Hendrix explained, "Now, I realize I was wrong. If it was the wrong choice, then I should do everything I can to fix it. That's exactly what I'm doing now. "To be honest, I used to think people who were controlled by their emotions were foolish. But when it happened to me, I realized it's not such a bad feeling. The profits in business have always been meaningless numbers to me. But if those numbers were tied to you, they'd actually make me happy."The plane had already taken off. Hendrix powered off his tablet, his unwavering gaze locked on Noelle. In the depths of his eyes burned an undeniable sincerity and longing.Noelle met his gaze, then suddenly laughed. "Honestly, if I'd heard you say this in the past, I'd probably be overjoyed.""And now?" Hendrix asked."It's too late," she said, her voice calm.Hendrix's eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "You're going to say it's because you have a boyfriend, right? I already know about you and Dylan. You're jus
"I don't know, either. But considering everything that's happened between us, you won't mind if I take a little more time to think, right?" Noelle asked.That was the final response she left for Hendrix. And she was right—too much had happened between them, so taking more time to think things through was only fair.Hendrix had always considered himself a patient man, or at least he used to believe so.Take Amity Group's situation, for example. He had been laying the groundwork since last year and had only recently begun to reel it all in. So that was why he had always believed himself to be a skilled hunter.But as the days passed, Hendrix found that his patience wasn't as steadfast as he had once believed. Looking back, he realized he had done countless irrational things when it came to Noelle.Every time Hendrix thought about reaching out to her, he would remember the serious look on her face that day. If it meant a good outcome, then waiting a few more days wasn't unbearable. A
Hendrix grasped her meaning immediately. "What you're saying is you want me to be the one without the official acknowledgment, right?""Something like that. After all, we're still business partners, and it wouldn't be appropriate for us to be overly showy with our relationship. How would others see you? So, I think it's best—"Before she could finish, Hendrix suddenly strode forward and punched the wall right beside her. The sudden movement startled Noelle, cutting off whatever she'd been about to say."Noelle, are you kidding me? Who the hell do you take me for? In your eyes, am I really that pathetic and lacking in dignity?"Hendrix found the whole thing utterly absurd. Who would have thought that he would one day be asked to become a lover hidden in the shadows, someone who couldn't even be acknowledged publicly? Why should he let her reduce him to that? And more than that, how could she reduce herself to this?Hendrix clenched his teeth tightly, and the veins on his forearm an
"Aren't you afraid that he'll take revenge on you?" Dylan asked helplessly from the other end of the phone."Nope," replied Noelle without hesitation."Have you forgotten how you ended up in the hospital last time?" he reminded her.Noelle, of course, hadn't forgotten. But now, she was inexplicably certain of one thing. Someone as egotistical as Hendrix would never let anyone know about what happened tonight. Most likely, he wouldn't even want to see her again."You could have just agreed to get back together with him. I can explain things to my parents," said Dylan."Forget it," Noelle replied. "Besides, you're just an excuse I came up with. I never actually planned to get back together with him.""Why? Don't you still have feelings for him?""Feelings that feed on pain. Do those count?" Noelle poured herself a glass of wine and let out a soft laugh. "You've liked someone before, and you've been hurt because of it, so you should understand. Everyone only has so many times they
At that moment, Noelle only had one thought in her mind—no normal person would ever agree to the condition, let alone someone like Hendrix. After all, he was worshiped from a young age and now at the top of the hierarchy.Noelle was so shocked that she suddenly didn't know what to say. It took her a long while before she finally found her voice again. "Hendrix, do you know what you're saying?""I do.""You're drunk." Noelle finally reacted and pushed him away."I'm not."She pursed her lips. "The smell of alcohol on you isn't very convincing.""I told you I'm not drunk. In fact, I'm very sober right now." As Hendrix spoke, he took two steps closer to her. "And I know exactly what I'm doing.""Then, do you know why I did what I did?" Noelle asked him.Hendrix frowned."I did it so you would stay away from me! Even if you agree to this way of getting along, I won't love you anymore. In fact, I might even use you and then dump you when you have no value left. Is that something yo
Hendrix had indeed drunk quite a bit. After leaving Noelle's place, he had gone straight to the bar, and he couldn't remember exactly how much he had drunk. But when Lana appeared in front of him, he suddenly became incredibly clear-headed.So, he called Dan, asking him to handle things with Lana. He had already wrapped up the Amity Group matter. Thus he no longer needed Lana as a cover.Moreover, when he looked into Lana's eyes, he suddenly became painfully clear about one thing—she wasn't Noelle, nor could she ever replace Noelle. So, he went back to Noelle's place.Noelle said he was crazy. In truth, Hendrix felt that way too. Because if he wasn't crazy, how could he have agreed to her conditions? He knew full well she was degrading him, but at that moment, he suddenly wondered—maybe she was just trying to force him to leave in this way? And why would she do that?Maybe it was because she still had feelings for him, and she was afraid she would fall for him again if she were t
