Reach—her ideas were so impressive that I—""Ms. Swanson, is it true th

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 220

    "Noelle," Julio called her name as soon as she stepped out of the restroom.He was frowning deeply—it was clear he wasn't pleased with how she acted earlier."You know how important this project is to the company, don't you?"Noelle simply nodded."Then, why are you acting so cold toward Mr. Freeman?" Julio's eyes darkened. "Don't tell me you can't tell what he's hinting at."A project as massive as Continental Reach was still in its early stages, and the workload Hendrix had to be managing was beyond imagination. Yet today, he had spent time playing tennis and having dinner with them.And before Noelle's toast, that deliberate glance he gave her—it didn't take a genius to figure out his intentions. But Noelle didn't take the bait."I'm already divorced from him," she said after meeting Julio's gaze for a moment.Julio chuckled lightly. "So what if you're divorced? Does that mean you're married to Mr. Carter and Mr. Russo now?"Noelle's expression changed instantly, her eyes s

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 221

    "I can't give you this project directly, but I can provide a fair chance for competition," Hendrix said.Noelle sneered. "What's the condition?"The moment she finished speaking, Hendrix laughed. His lips were arched, and even the smile in his eyes deepened, making him appear delighted."How do you know I have a condition?"Noelle did not reply and just stared at him.Hendrix quickly dropped his smile, and his fingers caressed the coffee cup in his hands. He said, "What Lana and I have are only scandals. It was done for a public stunt."Noelle didn't know why he was explaining himself, so she frowned."The doctor said… my mother's condition has improved. It's very possible for her to wake up," continued Hendrix. "For the previous matter…""Mr. Freeman," Noelle cut him off. "Do you remember the things you've said to me in Dynalis? You said we are impossible."Hendrix remained silent."It might seem like I'm getting ahead of myself when I say this, but by what you meant just no

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 222

    Noelle left the restaurant soon after.Earlier, she had actually taken Julio's advice to heart—to treat Hendrix as just another client or business partner, like before.She'd use the faint, ambiguous connection between them to achieve her goals.Although Noelle had always loathed gender discrimination and preferential treatment in the workplace, she realized after stepping into this complicated world that her ideals couldn't change anything. She even found herself skillfully leveraging those very dynamics to her advantage.But when the person involved was Hendrix, she discovered she couldn't handle it as calmly as she thought.She had once loved him sincerely for many years, after all. There was even a time when her feelings were reciprocated. She had felt, however fleeting, a genuine warmth in him.Even though all of it eventually turned out to be nothing but an illusion, she still couldn't treat him like a stranger. Not even when Julio bluntly reminded her that this was just bu

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 223

    Dylan was dressed in a beige trench coat, his short hair neat and clean, and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. Overall, he looked elegant and refined.He quickly walked over. "Have you been waiting long?"Noelle sent off her message and replied, "Not really. I just got here.""Alright. Let's go." Dylan nodded, pulling his suitcase with one hand while slightly bending the other arm.Understanding his gesture, Noelle quickly put away her phone and took his arm."Shall we grab dinner first?" Dylan asked.Noelle nodded. "Sure.""Your voice doesn't sound quite right," he remarked.Noelle coughed lightly. "Caught a cold a while back, but I'm much better now. Just a bit of a cough left.""I'll get you some cough syrup later.""Okay."…At Amity Group's subsidiary company in Vinton, Hendrix was sitting in front of his desk with a poker face, staring at the photo he just received on his phone.It was a photo of a couple, looking like a good match.H

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 224

    When Hendrix just got into his car, he received a new message again.He wanted to delete the text straight away because he knew it would be photos of those two people again. But now, no matter how many pictures he received, it was pointless.Just like what Noelle said. She had moved on, so it was time for him to do so, too.As for what Julio said…Hendrix couldn't help but laugh coldly.What did Julio want to say? So what if Dylan was just a university lecturer? Was Julio trying to make Hendrix win over Noelle back by using those stupid methods?What a joke.Since when did Hendrix ever need to do such things, becoming a third wheel in other people's relationships?When he thought about that, he found it quite amusing.But his finger hovered over the screen. He could clearly see the "delete" option, yet he couldn't bring himself to tap it.After several seconds of hesitation, he opened photos instead.Noelle and Dylan had already finished dinner, and after a brief stop at the

