Noelle had no idea how she ended up in this place. She only remembered getting out of Hendrix's car and crossing the street.Then, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Before she could even turn around, a hand had already covered her mouth and nose.And then, she passed out.When she opened her eyes again, she was in an unfamiliar room. Her hands and feet were tightly bound, and the air was thick with the stench of mold.The only source of light was a faint sliver of moonlight seeping through a small window, while the rest of the room was swallowed in darkness.Noelle had no idea who had brought her here, let alone what their intentions were. Because until now, she hadn't even seen their faces.Just as she was searching the room for something to cut through the ropes, the old, creaking door swung open.She immediately turned her head.The moment she saw the person standing in the doorway, her eyes widened slightly. "It's you!"Jean let out a cold laugh. "You look surprised. Wha
"See how considerate I am? So, can you be considerate of me, too? Stay still and don't move. Got it? Otherwise, I'd feel awful if this knife accidentally cuts your stomach," Jean threatened, pressing down the knife harder on Noelle's cheek.Noelle felt a sharp, spearing pain as the blade sliced across her skin. Blood immediately welled up and dripped down, each drop landing cold and stark against the surface below.Noelle suddenly thought of Hendrix.What was he doing now? Did he think she had stormed off in anger and was searching for her like a madman? Or had he picked up Olivia's call and didn't even notice Noelle was missing?She didn't dare to think about it. The more she thought, the more bitter she felt.The pain became sharper, but she didn't dare move. Because just like Jean said, Noelle was pregnant. Thus, she couldn't risk upsetting Jean for fear of what she would do to her baby.As the knife carved into Noelle's skin, Jean's eyes lit up with a bloodthirsty and maniaca
The ambulance quickly brought Noelle to the hospital. The bleeding on her face had stopped, but the doctor still needed to stitch up her wound.She couldn't feel pain on that part of her face after anesthesia had been administered. She could, however, feel the doctor's movement—the way the needle and thread pierced through her skin, clear and distinct.Since it was a minor procedure, they conducted it in the emergency room.Although the door was closed, Noelle kept her eyes fixed on it. As for what she was waiting for, she wasn't even sure herself.But by the time the doctor finished, Hendrix still hadn't appeared, whereas Dylan had been waiting outside the entire time.The moment he saw Noelle come out, he immediately approached her and asked, "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"Noelle glanced at him and shook her head."That's good. Let me take you home."The moment Dylan said those words, Noelle stopped in her tracks. Then, she slowly lifted her head to look at him.Something in
Noelle's hands immediately clenched.Then, something flashed through her mind, but before she could grasp it, the words had already slipped from her lips."The person who died… Was it Olivia?"…The deceased was indeed Olivia. She had fallen from the 21st-floor balcony of an apartment complex and died on the spot.And more importantly, her clothes were disheveled at the time of her death. Aside from her, the only other person in the apartment was Hendrix.A man and a woman, alone in a high-rise apartment in the dead of the night—that alone was enough to fuel endless speculation. And with Hendrix's status, it only made things worse.Within hours, all sorts of theories had already taken over the headlines.Olivia's close ties with Hendrix had already spread like wildfire in their social circles.Now, with her sudden death—and in that particular state—many speculated that the two had been playing too recklessly, leading to Olivia's accidental fall from the balcony. After all, if
Noelle had forgotten how she had responded to Beatrice at that moment. After hanging up the call, she sat alone in her room, looking out the window in a daze.To avoid being surrounded by the media, she hadn't left the house in days.Even the household staff who came to clean had obviously seen the news, as their gazes toward Noelle were cautious and tinged with pity. So, rather than encountering them, she preferred staying alone in her room.Just as she turned on her tablet, trying to distract herself with work, the doorbell rang.She immediately frowned.Before long, a household staff came in and informed her, "Mrs. Freeman, it's someone claiming to be Mr. Freeman's younger brother. Would you like to see him?"Noelle pressed her lips together.The household staff didn't dare to assume anything from her expression, so she simply stood there, waiting.Finally, Noelle said, "Let him in."As she did, she got up and walked out of her room.The household staff quickly invited Nat
Nthan added, "Olivia once told me that sometimes, Hendrix would stare at her in a daze, as if he was seeing someone else through her. If my guess is correct, that person should be you, Noelle. Or rather, the person you used to be. You're too rational and calm now."Take this situation, for example—any other woman, upon hearing that her husband was in such trouble, would be panicking like crazy. Even if she wasn't desperately trying to scheme on his behalf, at the very least, she'd be furious, wouldn't she?"But you seem completely unaffected. Hendrix surely understands this even better than I do, and he can feel it more directly. So, for him to seek that emotional fulfillment from another woman? That's only natural."Nathan's tone was light and casual. He was speaking from the perspective of a man, drawing a conclusion that seemed perfectly reasonable to him, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.But Noelle couldn't help but laugh at his words.Her unexpected reaction made Nat
Hendrix remained in police custody during the most intense days of public scrutiny.As days passed, the media frenzy gradually began to die down. But when the morning news of his bail broke, the police station entrance was once again flooded with reporters.Microphones and cameras were set up, and everyone was waiting for Hendrix to emerge, eager to capture the latest scoop.Dan was well aware of the situation. Initially, he had planned an alternate time and route for Hendrix's exit.However, Hendrix rejected his proposal without a second thought.The moment he said this, Dan immediately understood that Hendrix had his own plan. So, he didn't insist and simply followed the official procedures as required by the police.Outside, the reporters had been waiting for a long time. They all had their eyes fixed ahead, holding their breath.So, when Hendrix stepped out, they surged forward hungrily without hesitation and had him completely surrounded in an instant."Mr. Freeman, would