If it weren't for this, Noelle wouldn't have bothered trying to change. Though, at this point, it seemed like she still hadn't managed to become happy, she believed it was because she hadn't tried hard enough. Maybe one day, she'd finally become happy if she really reached a higher position.Noelle wasn't sure, and there was no one who could give her the answer. So, all she could do was keep moving forward."Quit smoking."Hendrix seemed to ignore everything else she said, focusing solely on this one thing.Noelle suddenly found it amusing. "Why don't you quit?""Alright. I'll quit with you," he replied.His straightforward answer made Noelle frown involuntarily.Hendrix quickly took action. He tossed Noelle's cigarette pack and lighter straight into the trash. Then, he picked up the clothes he had left scattered around the living room from last night, and the cigarette pack inside was also discarded.But the lighter remained in his hand."I'll keep this. It was a gift from yo
Noelle had forgotten how Hendrix had answered at the time, but what she clearly remembered was that later, Hendrix had lost control, and they switched positions. As a result, she truly missed the morning meeting.However, when she arrived at the office, Oliver told her that the meeting had been pushed back. She wasn't surprised at all. Oliver went on to talk about other work arrangements, but his eyes kept drifting back to Noelle.Noelle couldn't help but frown. Just as she was about to lose her temper, Oliver finally couldn't help but ask, "Do you need some concealer or anything of the like?"Noelle froze for a moment, and it was only then that she finally noticed the marks on her neck. She quickly pulled her collar tighter with one hand and picked up her phone with the other."What are you? A dog?"Noelle had already typed out the message, but after a brief pause, she deleted it. Without a change in expression, she put her phone back and pulled her collar higher.Oliver had a
Hendrix reached out and gripped Noelle's chin. In a deep voice laced with a clear trace of anger, he asked, "You've fallen for Dylan, haven't you?"Noelle didn't answer, but she pressed her lips tighter and tighter. Her eyes still brimmed with tears, but the moisture only made them shine more brightly, more vividly. In their reflection, Hendrix could see himself clearly, and he could also see the unmistakable hatred within them.She hated him. Hendrix knew that, of course. From the moment he decided to take this path, he had already anticipated how she would react.But so what? Was he supposed to stand by and watch as they became nothing more than strangers who had nothing to do with each other?If that were the case, Hendrix would rather she hated him.He could live with that outcome—it wasn't something he couldn't accept. But the one thing he absolutely couldn't tolerate was her heart belonging to someone else.She could hate him because of the incident with Elm Group, beca
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
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
"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
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
"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
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
In the past, Craig had always been the one giving orders to Noelle. He didn't need to consult her, nor did he allow her to oppose him. But now, he seemed like a helpless child, asking Noelle what to do. Noelle closed her eyes for a moment before speaking again, "Who else knows about this for now?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake in phrasing, so she quickly added, "No matter who knows, we must block the news. Otherwise, once the stock market opens tomorrow, Elm Group will truly be doomed!" Craig remained silent while staring vacantly ahead. "What about Julio's family? They should still be here, right? You need to get someone to contact them immediately. Once Julio reaches them, call the police right away! Do you hear me?" Noelle's final words seemed to snap Craig back to reality, and he shakily reached for his phone. Noelle didn't look back, turning to walk away, but there was no sound behind her. When she turned back in confusion, she found
Noelle's words were soon proven true.The day after the project was handed over to Julio, Amity Group notified them that work would resume.Although Noelle's responsibilities had been transferred to Julio, she was still the general manager of the subsidiary, so some processes still had to go through her.Two days later, Julio claimed that there were still some unclear aspects of the handover. Since Noelle was on leave preparing for her wedding, he decided to take Oliver from her side.Noelle didn't object. After all, this was the company's project, and if anything went wrong, she would be held accountable.Oliver was soon reassigned.A week later, when it was only two more days until Noelle and Dylan's wedding, she received a call from Oliver in the middle of the night. "Ms. Swanson, shit has gone down. I can't get in touch with Mr. Garcia!"Noelle was shocked and was now wide awake from her sleep. Her mind was still in a mess. "What?" "Mr. Garcia is missing!" Oliver's voice