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 225

    After smoking two sticks of cigarettes, Hendrix finally calmed down. Then, he made a call.Julio answered the call very quickly. "Hello, Mr. Freeman?"Hendrix tossed the lighter onto the center console and said, "I've thought about the collaboration, but as for your sincerity, you'll have to show me."…Back at Galaxy Grove, by the time Noelle finished showering, Dylan was still working in the living room. He had his Bluetooth earphones on while typing on his keyboard.Noelle called out to him."Give me a second," he said to someone on the line and looked at Noelle."Are you not going back tonight?" she asked."Yeah. There's still some issue in the house. I'm going on a business trip next week, so can I stay here for a few days?" he asked."Alright. Just use anything in the guest room. Make yourself comfortable."With that said, Noelle turned around, but Dylan stopped her. "I have prepared some cough syrup for you in the kitchen. Take some."Noelle wanted to tell him that sh

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 226

    When Noelle arrived at the office, her assistant informed her, "Ms. Swanson, Mr. Garcia wants to see you in his office."She couldn't help but frown, but she didn't say anything else. She just nodded and took the elevator up.Compared to his attitude yesterday, Julio seemed very warm today. "Noelle, you're here! You left quite early last night. Did something happen?""Oh, my boyfriend came back," Noelle answered calmly.Her words stunned Julio for a moment. Then, he remembered the call with Hendrix last night.No wonder…Julio chuckled, and said, "Mr. Pritchett is back? It seems like his business trip this time is quite long, right?""Yeah, almost a month.""He keeps going on business trips, so I guess you guys are going through something similar to a long-distance relationship, huh? Aren't you afraid that your relationship might face some problems?"Upon hearing that, Noelle frowned. "This has nothing to do with you. Did you ask to meet me so early in the morning just to ask

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  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 845

    Amy spun around instantly and saw Hendrix walking toward her.Even though their relationship was purely transactional—and even though Amy knew better than anyone that catching feelings for a client was the worst mistake she could make—she still had to admit something.Even without Hendrix's status, his looks and presence alone were enough to make any woman blush and her heart race. Being able to call him her boyfriend, even if only on the surface, gave Amy a kind of prestige wherever she went.Seeing that Hendrix was about to reach her, Amy was about to greet him when Hailey suddenly stepped ahead of her."Hi! Are you Amy's boyfriend?" she asked.Hendrix narrowed his eyes at her. "And you are?""I'm her friend. We were out shopping together today. What a surprise to run into you like this!" Hailey said with a grin. "Amy's always bragging about you. Now, I finally see why she's been hiding you from us."As she spoke, Hailey moved to slip her arm through Hendrix's. She was wearing

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 844

    Lately, Amy had been living in the lap of luxury. Hendrix not only bought her jewelry and designer bags but even a sports car—a bright red one, with the emblem of an angry bull on the front.When Amy drove it out, she immediately attracted the envy of countless people. They spoke words of admiration and praise for Amy. But behind her back, they were practically grinding their teeth in envy.Of course, Amy could see through their little games, but she didn't care. Even if they cursed her behind her back, she acted like she never heard a word of it.To be honest, if they had been in her shoes, they probably wouldn't have been able to seize the opportunity. They would have likely been kicked out due to overstepping the first time Hendrix made them sleep on the couch.So, some things were just meant to be hers.Besides the jewelry, bags, and car, Hendrix had also given her a black card with no spending limit. Now, when she entered those stores, she no longer had to carefully check the

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 843

    On the contrary, Hendrix seemed to care a lot about Noelle. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed over like that. Even Amy could feel the passion in the way he looked at Noelle—it was intense and almost burning. There wasn't a trace of the indifference he had shown back at the party.So, it was very likely the two of them were acting. But for what reason?Amy couldn't figure it out, but she knew one thing—she might have just uncovered a huge secret. And this secret could very well…Amy was still thinking when the door suddenly opened in front of her. Startled, she instinctively took a few steps back, staring in shock at the person before her.Hendrix was standing there, looking at her."I didn't say anything!" Amy blurted out without hesitation. She even held up her phone, as if offering it for inspection.He gave it a glance, then quickly looked away and said, "Come on out. We've got a business deal to discuss."…"Who sent this to you?" the tanned-skin man asked.Only then did D

