"Hendrix, thank you for speaking up for me earlier," Sandra said from the back seat on the way home.After that, she continued yammering nonstop, "I had no idea Mom would talk to Madam Freeman about this. I was so scared! Luckily, you stepped in, or I wouldn't have known what to do. I don't want to get married so soon."Hendrix was driving. He merely said a faint "hmm" in response. He seemed to be flippant toward her, but Sandra knew that was just the way he was. So, she didn't mind. She turned her attention to Noelle, who was in the passenger seat. "By the way, what did Madam Freeman say to you when you both went upstairs?""Nothing," Noelle replied dismissively, not even bothering to entertain Sandra at all.Sandra pursed her lips in slight dissatisfaction but quickly changed the subject. "Oh, right. Did you know that Max is coming back to the country?"Noelle's composed expression shifted slightly at those words.At that moment, the traffic light ahead turned red. Hendrix sm
Noelle remained seated in the front passenger seat. She thought she had grown numb enough, but at that moment, she still felt a sharp pain stabbing at her heart. It was as if something was gnawing at her from the inside.She suddenly recalled something from a long time ago. It was shortly after she had returned to the Swanson family. She remembered clearly that it was raining that day. Matilda had personally come to pick her and Sandra up from school, but they got into a car accident on the way home. Though the accident wasn't serious, the driver swerved to avoid another car and crashed into a nearby median. Noelle had hit her head on the window and was knocked unconscious.Before she lost consciousness, she remembered seeing Matilda bypass her and reach out to Sandra. Matilda sobbed gut-wrenchingly as she held Sandra back then.At that moment, Noelle understood—the only reason they had found her again was because she carried their bloodline. But to them, Sandra was the daughter t
"Elle, are you doing well?" This line echoed in Noelle's mind.She had forgotten how long it had been since someone asked her such a question. She'd even forgotten to ask herself if she was doing well.The answer was obvious. But even so, she didn't hesitate to reply, "I'm doing fine.""That's good, then," Maxwell responded. After that, he fell quiet."If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now," Noelle said."Alright," Maxwell agreed.But just as Noelle was about to end the call, he suddenly spoke up, "I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye back then. I've thought about you a lot these past years while I've been abroad."After a slight pause, he added, "It's getting late. You should get some rest."With that, Maxwell finally hung up.Noelle stood on the stairs, still holding her phone. After a long while, she slowly turned and returned to her room.That night, Hendrix didn't come to her. Even so, Noelle couldn't drift off to sleep peacefully. Perhaps it had somethin
To most outsiders, Noelle seemed like a rigid and boring person. Most of the time, it was rare to see any emotional fluctuation from her. But now, she was like a cornered wild animal, shedding her usual gentle demeanor and baring her claws.However, this small display of resistance was nothing to Hendrix. He didn't even bother responding to her. Instead, he lifted her from the bed and began to dress her himself. Noelle tried to push him away, but the difference in their strength was too great. In the end, he dragged her downstairs without much issue."Mr. and Mrs. Freeman…" Mabel, who was already downstairs, paused in surprise when she saw the tug-of-war between them.Upon seeing her, Noelle quickly composed herself and stopped struggling. Then, she followed Hendrix out the door.Once they had driven for a while, Noelle gradually calmed down.After taking a deep breath, she turned to Hendrix and said, "There's no need for us to go to the hospital. I'll explain everything to Mom
Even Martin, with his experience in the field, looked taken aback when he heard Noelle's remark. Most of his patients wanted children. Hence, it shocked him to learn that Noelle had been taking birth control pills.Martin could not help but glance at Hendrix. Hendrix frowned. He did not seem aware of the birth control pills that Noelle had been taking.However, Martin quickly gathered himself. After a pause, he recommended, "Well, you should stop taking birth control pills. I'll prescribe you something. You need to nurse your health for now."Noelle said nothing more, though she was quick to accept Martin's prescription. "Thank you."With that, she left without so much as looking back. Hendrix followed behind her.Knowing he had no time for her, she went ahead to hail a cab after leaving the hospital. However, he pulled her back. "Get into the car." His tone was icy, just like the look in his eyes."It's fine. I'll call a cab home.""Noelle Swanson, I'm asking you to get into
In the end, Hendrix didn't send Noelle to the villa. After he made himself clear, he dropped her off at a random intersection.Before she even stood still, he had sped away in his black Porsche without hesitation. That did not surprise her at all. Still, she couldn't help but curl her fist out of anger, digging her nails into her palm.She felt a slight pang of pain in her flesh—a warning to herself not to hold any hope for Hendrix.Since she was still out there, she decided to go shopping. Alas, luck wasn't on her side. She bumped into someone she despised when she entered the mall."Hah! Mrs. Freeman, is that you?" Ruth said with a grin. "How surprising! I thought an uppity woman like you would never go to the mall!"As Sandra's best friend, Ruth was the one who loved picking on Noelle the most. The other friends had mellowed down after Noelle married Hendrix, but not Ruth. Instead, she seemed to grow more vicious in her attacks.Unwilling to waste time on Ruth, Noelle planned
