When Hendrix was a child, he once came across a stray cat at his school. The kitten seemed to have just been born and had no mother by its side. It lay weakly in the grass, meowing softly. Hendrix merely glanced at it, but he didn't have much sympathy. So, he quickly continued walking. What he didn't expect was for the kitten to follow him. Though his pace wasn't slow, and the kitten could barely stand, it still stumbled along after him. When Hendrix was about to reach the school gates, he finally stopped. Then, he went to a nearby snack shop and bought a sausage to give it to the kitten. The kitten ate happily.From that day on, every time Hendrix finished school, he would see it. It would approach him on its own, rub against his palm, and then obediently wait to be fed.One day, Hendrix began carrying snacks in his school bag. On the weekend, he even made a special trip to the supermarket to buy a bag of cat food. He had even made up his mind. After feeding the kitten on
For some unknown reason, Hendrix's palm felt itchy. It was as if the cat's fur irritated him, but it also felt as if his palm had touched Noelle's head.Just when Hendrix was thinking about this, a voice sounded, "Sorry for making you wait, Mr. Freeman."Hearing the voice, Hendrix looked up with a smile. "Long time no see, Mr. Garcia."…Noelle was the last to know about the Continental Reach project being paused. She and Dylan were chatting with Zavier when she received the news over the phone. She was stunned at first. "What?""Amity Group took the initiative to stop it. They said there's some problem in the construction department, so they need to investigate it first.""What problem?""I am not sure. This is what they informed us for now.""Even if there's a problem within the construction department, the other departments can operate as usual, right? If not, since it is the starting phase of the project, they can just change the entire team, right?"When Noelle finished s
Perhaps because Noelle looked so bewildered, Dylan couldn't help but chuckle. Then, he lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her lips, like a dragonfly skimming water, fleeting and brief. Afterward, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "Alright. Go on in."Noelle was still a bit dazed, but she didn't say anything. She simply glanced at him before turning and getting out of the car.Craig was already waiting for her in the office. As soon as Noelle entered, the first thing he asked about was the Continental Reach project."I'm not entirely sure what went wrong, as I've only received a one-sided notification. But rest assured, Mr. Swanson. I will investigate thoroughly and provide you with a satisfactory answer," Noelle replied in a very official tone.After Craig stared at her, he said, "Did you not contact those from Amity Group?""Not for now, but I will…""This is the email I received just now. Have a look," Craig cut her off and handed her the documents.Noelle found
Noelle noticed Craig's calm demeanor and suddenly chuckled. "I see how it is. Did you work with Hendrix to do this?""Of course not." Craig frowned and continued, "Noelle, you've been in the company for some time now, so you should know that the company's interest is above yours, right?"Noelle didn't answer this time, but she was gritting her teeth hard.That person… Well, he was no stranger to Noelle—he was the general manager of the subsidiary company in Vinton City, Julio.Julio's network was primarily based in Vinton City, so when he was transferred back to headquarters, it was essentially a form of marginalization. But even so, it didn't stop him from creating trouble in the company.Amity Group had also arranged for him to take over for this project.Noelle knew that Hendrix wanted to target her."Ms. Swanson, long time no see!" Julio beamed happily as he walked toward Noelle and extended out his hand.Yet, Noelle ignored him and just gave him a cold glance before turn
Hendrix was seriously asking her the question, but there were no emotions in his eyes, which were staring right at Noelle. There was only coldness in them.That was the gaze of a wild beast eyeing its prey—a contempt of someone in a higher position looking down on those below. Noelle's body involuntarily shuddered. He had disguised himself in front of her for so long. It wasn't until this moment that Noelle realized that Hendrix wasn't some docile dog but a bloodthirsty wolf. But Noelle quickly regained her composure. "Hendrix, as the general manager of Amity Group, don't you fear others will laugh at you for making decisions based on emotions while constantly changing your mind?""It doesn't matter," Hendrix slowly replied. "After all, no one in the company can control me now. Besides, the Continental Reach project is too big and risky for you. I have every reason to convince them." Noelle couldn't find the words, but the hand resting on her lap slowly tightened. "And th
