Hendrix's eyes snapped open. The dream had terrified him, and a cold sweat had broken out of his forehead.He closed his eyes for a moment, and once his mind cleared, he got out of bed. As soon as he stepped out of his room, he saw Rosie.She had already changed into a dress, her hair tied into a small braid. She sat obediently on the living room couch, holding her water cup, waiting for Noelle.When she heard the sound of footsteps, she immediately looked up. But the moment her eyes met Hendrix's, her expression changed. Then, she quickly turned her head away.If this had happened in the past, Hendrix might not have paid her any attention. But this time, after a brief pause, he walked over to her."Are you going out with your mommy?"Hendrix had no experience talking to children. He tried his best to soften his tone, but his voice still came out stiff and awkward. In fact, it sounded more like an interrogation than a question.Rosie turned to look at him again, studying him car
Rosie looked at Hendrix, then at Noelle.Finally, she answered, "The carousel.""Just the carousel? Have you tried the space tunnel? Or the pirate ship? What about the roller coaster? There's also a special stage show. Would you like to take photos and interact with the sea lions?"Hendrix had experience in the amusement park business as well. Even though he had never personally spent much time at one, he was now rattling off various rides and activities with ease."You like Simba, right?" Hendrix suddenly remembered the lion plushie she had. "There's a stage show about that. I can take you to see it."Though Noelle didn't want to think of him that way, at this moment, Hendrix seemed like a devil who was trying to tempt Rosie. And as her mother, Noelle could naturally sense Rosie's resolve wavering. Especially when the little girl heard about the stage show—her eyes lit up instantly.It was something Rosie had always wanted to watch. But the last time they went to the amusement
Soon, they reached the amusement park.Even though it was a weekday, the place was still bustling with people. But Hendrix had made arrangements in advance, so as soon as they arrived, staff members came out to greet them.They were given exclusive access to whatever ride Rosie wanted to go on, so they didn't have to wait in line at all. Noelle actually didn't want to take advantage of this. After all, she and Hendrix were no longer together.Not to mention, this was his first time taking Rosie to the amusement park, and it would likely be his last. So, Noelle didn't want Rosie to get used to this kind of treatment or develop any false expectations.But right now, Rosie was clearly excited, and standing in long lines under the sun wouldn't be good for her health, either. So, Noelle bit her tongue and stayed silent.Once inside the park, Hendrix took Rosie to the carousel first. This particular carousel had a fountain in the center, and at certain points, water jets would spray out
Rosie was clearly exhausted from the day's activities and slept soundly in Noelle's arms the entire ride home. She had been much happier recently and had put back on some weight. By the time Hendrix parked the car, Noelle's arms were almost completely numb.Hendrix quickly got out of the driver's seat and walked around to her side. "Let me carry her up.""No, it's fine," Noelle replied without hesitation.But after taking a glance at her slender arms, he asked, "Are you sure you can carry her up? Or should we wake her and let her walk by herself?"Noelle really couldn't carry Rosie anymore, yet she couldn't bring herself to wake the little girl when she saw how peacefully she was sleeping.Hendrix took one more look at her, and without giving her any time to hesitate, he simply bent down and scooped Rosie up in his arms.He had initially wondered how heavy such a small child could be. But now, holding her, he realized it wasn't as easy as he had imagined. Especially since she was
Hendrix stood there in silence. Only he knew what had driven him to make that proposal earlier. Noelle was right—he hadn't forgiven her. He also knew their relationship was riddled with emotional scars.But they had a good time together today, didn't they?Hendrix admitted that his initial suggestion to join them had been motivated by Dylan. He didn't want the person standing by Noelle's side in the end to be him. So that was why he had inserted himself into their plans, to which Noelle had agreed.To his surprise, he had genuinely enjoyed himself today. So, he had thought, maybe the three of them could just continue like this—even if it was just for Rosie's sake.But now, Hendrix realized how naïve he had been. Noelle had only wanted to create a good memory for Rosie, with emphasis on the word "memory". Meaning to say, there was no future for them to be together anymore.At this thought, Hendrix couldn't help but laugh. "Then, who do you feel comfortable being with? Dylan?"He k
Hendrix's grip on Noelle's arm was tight—so tight that it felt like he was about to crush her bones.Noelle couldn't help but furrow her brows from the pain. But she didn't make a sound. Instead, she simply looked at him intently.Then, she said softly, "You know, when Rosie fell ill, the first person I thought of was you. I wanted to call you, but I couldn't muster the courage. Because I knew I had hurt you by leaving, and I didn't know how you felt about me or Rosie."Later, Seline told me that you were planning to get married through a matchmaking arrangement and that you knew about Rosie's condition but chose to ignore it—""That was a misunderstanding!" Hendrix interrupted her. "When I met Seline back then, I thought she was talking about your work on set. That's why I didn't—""I know. But what about after that?" Noelle asked.A frown slowly appeared on Hendrix's forehead, as if he didn't understand what she meant by "after that".Noelle curled her lips into a faint smile.
"Where is he?"When Rosie suddenly asked Noelle this question, Noelle was taken aback for a moment.Then, she handed Rosie the colored pencil she needed. "Who?"Rosie took the pencil and began coloring in the grass in her drawing. She didn't give a direct answer, instead pressing down hard with the colored pencil before saying, "You know… him."It was then that Noelle realized who she meant. "Are you talking about your daddy?""Yeah," Rosie said softly."I don't know. Why are you looking for him?"Hendrix had never come to Sienna Villa often, but Rosie had never asked about him before. In fact, she'd often shown clear resistance whenever she saw him. Yet today, she'd brought him up out of the blue.Noelle studied her for a moment before asking, "Why are you suddenly asking about him?""No reason. I just wanted to ask." Rosie avoided her gaze, pressing the colored pencil so hard against the paper that it tore.Noticing this, Noelle asked, "Do you want to see him?""No," Rosie
"No place to hang it? I'll just hang it in the living room," Beatrice replied."It doesn't really match the decor there," Noelle countered."It doesn't matter. Rosie drew this for me, and that's something money can't buy."Beatrice's words left Noelle at a loss for a response.Beatrice then turned to Rosie with a smile. "What would you like? I'll have someone buy it for you, okay?""That's okay, Grandma." Rosie shook her head. Then, she added, "Also, Grandma, I want to go home."Her words stunned Beatrice. After a moment, she replied, "What do you mean, 'go home'? Aren't you already—""No, Grandma. I want to go back to Stormridge, where it's just Mommy and me," Rosie answered seriously.A frown slowly appeared on Beatrice's forehead. At the same time, she turned to look at Noelle, who was just as surprised as Beatrice by Rosie's request.Noelle immediately crouched down and asked Rosie, "What's wrong? Why do you suddenly want to go back?""But aren't we ever going to go back?
"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