After a night to cool down, Seline felt much calmer. She began to suspect that this whole thing might have been orchestrated by Hendrix.Even if he was serious about getting married, why would he choose her out of all the eligible socialites in Coppersville? He knew full well about her relationship with Noelle.So, was he doing this on purpose? Was he intentionally setting up this blind date to send a message to Noelle to make her jealous and upset?The more Seline thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. And it was precisely because of this that she found her anger toward Hendrix vanished all of a sudden.…The next morning, Seline took her time getting ready before heading to the café.But the moment her eyes met Hendrix's, she realized she had overestimated him, as he looked genuinely surprised to see her. Clearly, he hadn't expected to run into her here and had no idea that Seline was the one he was supposed to meet.In that instant, all of Seline's theories from the
In the hospital room, Noelle's gentle voice filled the air. "Look. This is Bobby, and he's playing soccer with Carrie."Despite the obvious exhaustion on her face, her eyes remained soft as she looked at Rosie. There was even a faint smile lingering on her lips.Rosie was engrossed in a picture book. She had lost some weight, making her large eyes appear even bigger. Coupled with her pale skin, she looked almost like a porcelain doll.She quickly looked up when she heard a sound. The moment she saw Seline, she greeted her excitedly, "Seline!"If this were before, Seline would have responded with equal enthusiasm. But today, Hendrix's reaction had left her deeply unsettled.Noelle had shared bits and pieces of what had happened back then with her. When she left Hendrix, everyone had assumed she saw him as a sinking ship and jumped at the chance to escape.Thus, Seline found it understandable that Hendrix would resent Noelle. But no matter what, Rosie was his child—his own flesh an
Seline didn't answer, but from this, Noelle instantly knew the truth.After a moment of silence, she let out a soft laugh and said, "Well, that's good.""What is?" Seline asked.She had initially planned to keep quiet about the meeting with Hendrix. After all, it wasn't a very kind thing to bring up other's painful memories, and it was also clear that Noelle didn't want to dwell on Hendrix. But she couldn't hold back after seeing Noelle act so "unbothered"."Do you know where I ran into him? He was going on a blind date! And he had the nerve to tell me he's moving on with his life! How can he be so heartless?"Seline struggled to find the right word, but "heartless" was the best she could come up with in the end.Noelle froze for a moment, then slowly lowered her eyes."There, now." Seline quickly waved her hand dismissively. "He's a piece of trash, so let's just toss him out. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll meet better men in the future."Seline simply smiled and reached out to g
"And you are? You said you've already called the police, right? It's been quite a while, so why hasn't anyone arrived yet? Should I make a call instead? Maybe I can also request the surveillance footage," Dan said."No, forget it! I'll just chalk it down to me being unlucky!"With that, the man turned and walked away.Dan didn't stop him. Instead, he took out his phone and snapped a photo of the man's license plate.Then, he turned to Noelle and asked, "Ms. Swanson, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?""No, thank you," Noelle replied, then walked away without another word.Even though the pain in her calf persisted, she didn't stop. She simply limped out of sight. When she reached a quiet spot, she went into a pharmacy to buy some basic first-aid supplies."How did you get yourself scrapped so badly? It looks like you might need a tetanus shot," the store clerk said, eyeing the wound on her leg. "It's pretty serious.""It's fine. Just give me some gauze
The apartment Seline had arranged for Noelle was indeed close to the hospital, but the building was old. As Noelle waited for the elevator, she could hear the creaking sounds it made.She had wiped the blood from her leg, but without the stain to mask it, the long gash looked like a grotesque, featureless face with a red, gaping mouth.Finally, the elevator reached the fifth floor. Once inside her apartment, Noelle quickly tended to her wound.To avoid Rosie finding out, she changed into a long skirt to cover the injury. But her limping gait was impossible to hide, especially as she searched for the little lion plushie Rosie wanted. Even though she had looked through the apartment several times, she still couldn't find it.By the third time she opened the same box without success, Noelle's frustration began to boil over. She opened a shopping app, intending to buy a new one for Rosie, only to find that it was no longer available.Staring at her phone screen, Noelle suddenly felt a
The blunt dismissal was not the response Hendrix had expected. His expression darkened instantly.Just then, Noelle's phone rang. She paused her search to answer it. But before she could pick it up, Hendrix suddenly strode forward and grabbed her wrist.Her phone fell to the floor, the caller ID clearly visible to Hendrix. It was Seline who was calling.Hendrix's smirk deepened when he saw the name. "You and Ms. Swift seem quite close. If I'm not mistaken, she's the one who got this place for you, right? How did you end up like this? I thought once you left me, you'd immediately find some rich guy to shack up with."Oh, if I'm not mistaken, there was one, wasn't there? A minor celebrity, I heard? Too bad, though. Why didn't he say a word in your defense when his fans insulted you in hordes?"As he spoke, the mockery in his eyes intensified, but Noelle remained unmoved.Anger? Indignation? Sadness? There was none of it.Hendrix stared intently into her eyes, searching for even a
The moment Noelle entered the hospital room, Seline noticed something was off with her leg.But with Rosie present, she didn't ask about it. Instead, she said, "Rosie woke up and didn't see you, so I called you.""I saw, but I couldn't pick it up in time," Noelle answered as she sat down by Rosie's bed. "What's the matter, Rosie? Did you miss me?"Rosie nodded, then glanced at Noelle's hands."Where's my lion plushie?"It seemed she had been crying earlier. Her eyes were red, and her voice was hoarse.Noelle hesitated, then bit her lip. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I couldn't find the plushie. How about I buy you a new one?""Will the new one be the same as the old one?"Rosie's question caught Noelle off guard.Without waiting for an answer, Rosie seemed to already know. She lowered her eyes and said, "But I want the original one.""I know. I really do," Noelle said, her voice trembling. "I'll go back and look for it again, okay? Don't worry. The little lion is just hiding. I
Although Rosie hadn't said much in the hospital, Noelle could clearly sense her excitement once they stepped outside the building.She skipped and hopped all the way while holding onto Noelle's hand. Every now and then, she would turn to look at Noelle with a bright smile.Noelle reached out and ruffled her hair. "What do you want to eat today?""I want the grilled chicken wings you make!""Alright! Then, let's go to the supermarket together, okay?"Rosie nodded eagerly. "I want to ride in the cart!"Noelle agreed.Rosie had lost some weight recently, so sitting in the shopping cart wasn't a problem. Under the bright supermarket lights, her cheeks finally showed a hint of color.Noelle felt a wave of relief. At this point, nothing else mattered to her other than Rosie's health."Mommy, Mommy! I want that!" said Rosie excitedly.Rosie hadn't been to such a lively place in a while, so she was rightly excited. She started swinging her legs, trying to move the cart in the directi
"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