As soon as Hendrix reached a secluded spot, he got straight to the point and asked Noelle, "Did Nathan come to see you before? What did he say to you?"There was an urgency in his voice, and his gaze was fixed intently on Noelle.Noelle was slightly taken aback. She then frowned and said, "What are you talking about?""I'm asking you—during the time when I was in trouble, Nathan came to see you, didn't he? What did he threaten you with? It was because of what he told you, wasn't it? You were afraid it would affect me, and that's why you chose to divorce me, right?"Hendrix had tried his best to keep his voice and emotions steady, but even now, he couldn't completely suppress the slight tremor in his tone. His gaze remained locked on Noelle.He had arrived at that conclusion after thinking about it for days. It seemed like the only explanation that made sense. Yes, Nathan must have threatened Noelle back then.Otherwise, if she had truly left him for wealth and status, if she had
"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Noelle asked Hendrix after checking the time.Hendrix didn't respond, and Noelle took that to mean that he didn't. So, she turned and walked away with another word. There was not the slightest hesitation in her movements.Hendrix watched her retreating figure and suddenly let out a bitter laugh.Just then, his phone rang. It was someone from Nathan's side."Mr. Freeman, Nathan's awake. Do you have anything you want to say to him?"Hendrix took a deep breath before replying with a curt "yes"."Got it," the person on the other end responded immediately.After a few seconds, Hendrix heard Nathan's voice."Well, well, if it isn't Hendrix, my dearest brother!"Though Nathan was still as sarcastic as ever, Hendrix could still detect the weakness in his voice."It's shocking that you actually still remember you have a little brother," Nathan added.Hendrix ignored the sarcasm and got straight to the point. "Grandma has passed away."There
Deep down, Hendrix knew that it was meaningless to ask that question. After all, he had already gotten the answer from Noelle herself. Yet, he couldn't help himself. He stubbornly kept asking for an answer, seeking proof again and again that he was loved.Nathan was momentarily stunned by his question. Then, he laughed and asked, "Is this why you reached out to me?"Hendrix didn't respond, but his silence was as good as confirmation.Sensing this, Nathan laughed even louder. It was as if he had just heard the most absurd joke.After some time, he finally calmed down and said, "What do you think? You don't actually believe I forced Noelle to leave, do you? Well, I'll be straight with you, Hendrix. My conversation with Noelle back then was actually very simple."I merely had to mention the baby for her to immediately understand what I was getting at. After that, she agreed to leave without hesitation. To be honest, I had planned to use something else to threaten her, but she was so
The truth was, Noelle hadn't planned to go with Dylan today. Even if she no longer had any feelings for Hendrix, she knew this was Ophelia's memorial service.Showing up as the ex-wife was already awkward enough, but arriving with Dylan would have been like a slap to the face to the Freeman family.But Dylan had somehow found out she would be attending, so the moment she stepped out of the car, she ran into him. He told her he was also there to pay his respects to Ophelia as well. Given the circumstances, leaving him behind would've felt too deliberate.At first, Dylan had tried to play it off as a coincidence, but that excuse was laughable at best. Now, as he brought it up again, Noelle didn't bother responding. She simply lowered her gaze, staring at her hands.Dylan tightened his grip on the steering wheel before saying, "I wasn't trying to pull anything. I just thought, if you go alone, someone might make things difficult for you. That's why I wanted to accompany you."It was
Dylan did not show up that night, nor did he fulfill his promise to send Noelle and Rosie to the airport the next day.Seline even cursed him a few times for being irresponsible."It's fine. He probably has something really important to deal with," Noelle said."No matter how important it is, he shouldn't have just left you hanging like this! He's so unreliable. I'm definitely going to give him a piece of my mind later!" Seline's frown deepened as she spoke.After a brief pause, Noelle asked, "Do you think something happened at his company?""Like what?" Seline shot back."I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."Seline shook her head. "I haven't heard anything. Do you know something I don't?""No. I'm just worried.""About what?"Seline had been a little nervous at first, but the moment she heard what Noelle said, she relaxed instantly. "His company is already on the right track. Sure, it's not on par with some of the bigger corporations, but it's stable now."So, I'm sure
Dylan stood there, stunned.It took him a while to snap out of it. Then, with a smile, he patted Noelle on the shoulder and asked, "What's this? Did you miss me?"His tone was teasing, but it couldn't hide the hoarseness in his voice.Noelle pursed her lips and slowly stepped back, her eyes fixed on him. Dylan raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze.After taking a deep breath, Noelle asked, "Have you been feeling tired lately?""Not really. I was just busy.""Did something happen?"Even though Noelle phrased it as a question, there was a hint of certainty in her tone.Dylan's expression froze for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Don't worry. It's nothing serious. I've already handled it."He ruffled Noelle's hair as he spoke. Then, he turned to Rosie and asked, "And what about you? How have you been lately?"Rosie nodded. "Good.""That's great. I brought you a gift. Want to see it?"Rosie immediately nodded again.When Dylan first started g
After Dylan finished speaking, he simply stood there, quietly watching Noelle.Noelle didn't respond, but her hands noticeably clenched.Noticing this, Dylan stared at her balled fists for a while before reaching out and gently taking them in his hand.Noelle glanced down at their joined hands but didn't pull away. For Dylan, this was already a huge encouragement. Without hesitation, he leaned in closer, his lips slowly moving toward hers until…"Mommy!" Rosie's voice suddenly rang out, causing the two of them to jump up in fright. Noelle, as if caught doing something wrong, immediately pushed Dylan away.Her movement was so sudden and forceful that Dylan didn't have time to react. Thus, he ended up slamming his head into the nearby cabinet with a loud thud.Noelle froze for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to check on him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry.""I'm fine." Dylan waved it off with a smile. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt."Noelle frowned, studying him with concern.
Rosie hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.Dylan took over the task from Noelle. It was clear that this was his first time doing something like this, as his movements were a little clumsy. But Rosie didn't seem to mind. She stayed quiet throughout the entire process.Noelle stood to the side, watching. Suddenly, she found the scene oddly heartwarming.She had always known Dylan was the best choice, and that was why she had been trying so hard to convince herself to accept him. And now, it seemed that maybe she hadn't made the wrong choice, after all.After watching for a moment, she couldn't help but take a photo of them with her phone.Under the soft light, Dylan was gently combing Rosie's hair while she held a doll in her arms. The two of them looked like a pair of real father and daughter.Noelle didn't linger any longer. She turned and went to prepare breakfast for the next day. She had already prepared the pie dough earlier. Now, all she needed to do was put in the
"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