Javier inquired, "You think it's pretty good, too, huh? That's the charm of Vinton City's landscape. If this were in Coppersville, it definitely wouldn't be the same. "Try this chicken soup. It's on a completely different level compared to the usual stuff out there. The restaurant's still in its soft opening phase, but give it some time, and it's sure to make waves in the scene…"Javier launched into an enthusiastic monologue.It wasn't until later that Noelle found out that Javier had a stake in the restaurant. That explained a lot.Noelle sat quietly, listening as Javier rambled on about the restaurant's future plans. After a while, she finally couldn't take it anymore, so she stood and said, "Excuse me. I need to use the restroom."Javier glanced at her but didn't bother to respond. He was simply too engrossed in his conversation with Hendrix. Not minding it in the slightest, Noelle smiled and walked out of the private dining room.The restaurant was massive, and it seemed th
By the time dinner ended, it was nearing 10:00 pm.Javier seemed quite satisfied with the evening's discussions. Before leaving, he told Noelle that he would review her proposal first. His tone had noticeably softened, and Noelle responded with a bright, enthusiastic smile.As for Sandra, who had unexpectedly shown up tonight, she had been practically invisible throughout the evening—except for the moment she glanced at Hendrix as she boarded the car.It was a look filled with a mix of grievance, resentment, and a hint of hope. Whatever response Hendrix gave, Noelle didn't witness it, because in the next instant, Sandra had already entered Javier's black Bentley, which swiftly drove into the night.The smile Noelle had been forcing onto her face disappeared instantly. Without sparing a glance at the man beside her, she turned on her heel and headed straight for her own car. But Hendrix was quick to grab her arm."What are you doing?" Noelle immediately brushed his hand off. "Have
By the time Noelle realized it, Hendrix's lips were already on hers. They had been through many intimate moments together, their familiarity with each other's bodies surpassing even their understanding of their own.Yet, it wasn't until this moment of shared kiss that felt like it belonged solely to lovers—devoid of desire, yet deeply meaningful.Hendrix's movements were gentle, his lips softly enveloping hers and his tongue lightly grazing against them in careful, deliberate strokes. It was as if he were handling a precious yet fragile treasure, his tenderness boundless and cautious.Noelle suddenly felt a little fuzzy in the head. At some point, her hands had instinctively gripped the collar of his shirt, twisting it tightly in her grasp.And then, her phone rang.The crisp ringtone was like an invisible hand, yanking Noelle out of the ethereal world of fleeting tenderness.Hendrix tensed for a moment, but Noelle reacted even faster, shoving him away with a firm push. At the sa
Noelle rested on Hendrix's back, but as soon as the elevator doors closed, she said, "Put me down."Her tone was composed, completely devoid of the playful coyness she'd shown earlier when complaining about her foot.Hendrix had already figured out she was faking it. Still, he hadn't called her out on it. Instead, he had gone along with her act, playing his part in the script she had set up.Even though Noelle had asked him to put her down, Hendrix showed no intention of letting go.After waiting for a moment, Noelle repeated impatiently, "Hendrix, put me down!""Didn't you say your foot hurt?" Hendrix countered casually. "We're almost there.""You saw it earlier, didn't you?" Noelle wasn't about to let him feign ignorance. "Sandra was hiding in the parking lot.""Yeah, I saw her.""That's why I suddenly asked you to carry me.""Yeah, I know."Noelle laid out her intentions plainly, but even so, Hendrix showed no sign of letting her down. She bit her lip. "So, do you get it n
"Help him? You mean by using herself to curry favor with Javier?" asked Noelle."Whether that's true or not, I don't know, and it has nothing to do with me," replied Hendrix."Didn't you say you see Sandra as a sister? Doesn't it hurt you to see your 'sister' fall to this level?"Hendrix suddenly chuckled and raised his head to look at her. "I thought I was the one being unnecessarily jealous, but it turns out a certain someone might be the jealous one.""Who are you talking about?" Noelle shot back, her tone calm and steady, as if their conversation had nothing to do with her.Hendrix didn't continue teasing her and instead said, "What you're really worried about is whether Sandra will try to interfere on Javier's side, isn't it?"Noelle didn't respond, but her silence was as good as confirmation.Hendrix discarded the cotton swab and added, "It's not impossible."Noelle pressed her lips together. "But judging by Javier's attitude toward her tonight, it doesn't seem like he'd
Noelle lay back on the couch with her head tilted upward.The living room lights were on, their stark white glow almost blinding. Tears unknowingly welled up at the corners of Noelle's eyes. Her hands tightened, clenching reflexively as if searching for something to hold onto. In the end, they slid downward until they grasped at Hendrix's hair.The loss of control was sudden and overwhelming. But Noelle didn't forget the important matter at hand. As Hendrix straightened and lifted her into his arm, she regained her composure and asked, "How do you plan to help me?"Hendrix didn't respond but simply kept walking.Noelle grew impatient, and clutching his collar tightly, she asked, "Hendrix, are you playing me?"Hendrix tossed her onto the bed in the bedroom and leaned over her. "Noelle, aren't you being a bit too impatient? I told you to earn my help by pleasing me, yet here you are, asking for favors without having done a thing."His voice carried a subtle warning, but Noelle show
Compared to the previous evening, Javier's attitude was noticeably better today.After the customary few questions, he assured Noelle that the proposal would be reviewed promptly and that she would receive a response within a week. This timeline was considered remarkably quick in the industry, and Noelle suspected Hendrix had something to do with it.However, she didn't mention it in front of others. Instead, she smiled warmly and promised to buy Javier dinner next time.Javier chuckled in response, agreeing good-naturedly.As they left the building, even Oliver couldn't help but remark, "Mr. Mueller seems much easier to talk to than the rumors suggest. And honestly, the way he talked—it felt more like polite formalities. After all, he's the president. Whether the project gets approved is entirely up to him, isn't it?""We still need to follow the process," Noelle replied absentmindedly, her attention focused on the news on her phone.It wasn't until she finished speaking that sh
Just as Oliver had implied, the "review" Javier mentioned turned out to be nothing more than a formality. In less than five business days, the funds Noelle had requested were approved without issue.However, securing the funds was only the first step. To ensure everything proceeded smoothly, Noelle made a point of visiting the construction site for an inspection today.By now, Vinton City had officially entered summer. Noelle wore a hard hat during her site visit, and as it was a formal inspection, carrying a sun umbrella was out of the question. By the end of the day, her arms and the back of her neck were noticeably red from the sun.On her way home, she stopped to buy some ointment. Just as she was about to apply it after getting home, Hendrix walked in.Hendrix had been out for a dinner engagement tonight, but it was clear he had slipped away early. In his hand, he carried the takeout he brought back for Noelle, with the most eye-catching item being a small cake nestled beside
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
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
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
"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
"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 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
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
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
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