"Got it."When Hendrix heard the reply, he hung up and looked outside the window.From the reflection, he could see his red cheek, and he touched it.It was a little painful, but he had experienced something more painful than this. So for him, this was nothing.Thinking of this while staring at the marks on his face, he suddenly laughed.…Amity Group and Elm Group quickly made their decisions, and the news about Julio taking over the Continental Reach project was soon made public within the company. When the news broke, everyone was surprised. Although Noelle was still the general manager of the Vinton City branch, those working in the branch office were all Julio's old subordinates. At that point, what difference was there between Noelle and a lone soldier? Noelle certainly didn't want to just hand over her achievements like that. But Hendrix had made up his mind to make things difficult for her, and as Craig had said, he was the client. Continental Reach was such a l
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
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
Hendrix kept moving closer toward Noelle, leaving her no choice but to step back. But soon, her back hit the glass door of the balcony—there was nowhere left to retreat."You're overthinking it," Noelle said. "I didn't say anything because it's none of my business."Hendrix finally stopped moving."That's between you and Ms. Rhett. It's not my place to comment or interfere," she continued. "As for the people around you and what they want, that has nothing to do with me, either. So, can you please move aside now?"By the time Noelle finished speaking, all expression had vanished from Hendrix's face. He stared at her intently, as if trying to find some trace of emotion or crack in her composure. But there was nothing.Noelle stood there calmly, meeting his gaze. Hendrix couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.Seeing that he had nothing more to say, Noelle turned to leave, planning to walk past him. But Hendrix quickly grabbed her arm. "Did I say you could go?""Let go of me.
The sudden noise startled Rosie, and she immediately buried herself in Noelle's arms, her wide eyes fixed on Hendrix.But Hendrix didn't even notice her reaction. His gaze was locked on Noelle as he said, "Come out."As soon as he finished speaking, Rosie grabbed Noelle's hand tightly. "Mommy, don't go."Rosie had always been wary of Hendrix, but this was the first time Noelle sensed genuine fear in her. Her little fingers were gripping Noelle's hand so tightly that they had turned pale.Noelle quickly reassured her, "It's okay. I'll just go see what he wants.""No!" Rosie shook her head without hesitation.Noelle glanced at the door. Hendrix was still standing there, unmoving. The tight set of his lips and his grim expression were nothing short of sharp and severe.Rosie's grip on Noelle's hand tightened even more.Noelle had no choice but to hand Rosie the little lion plushie beside her. "Wait here for me, okay? I'll be right back."Rosie still didn't want to let go, but she
Hendrix moved quickly. As Seline instinctively reached for her phone, her fingers nearly got caught in his car door. But Hendrix didn't even bother to apologize. He simply had Levi start the car and drove off without another word.Seline stood there for a moment, stunned. Then, as if snapping out of it, she shouted at his retreating car, "Hendrix Freeman, what the hell is wrong with you? You emotionally unstable lunatic! Serves you right for being cheated on!"Hendrix didn't respond, of course. In fact, he didn't even bother to listen to what she was saying. The first thing he did when he got into the car was to call Angela.Angela answered the phone quickly. "Hello, Mr. Freeman.""Did you run into Noelle today?" Hendrix asked.It had been a long time since he had mentioned that name. After disappearing from Coppersville for so long, the name "Noelle" was unfamiliar to Angela.But she was quick on her feet. After running through the list of women associated with Hendrix in her mi
After hearing Noelle's response, Hendrix didn't say anything more. He simply left Sienna Villa with his entourage. When he reached the parking lot, he spotted Seline standing there.Because of Noelle, Seline had never been particularly fond of Hendrix. Even though her position technically required her to maintain a good relationship with him, she still refused to do so. In fact, she couldn't even be bothered to put on a front.But today, when Seline saw Hendrix, she seemed to be in an unusually good mood. She even took the initiative to wave at him."Hello, Mr. Freeman," she greeted.Even though Hendrix found this odd, he didn't say anything about it. He simply gave her a slight nod before getting into his car.Like hell Seline was just going to let him leave like that!The situation with Angela was something Seline wanted to blow up into a big scandal, but Noelle had a point, too. On the surface, Seline had no real connection to Hendrix, so whether he was being cheated on or not