Noelle laughed loudly after hearing Ruth's mockery. Ruth's smug smile turned into a frown. She asked Noelle, "What are you laughing for?""Ms. Upton, you should brush up on basic knowledge. You don't want to be both crude and ignorant—a dumb yet evil woman!" Noelle had been rather restrained in her sarcastic jabs earlier, but now, she openly mocked Ruth.Ruth's expression fell. She even reached out to grab Noelle's hair when the latter tried to walk around her.Ruth barked, "How dare a country bumpkin like you insult me? Look in the mirror! Do you think you're something after you married up?"However, her insults were cut short by a clean slap from Noelle. Taken aback, she soon shrieked and threw herself at Noelle.In the midst of the chaos, Sandra hit a glass wall on the side—perhaps she had been shoved by Ruth when she tried to stop the latter, or it could be a deliberate attempt to victimize herself.She was on the floor amidst the screams of some passersby. Arm raised, bloo
"Noelle!" Sandra rushed up to Noelle and grabbed her hand. "Noelle, are you mad at me? Mom meant well. It was my fault for accidentally hurting myself."Don't worry. I'll move out of your house. I won't be a bother to you and Hendrix…""Great," Noelle agreed without hesitation. Matilda frowned at her response while Sandra looked surprised."I'll leave now." Without a care, Noelle removed her hand from Sandra's grip to leave.Sandra's tearful voice could be heard from behind. "Mom, what do I do? Noelle probably hates me now…"For a moment, Noelle had the urge to turn around and admit that she indeed hated Sandra, but she quickly struck down the thought. She didn't want to be slapped by Matilda.After all, Matilda had hit her before over some words.At first, Noelle could not believe that her parents would play favorites against their biological daughter. She soon realized that they felt ashamed of her past in the countryside.They refused to accept the rural mindset of their d
Hendrix reached out and gripped Noelle's chin. In a deep voice laced with a clear trace of anger, he asked, "You've fallen for Dylan, haven't you?"Noelle didn't answer, but she pressed her lips tighter and tighter. Her eyes still brimmed with tears, but the moisture only made them shine more brightly, more vividly. In their reflection, Hendrix could see himself clearly, and he could also see the unmistakable hatred within them.She hated him. Hendrix knew that, of course. From the moment he decided to take this path, he had already anticipated how she would react.But so what? Was he supposed to stand by and watch as they became nothing more than strangers who had nothing to do with each other?If that were the case, Hendrix would rather she hated him.He could live with that outcome—it wasn't something he couldn't accept. But the one thing he absolutely couldn't tolerate was her heart belonging to someone else.She could hate him because of the incident with Elm Group, beca
As soon as Hendrix finished speaking, Noelle suddenly stepped forward and raised her hand. But her slap never landed. Hendrix had caught her wrist, his face completely expressionless."You're crazy!" Noelle said.Hendrix smiled faintly. "Yeah, I know."Noelle didn't say another word, but she trembled even more violently as tears began to fall. Still, it seemed she refused to show any weakness in front of Hendrix. So, she quickly wiped away her tears."Dylan's grandfather is sick," she finally told Hendrix. "Alzheimer's. His condition is deteriorating quickly, and he might not remember anything soon. That's why Dylan proposed to me."But when she finished speaking, the answer she wanted never came.Hendrix's gaze remained cold as he looked at her. When he noticed Noelle was still staring at him, he even asked, "So? What does that have to do with me?"Noelle took a deep breath. "So, could the wedding—""No," Hendrix cut her off without hesitation, and Noelle's question was left u
Noelle's expression changed as she heard Hendrix's words, and she turned to look at him.Her expression made Hendrix feel like something was stabbing into his heart. It seemed like he was right.That contractual relationship seemed more than that now. Noelle had fallen for Dylan. If not, what could explain the look in her eyes now?Noelle didn't even react this way when he brought up her and Elm Group.The dull pain quickly spread across Hendrix's chest, accompanied by a familiar metallic taste. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and after taking several deep breaths, he finally managed to suppress the feeling and said, "It seems like you really care about him.""Hendrix, this is between us. Can you stop being so despicable and dragging innocent people into this mess?""Innocent?" Hendrix chuckled. "It seems like you really don't know much about your fiancé. Do you know what he's been doing behind your back?"Before Noelle could respond, Hendrix handed her a file. "Take a look