Soon, Hendrix arrived at Nivis Villa.For the past few days, he had been consumed with the thoughts of how Noelle was doing. He knew this had been Nathan's plan all along, and Noelle had been part of that plan.After all, if it hadn't been for that phone call that night—telling him that Noelle was at Olivia's place—he wouldn't have gone to meet Olivia so late.So now, what worried him the most was whether they had truly done something to Noelle.But for some reason, despite his overwhelming anxiety and urgency—despite the fact that every moment in the police station had been spent thinking about Noelle's safety and how to get out sooner to see her—now that he was finally home, he suddenly felt hesitant as he stood before the villa.He simply stood there with his fist hovering in the air, unable to knock on the door, until the household staff opened it first.Seeing him, the household staff froze for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Mr. Freeman, you're back! Oh, it's so won
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
Seline was determined to play the role of a matchmaker to the end. When Rosie had had enough fun, she suddenly claimed she had an urgent matter to attend to and had to leave. Thus, the task of taking Noelle and Rosie home fell to Dylan.Her intentions were far too obvious. To Noelle, her act even seemed a bit clumsy. But Dylan didn't call her out. Instead, he accepted the task graciously and even thanked Seline sincerely.Seline raised an eyebrow at him and whispered a few words to Rosie before leaving.Noelle could tell Seline hadn't taught Rosie anything good, so on the way back, she tried her best to distract Rosie, hoping she'd forget about it.But Rosie was a child with a strong sense of responsibility. Eventually, she seized an opportunity and asked Dylan, "Mr. Pritchett, when you have the time, can I go out with you again?"Her question was very straightforward.She stared intently at Dylan, who was momentarily taken aback. But then, he smiled and said, "Of course."Rosie
"I didn't expect to run into you here. Small world," Dylan said.Noelle gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment.Beside her, Seline asked excitedly, "You're Dylan Pritchett, the CEO of Dyno Corporation, right?""That's right. Nice to meet you, Ms. Swift."Dylan extended his hand for a brief handshake.Seline nodded repeatedly, then turned to Noelle, her eyes silently questioning her.Noelle ignored her.Unfazed, Seline looked down at Rosie and asked, "Rosie, how do you know Mr. Pritchett?""He came to the hospital to visit me once," Rosie answered seriously, then quickly asked, "Seline, didn't you say you were going to take me to go see the fountains?""Ah, right! Let's go!"Seline immediately caught on to what Rosie was getting at. She quickly grabbed Rosie's hand before turning to say to Noelle, "I'm going to bring Rosie to the fountains. You two have a good chat."With that, she whisked Rosie away.Rosie played along effortlessly. In fact, the two of them took off so qui
A child's emotions were simple and straightforward—they would instinctively gravitate toward those who were good to them.Beatrice was always kind and warm. Every time she saw Rosie, her face would always light up with a gentle smile, so it was only natural for Rosie to like her.Hendrix, however, was a different story.Their first meeting left a terrible impression on Rosie, and if Noelle remembered correctly, Hendrix had never smiled at Rosie even once.Whenever Rosie saw him, he always had a stern expression. Adding that to their bad first encounter, it was no surprise Rosie disliked him.Seline indeed hadn't seen Rosie in a long time, so they were both especially excited to see each other today.After lunch, Seline took Rosie to the arcade. She was a pro at the claw machines, and by the time they left, they had a pile of stuffed animals. The two of them happily gave away most of their winnings to the kids outside the mall.Rosie loved doing things like that.While she was b
Rosie adapted well to the new environment. At first, she was a little reserved around Beatrice. But after a few days together, her smiles grew more frequent, and whenever she saw Beatrice, she would call her "Grandma" without prompting.Beatrice bought her plenty of toys. Although Rosie accepted them all, her favorite was still the little lion plushie. She never let it leave her side, even sleeping with it at night.Noelle had once asked if she realized this wasn't her original lion plushie, and Rosie said she knew. She liked the old one, too, but that didn't change how much she liked the new one.Such simple words carried a deeper meaning that resonated with Noelle. But before she could process it, a voice suddenly came from outside, "Mr. Freeman is back."Noelle's expression froze instantly.Rosie, on the other hand, asked her curiously, "Mommy, who's Mr. Freeman?"Noelle was about to explain when the man in question stepped inside, and he wasn't alone. Next to him stood a woma
"Thank you," Beatrice's voice came from behind just as Noelle was in the kitchen preparing a snack for Rosie. Even though there were household staff and chefs in the villa, Noelle still preferred making Rosie's food herself.Despite being in a new environment, Rosie adapted quickly. Noelle had spent the morning reading to her, and during lunch, she ate quietly without fuss. She even took her medicine without any tears or complaints. Now, she was upstairs sleeping.Beatrice adored her but was careful not to overwhelm her with too much attention. Seeing Noelle take the time to make snacks, she couldn't help but speak up.Noelle froze for a second, then turned to her with a puzzled look, unsure what she meant."You've raised Rosie well," Beatrice said."I'm her mother. That's what I'm supposed to do," Noelle said. "And she's my daughter, so you don't have to thank me for that."The line Noelle drew was clear and firm.Beatrice understood what she was saying right away. She also k