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 842

    "Do you not trust me?" Noelle asked.Hendrix was momentarily stunned, then he slowly frowned. "What did you say?""Do you not trust that I can protect myself or that I can help you? Or do you think I'm just a burden?""Of course not," Hendrix immediately denied it, his expression growing darker. "How could you think that of yourself? If I thought that, why would I bring you here?""Since it's not that, then why don't you want to—""Because I don't want you to be in any danger," Hendrix said in a low voice. "Clearly, we could have used other methods, couldn't we?""But right now, this one is the fastest and most convenient, right?"Hendrix couldn't answer.Noelle smiled. "See? You're admitting it, too. And honestly, you don't have that much time, either. So, weighing the pros and cons, doesn't it make the most sense to choose the most efficient option right now?""No," Hendrix said through gritted teeth.Yet, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.After meeting his gaze

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 841

    "I know things aren't that simple," Noelle said quietly.Her sudden change of topic caused Hendrix to furrow his brows slightly.He wanted to say something, but Noelle continued, "If it were that simple, you wouldn't have agreed to let me use this method to lure Dylan out from the start. This isn't Coppersville, and more importantly, the people around you now are only driven by self-interest."So, it would be impossible for them to help you find Dylan and make him lose everything. That is—unless he makes a move against you first. But in that case, Dylan would definitely be extra cautious. He might even hide for years or decades."As Noelle spoke, Hendrix suddenly laughed. "So what? You think I can't wait?""I know you won't wait." Noelle looked up at him. "I know you're not as indifferent as you appear to be about what happened to the Swifts. If I don't do this, you'll definitely think of other ways, right?"And I also know that those ways of yours would be even more dangerous tha

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 840

    The text message Hendrix had received just now was from Noelle. It contained the motel's address and the room number she had booked.The two of them hadn't seen each other at all these past few days—not even a phone call. Noelle wasn't sure if Dylan had sent anyone to watch them, and even the slightest trace of contact could become the reason everything fell apart.Noelle knew she wasn't clever enough to cover every detail flawlessly, so instead she put on a performance so convincing, even she almost believed it.She understood that in Dylan's mind, he always believed himself to be a noble man. The belief came from the way his family had raised him and the public image he maintained.Dylan and Hendrix were completely different. Hendrix had never cared about what others thought of him. Even in public, if he disliked someone or found them disgusting, he wouldn't bother pretending otherwise. The fact that he didn't humiliate someone outright was already the limit of his courtesy.Wh

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 839

    Amy figured that maybe Hendrix had somehow found out what she had been thinking earlier and wanted to kill her now to keep her quiet. After all, no one who could survive in that circle was really normal.She knew how this worked. To people like him, women like her weren't even human. If he was in a bad mood and decided to use her to vent, that would be totally normal to him.She licked her lips, just about to try explaining, when she realized that he wasn't even paying her any attention. He got out of the car without a word and walked straight inside.That reaction left Amy completely thrown. For a moment, she was at a loss for what to do.Should she follow him? But what if he really was planning to do something to her? If someone like her died here, no one would even notice.But if she didn't follow, and he wasn't planning anything, wouldn't she be missing a golden opportunity?Amy felt completely torn.As she watched him disappear into the motel, she threw all her concerns away

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 838

    This was the second time Amy had seen Hendrix. The last time, he had picked her out of a group—and today, he did the same.More importantly, Amy was now wearing the jewelry he had bought her. That piece alone had cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he hadn't even blinked at the price.From that alone, Amy was certain that she had won. She had stood out among the prey and become the object of his favor. The only thing she wasn't sure of was how long his interest toward her would last.In the social circles of Nuvark, women like Amy had their own internal rankings—a list sorted from most to least desirable targets. Hendrix wasn't on that list, but Amy knew that he was easily one of the top players in the game.She could tell that just by how Erwin and the others treated him. So, the fact that she hadn't hesitated and went straight for the win was the right call. And now, all the others could only look at her with envy and jealousy.The uniquely styled sports car sped down the

  • The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 837

    Then, Dylan hesitated a little. "Are you pitying me?""No, no!"Noelle quickly shook her head. "I just feel like I dragged you into this. It's like because I almost married you back then, Hendrix has been targeting you ever since. If not for that, you'd probably still be doing fine back home, and the Swift family wouldn't have ended up like this. So, I feel guilty."Her voice grew more hoarse as she spoke.Dylan stared at her for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed like he had just heard the funniest thing in the world, completely delighted."So, now you finally see Hendrix for who he really is?" he asked. "I told you before—he's never treated you right. Otherwise, why would you have taken Rosie and run to another city in the first place?"And back then, if it hadn't been for me, you never would've been forced to marry him. So, Noelle, have you remembered now? The one you actually love is me."Noelle stared at him, stunned.Dylan stood up at that moment, closin

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