"Then why is Seline laughing?" Rosie asked."She just remembered something happy," Noelle answered."Yes, I'm happy. Very happy," Seline echoed, immediately following Noelle's lead. Then, she added, "Let's go, Rosie. I'll send you home.""Oh…" Rosie was clearly still puzzled, but neither of them seemed inclined to explain further, so she didn't press the matter.Seline personally drove them back to Sienna Villa. She was in a good mood the entire way, humming a tune as she gripped the steering wheel. She could hardly wait to call Hendrix and tell him to catch Angela in the act at the hotel.But she held herself back. After all, Hendrix catching Angela red-handed wasn't enough. Seline wanted everyone in their social circle to know so that Hendrix would be completely humiliated."Don't stir up trouble," Noelle said bluntly from the back seat.Seline paused. "I'm not. What did I do?"Noelle didn't believe her. "In any case, it's their business. So, don't meddle in them."Seline po
Noelle didn't comment on Seline's remark. In truth, she still didn't know who was behind the downfall of the Fisher family. But no matter who it was, she didn't want to ask about it anymore.Once Rosie got off the carousel, the three of them left the arcade together.Rosie was so excited from playing that her face was covered in sweat. Just as Noelle was about to crouch down to wipe it off, Seline suddenly grabbed her arm.Her grip was tight, almost painful. Noelle couldn't help but frown.But Seline seemed oblivious. She pointed ahead and said, "Look! Who's that?"To avoid drawing attention, Seline kept her voice low and didn't point directly.Noelle followed her gaze.They were in a shopping mall, and with summer vacation in full swing, the place was crowded. So, for a moment, Noelle couldn't figure out who Seline was talking about.Seline stomped her foot impatiently. "Right in front of you! The one about to enter the Armani store!"Noelle wasn't wearing her glasses today.
In the following days, Noelle didn't see Hendrix again. But she didn't dwell on it. After all, he rarely came around before, so she didn't find it particularly unusual.As for who Angela was, it was Seline who filled Noelle in."I heard she used to be an influencer, working as a live streamer," Seline said with a frown.In her eyes, being an influencer or live streamer wasn't exactly a respectable profession. Especially when it came to someone as attractive-looking as Angela.Seline even showed Noelle some of Angela's past live streams. In the video, Angela was wearing a white dress, chatting and smiling with her audience.Noelle nodded and said, "Oh.""That's it?" Seline widened her eyes. "You're not going to say anything about it?""What should I say?" Noelle found it strange. "Oh, she's quite… pretty.""That's just the filter! And didn't you see how much makeup she's wearing?""Well, isn't that how it is in that industry?""Yes, but Hendrix's taste has really gone downhill
Hendrix remembered the scene from the last night when he stood on the balcony, watching Rosie smile and wave goodbye to Dylan. To be honest, the three of them looked incredibly good together, almost as if they were a real family.At this moment, if he wasn't mistaken, this was the first time Rosie had spoken to him on her own initiative. Yet, what she said was she didn't want to see him.Hendrix wanted to retort that this was his house, so why couldn't he be here? But when he met Rosie's eyes, he swallowed back his words.Then, he simply replied, "Okay."His response was straightforward, but Rosie didn't seem to think much of it. She merely nodded in satisfaction and went downstairs to find Noelle.Hendrix watched her retreating figure, his hands clenching involuntarily.It wasn't until the ache in his chest became unbearable that he finally snapped out of it and slowly made his way downstairs.Beatrice was already in the living room. When she saw him, she immediately called out
Noelle had initially wanted to explain that their meeting with Dylan had been purely coincidental. But after a pause, she simply said, "Thanks for your concern, but both Rosie and I know the truth of the matter. So, there's no need for you to worry about anything."With that, Noelle walked forward with Rosie in her hand. Rosie naturally followed her, and from the beginning to the end, she never showed Hendrix even the slightest trace of unnecessary emotion.But when Noelle was bathing her later, she suddenly asked, "Mommy, does Daddy hate me?""Of course not," Noelle denied without hesitation."Then, why does he always look like this when he sees me?"As she spoke, she furrowed her brows and pursed her lips.Honestly speaking, the expression she made was very similar to Hendrix's, and Noelle couldn't help but laugh."Trust me. He doesn't," she said, pinching Rosie's nose. "That's just how he is. It has nothing to do with you.""Really? But Mommy, you said before that I was th