āđāļāđāļēāļŠāļđāđāļĢāļ°āļāļāđāļāļĢāđ
Chapter 553
āļāļāļāļĩāđāđāļāļĩāđāļĒāļ§āļāđāļāļ
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 554
The room was suffocatingly silent.Noelle had no intention of speaking to Hendrix anymore. She sat on the couch, her eyes fixed on the door, as if she were ready to bolt the moment it opened.Hendrix, on the other hand, desperately wanted to take a shower. But he was worried she would disappear while he was in the bathroom.Even though the door was still lockedâand if she could leave, she probably would have by nowâHendrix couldn't bring himself to go. Fighting the high fever had left him utterly exhausted, but he refused to sleep. Instead, he sat on the bed, quietly watching Noelle."Are you going to marry Dylan?" he suddenly asked her.The question felt jarring in the silence. It reached Noelle's ears clearly, and Hendrix knew she had heard him. But she only paused slightly, not even turning her head, as if refusing to answer.Hendrix knew she had heard it, but she only paused for a brief moment.He couldn't help but smirk. "To be honest, Noelle, I'd rather you marry a compl
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 555
The loud crash finally drew the attention of others. The door that had kept Noelle trapped for an entire day was finally opened.It was only then that Noelle realized Hendrix had known all along how to get out, but he had chosen not to do anything until now.She couldn't help but frown. When she turned to look at him, he was already putting on his coat. He didn't look at her or say another word. He simply walked out after slipping on his coat.Erwin, who had heard of the commotion, was standing at the door, watching them with curiosity. When his eyes met Noelle's, he even grinned and greeted her.Noelle ignored him and turned to leave in the opposite direction.Erwin raised an eyebrow, then quickly caught up to Hendrix. "What happened? Didn't you twoâĶ you know? You should have. I did go through all that trouble to create the perfect opportunity for you after all."As he spoke, he frowned and looked at Hendrix with frustration."Gee, thanks," Hendrix said, but his tone was dismis
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 556
Even though Dylan sounded calm, Noelle could feel an underlying pressure in his words.She paused for a moment before responding, "It's not what you thinkâ""I know," Dylan quickly said with a smile. "You don't need to be so nervous. Others might not understand the situation between you and Hendrix, but I do. He must have had someone trick you into going there, right? And no matter what, you'd never abandon Rosie. So, I believe you."He spoke patiently, sounding as if he was offering Noelle an explanation for herself. Yet, at the same time, it felt as if he was placing a heavy burden on her."You probably didn't sleep a wink last night, right? Go get some rest now," Dylan added as he stood up. "I'll head back to my room now."Noelle nodded.But as Dylan passed by her, he suddenly stopped and took a step closer to her.The sudden closeness startled Noelle, and she instinctively took a step back.Dylan couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "Did I scare you?"His voice carri
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 557
"How can you call it ridiculous? That's a brand-name item! It's expensive, you know. And I specificallyâ""Right. Were you trying to publicly embarrass me to death by sending something so obvious?" Noelle asked through gritted teeth before Seline could finish her sentence."That's because I didn't have time toâ" Seline started, then suddenly realized something. "Wait. How do you know what that brand sells?" She clicked her tongue. "Seems like you're not as pure as I thought."Noelle suddenly found herself at a loss for words. Unable to come up with a retort, she just rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore.""Hey, you haven't answered me yet. So, did you and Mr. Pritchettâ""Nothing happened whatsoever," Noelle replied without hesitation.At first, Seline thought Noelle was just brushing her off out of embarrassment. But when she met her eyes, she realizedânothing really had happened.Seline immediately became deflated. "How boring. I've never heard of a couple
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 558
Night fell.Rosie had been riding in the car all day, and her eyes were already drooping while taking a bath earlier. Now, as Noelle dried her hair, she kept nodding off, as if she could fall asleep at any moment.Noelle couldn't help but smile at the sight. "If you're this sleepy, why don't we skip the bedtime story tonight and just go to sleep?""No." Rosie's eyes snapped open as she insisted, "I want to hear a story.""Alright, then. What story do you want to hear today?"Rosie immediately got up and rummaged through her little bookshelf before picking out her favorite picture book, "My Little Monster".Noelle took the book and began reading.Rosie had heard this story many times before, but she still loved it. Every time Noelle read it to her, she would listen intently.When Noelle reached the last page, Rosie asked, "Mommy, will the little monster stay with Betty forever?""Yes.""Then, will you stay with me forever?"Noelle smiled and nodded. "Of course."Only then di
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 559
Noelle noticed his nervousness. After clenching her hands for a brief moment, she finally said, "The focus of your company for the next few years should be in Coppersville, right?"Her question caught Dylan off guard. Choosing not to lie, he nodded slowly."The thing isâI don't want to move back there," Noelle said. "I really like it in Stormridge. So, the distance would be an issue for us.""That's not an issue at all, what with all the transportation available. I can come visit you every month. "Even though Dyno Corporation is still in its early stages, once it stabilizes in a couple of years, I'll naturally look to open subsidiaries in other cities. "When that time comes, Stormridge will be my first choice," Dylan responded quickly, his tone anxious, as if he had finally found something to hold on to after struggling for so long. He was doing everything he could to cling to it, afraid of being left behind again.Noelle didn't comment on his response. Instead, she lowered her
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 560
"Mr. Pritchett, it's been a while," said someone warmly from behind Hendrix, causing him to pause briefly.But he didn't turn around and instead continued speaking calmly with the person in front of him. He hadn't wanted to attend this party in the first place, but the host was a close acquaintance, so he had reluctantly shown up to make an appearance.What he hadn't expected was to run into the last person he wanted to see so soon after arriving. He knew Dylan and Noelle were together now. Just a few days ago, Erwin had sent him a photo of Dylan and Noelle holding hands.Hendrix had already made up his mind not to concern himself with their affairs anymore. But Erwin, as if having discovered a new toy, seemed to take pleasure in using this to provoke him every day.Hendrix didn't know if Erwin enjoyed seeing him suffer or if he was trying to prove how laughable Hendrix's past promises of unwavering devotion to Noelle had been. Whatever the reason, he had already blocked him.But
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 561
It was a photo taken during their last visit to the amusement park. At the time, the park staff, trying to curry favor with him, had taken countless group photos of him, Noelle, and Rosie.But from Hendrix's perspective now, he could see that he had been cropped out of the photo. Only Noelle and Rosie remained, and the picture had been set as her social media profile photo.Dylan smiled at him and said, "Sorry. I need to take this call."Then, without waiting for Hendrix's response, he walked out with his phone in hand.Hendrix stayed where he was. After a moment, he let out a soft chuckle.He knew itâthere was no way Dylan didn't care. He had done it on purpose. He had deliberately taken out his phone in front of him to flaunt his relationship with Noelle.Hendrix had always known that it was impossible for Dylan not to care about his past with Noelle. His earlier calmness and sincerity? It must have been an act. So, the video call was probably fake, too.Someone had just swapp
āļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 842
"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 toâ""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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 841
"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 isâunless 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 Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 840
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 daysânot 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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 839
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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 838
This was the second time Amy had seen Hendrix. The last time, he had picked her out of a groupâand 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 rankingsâa 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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 837
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 beforeâhe'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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 836
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 gazeâsomething 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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 835
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?"âĶNoelle 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
The Sway and Slide of Love   Chapter 834
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 targetâan 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 tonightâĶErwin 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
