Hendrix didn't say anything further, but as they passed a dessert shop, he suddenly pulled over.Noelle had an idea of what he was planning and didn't stop him at first. However, when he handed her the cake, she said, "I'm not eating it.""Just have a little," Hendrix insisted. "Doesn't it look delicious to you?"Noelle glanced down at the beautifully crafted cake and suddenly smiled. "Alright. I'll eat it if you eat it first."Hendrix narrowed his eyes.But Noelle smiled back at him sweetly. She knew perfectly well that Hendrix absolutely loathed sweets. He barely tolerated plain milk on a good day, let alone dessert.The moment she said it, she knew he'd never actually eat it, so she was about to push the cake back toward him when Hendrix suddenly said, "Alright. I'll eat it if you feed me."Noelle was stunned by his unexpected reply.Taking advantage of her brief pause, Hendrix quickly placed the cake in her hand. He then started the car and said with righteous certainty, "I
Noelle was still caught in her surprise from moments earlier, so when Hendrix suddenly kissed her, she didn't react immediately. Her slightly parted lips gave him the perfect opportunity. The lingering taste of the cake was still present on his lips, and the rich, sweet aroma of mango instantly filled her mouth.Perhaps it was the overwhelming sweetness of the flavor, but Noelle didn't push Hendrix away. She just sat there, completely still, letting him kiss her.After a while, Hendrix finally pulled back. Looking at her, he asked in a raspy voice, "Why didn't you move?"He was so close that Noelle's reflection was clear in his deep, dark eyes.Noelle met his gaze and replied, "The cake might fall."Her response left Hendrix momentarily stunned. It was then he realized that, all this time, she had been holding the cake in her hand.He was initially quite tempted to take things further. After all, the street was quiet, and the spot he had chosen was secluded enough. But seeing Noe
But now, Hendrix was no longer used to sleeping alone. In fact, he couldn't fall asleep unless he was holding Noelle in his arms.Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would push his arm away and move to the other side of the bed. After waking up in panic, Hendrix would immediately pull her back and lock her firmly in his embrace. Only then would he feel at ease again.Yet, that night, Hendrix didn't wake up once. Six hours of uninterrupted sleep left him feeling completely satisfied.Noelle was still nestled in his arms. She looked peaceful in her sleep, with her long lashes resting softly and her lips pressed together.Hendrix gently brushed away the strands of hair clinging to her face. He then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, trailing downward as he went.By the time Noelle woke up, it was already too late. Hendrix was already holding onto her calf, and when he noticed she was awake, he gave her a smile before leaning down to kiss her.Noelle immediately turned her
Hendrix had no intention of riding in the other car, so he chose to drive to Freeman Manor himself, with Noelle naturally accompanying him. He was in an exceptionally good mood along the way, one hand on the steering wheel while the other held hers tightly. By now, Noelle couldn't even be bothered to resist. As the car neared Freeman Manor, she finally asked him, "Has Nathan officially joined Amity Group? Will it affect you?"Hendrix raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her sudden question. Then, he replied, "If I say it won't affect me, would you believe it?"Noelle was momentarily stunned. Hendrix glanced at her, then patiently explained, "The shares were given to him, but he holds no real power. Even if he joins Amity Group, he won't be able to stir up much trouble.""But Mrs. Freeman Senior—""If she truly wanted to support him to rise to power, then yes, it could be a problem. But if she really cared about him, she would've brought him into the fold long ago. To her,
As soon as Beatrice finished speaking, Hendrix clenched his fists.Noelle, seated beside him, could clearly hear the grinding of his teeth and see the bulging veins on the back of his hands. She knew that Hendrix wasn't afraid of competing with Nathan. What really set him off was that the one helping Nathan would be Beatrice.For some reason, she felt an urge to reach out and hold his hand. However, after her fingers twitched slightly, she ultimately decided against it.Hendrix quickly regained his composure and said, "Since you've already made your decision, what's the point of telling me now?""It's only right to inform you. After all, you're the company's general manager," Beatrice replied, her tone as calm as ever.Hendrix let out a laugh, but this time, it was cold. "Well, then, thank you ever so much for the heads-up."With that, he stood up abruptly. "I take it you've said everything you needed to? So, can we leave now?""If you're busy, you can leave first. I still have
Noelle's expression changed multiple times. "What do you mean by this?""Exactly what I said. Don't you want to leave him?" Beatrice asked, her tone almost urgent.Noelle stared at her for a moment before replying, "But this is between him and me. You're his mother, so no matter what, you should be on his side."Her words seemed to momentarily silence Beatrice.Noelle thought that her words had sunk in, but then, Beatrice laughed and asked, "So, are you pitying him now?"Noelle felt that something about Beatrice's demeanor was off. Just as she was about to say something, Beatrice beat her to it."Noelle, you've gone soft on him."That light, casual remark left Noelle stunned. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.Beatrice stood up. Crossing her arms, she gazed out at the yard for a moment before finally speaking again."But that's fine. This is between you and him and also your personal choice. If you want to continue living like this, I certainly won't interfere. But N
By the time Hendrix caught up to Noelle in the pharmacy, he arrived just in time to hear her ask for a pregnancy test.The store assistant immediately acknowledged her request, then noticed Hendrix entering. She asked, "Sir, is there anything you need?"Hendrix didn't respond. The store assistant found his silence odd at first but quickly realized he was staring intently at Noelle. Understanding the situation, she said nothing more and simply retrieved two boxes of pregnancy tests for Noelle.The entire time, Noelle didn't look at Hendrix—not even when paying at the counter. As he reached out to take the items, she swatted his hand away with a loud, crisp smack.The store assistant was startled by the sound but had no time to react before Noelle picked up the items and walked out. Hendrix immediately followed after her. To his relief, she still got into his car.During the drive, Hendrix wanted to explain himself.Should he say he did it for her health? Then, why hadn't he take
Hendrix suddenly fell silent.Noelle realized she had said the wrong thing. No matter what, the cruelest thing one could do during an argument was attacking the other person's deepest vulnerabilities. No matter how much resentment or anger she held toward him, she shouldn't have said that.Especially since Hendrix had just lost control of his emotions earlier that morning because of Beatrice's "betrayal". And yet, Noelle had still blurted it out."Oh, so that's what she told you," Hendrix finally said after a long moment.Noelle said nothing in response.Hendrix suddenly laughed. "Well, it's not surprising. In her eyes, I really am a monster. If she could, I think she'd want to go back in time and strangle me at birth. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have been tied to the Freeman family all these years. Maybe she could have been with her true love instead."His voice grew colder and more mocking with every word.Noelle pressed her lips tightly together, saying nothing.As He
"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
As soon as Noelle asked that, the man across from her clearly froze for a moment. Then, he chuckled softly.Noelle didn't say anything else. She just stared at him, steady and sure. There was something in her gaze—something unmistakably certain.Dylan no longer tried to keep up the act. He simply raised a hand and took off his sunglasses.His appearance had changed a bit since the last time. His beard was longer, his eye sockets deeper, and his overall presence had taken on a sharper, more dangerous edge.But when he looked at Noelle now, he smiled slightly. "So, you remember me?"Noelle didn't respond. Of course, Dylan hadn't forgotten the last time they had seen each other. And he wasn't sure if Noelle actually remembered everything, which made his smile a little stiff.But the next moment, Noelle asked, "Why are you here?""I'm working here. I couldn't survive in Coppersville anymore, remember?" Dylan replied.As he spoke, he kept his eyes on her, clearly watching for her r
Erwin was even beginning to wonder if Hendrix had actually lost his mind.But Hendrix just looked at him and countered, "Weren't you always the one telling me to live this way? Now that I'm finally enjoying it, why are you calling me crazy?"Erwin had no comeback for that.Hendrix glanced at him, then suddenly slung an arm around Erwin's shoulders and pointed at a woman up ahead. "Check her out. What do you think?"…Noelle spent three days alone in the hotel. During those three days, Hendrix never came back.She ate alone and sat alone in a hotel lobby, staring blankly into space. In the end, she decided to book an early flight home.Just as she lowered her head to check flights on her phone, someone suddenly sat down across from her.It was still bright outside. The hotel lobby lights were on, and a hanging lamp above them cast the man's shadows long across the floor.Noelle kept her head down. But the moment the man sat down, it was as if she could sense something. Her hand
Noelle hadn't gone far. When Erwin came downstairs, she was standing at the entrance of the hotel, lost in thought.This wasn't Coppersville. Even in a place this well-lit, as a woman, she was still in danger. Moreover, she had obvious traits that made her an easy target—an innocent face, small frame, and delicate appearance.Hendrix had brought Noelle to Nuvark before. But at that time, he treated her like a fragile porcelain doll. Wherever she went, he followed closely, as if terrified that the slightest accident might befall her.But tonight…Erwin felt the situation was a bit too complicated. This, he thought, was more complicated than having to analyze hundreds of data sets at work.However, he didn't say much. As a host, he simply walked over to Noelle and told her he would have someone send her back to the hotel.Upon hearing his voice, Noelle slowly turned her head to look at him. When their eyes met, Erwin immediately frowned."Thank you," Noelle said softly, her eyes ev