"That's right." Hendrix nodded satisfactorily. "We already had bad blood, so why bother with fake pleasantries now?"He continued as he picked up the coffee cup in front of him. "You must really wish for my death right now, don't you?"Hendrix's voice was calm, with a faint smile on his lips, but the words he spoke were enough to leave Noelle speechless.She paused for a moment, but she quickly responded with a smile, "Yes, so you know.""Mm, but unfortunately, I'm still sitting here just fine," Hendrix said, showing no concern. He met her gaze with a cold stare. "And based on the current situation, I doubt I'm the one who's going to be ending things first."Noelle couldn't reply. Although Hendrix had treated her with this kind of attitude before, she still remembered clearly the taste of the drinks he forced upon her that night in Vinton City. At this moment, all she could see in his eyes was an endless coldness.Noelle's voice grew hoarser. "If that's the case, Mr. Freeman, w
Noelle subconsciously glanced at the person in the hospital room after hearing the secretary's words.Dylan was sitting quietly there.Looking at him, Noelle suddenly remembered the hug he gave her that morning. She knew that her relationship with him was purely contractual, including their marriage, but all she wanted at that moment was a hug.She knew this went beyond the scope of their agreement, but Dylan didn't bring it up, and neither did she.Perhaps Noelle had been looking at him for too long. Dylan sensed something unusual and immediately looked over at her.Noelle took a deep breath. "I need to go back to the company for a while. I'll arrange for a nurse to come over. As for here…""It's fine. Go ahead," Dylan quickly replied. "I don't have much to do today anyway.""But…""Have you forgotten? We're getting married soon, so your father is my father-in-law. Isn't it normal for me to take care of him?" Dylan's words rendered Noelle speechless.It was clearly not appr
"Noelle, I'm just an ordinary friend of his. I don't have that kind of influence." Sandra laughed, then added, "Actually, if you want to meet Mr. Mueller, maybe you should have Dylan…"Dylan, who had been sitting nearby, finally lifted his head when Sandra mentioned his name.But Noelle didn't pay him any attention. She grabbed Sandra's hand and pulled her out of the room."What's this about, Noelle? You're hurting me!" Sandra still spoke in a sweet tone, but as soon as Noelle dragged her to an isolated spot, she immediately yanked Noelle's hand away, her voice turning cold as she asked, "What do you want?""I should be asking you that," Noelle replied. "You should know very well what's going on with the family right now. If I could contact Javier myself, that'd be one thing, but the problem is now…""Now what? Noelle, I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be the one asking me for help." Sandra laughed, raising her chin and looking at her. "So, go ahead. Ask away. If it's a r
Noelle looked at Dylan for a long while, then smiled. "No need. Just stay with me like this." Dylan reached out and pulled her into his arms. His hug wasn't tight, and the faint fragrance on his body instantly filled Noelle's nose. Noelle made no effort to resist but slowly reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. "How's your father?" Dylan asked her. "Acute stroke," she said softly. "But we got to the hospital on time, and the doctor said that as long as he wakes up, everything will be fine." "Mm, how about you go back and rest? I'll keep an eye on things here." "No. I won't be able to sleep even if I go back. Haven't you noticed my phone hasn't stopped ringing?" Dylan didn't reply. Noelle didn't know if he was feeling guilty for being unable to help her, so she said, "The wedding doesn't need to be postponed. Your grandfather has been looking forward to it for so long, so we can't disappoint him." "But…""Don't worry. I can still spare a day, and with Elm
In the past, Craig had always been the one giving orders to Noelle. He didn't need to consult her, nor did he allow her to oppose him. But now, he seemed like a helpless child, asking Noelle what to do. Noelle closed her eyes for a moment before speaking again, "Who else knows about this for now?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake in phrasing, so she quickly added, "No matter who knows, we must block the news. Otherwise, once the stock market opens tomorrow, Elm Group will truly be doomed!" Craig remained silent while staring vacantly ahead. "What about Julio's family? They should still be here, right? You need to get someone to contact them immediately. Once Julio reaches them, call the police right away! Do you hear me?" Noelle's final words seemed to snap Craig back to reality, and he shakily reached for his phone. Noelle didn't look back, turning to walk away, but there was no sound behind her. When she turned back in confusion, she found
Noelle's words were soon proven true.The day after the project was handed over to Julio, Amity Group notified them that work would resume.Although Noelle's responsibilities had been transferred to Julio, she was still the general manager of the subsidiary, so some processes still had to go through her.Two days later, Julio claimed that there were still some unclear aspects of the handover. Since Noelle was on leave preparing for her wedding, he decided to take Oliver from her side.Noelle didn't object. After all, this was the company's project, and if anything went wrong, she would be held accountable.Oliver was soon reassigned.A week later, when it was only two more days until Noelle and Dylan's wedding, she received a call from Oliver in the middle of the night. "Ms. Swanson, shit has gone down. I can't get in touch with Mr. Garcia!"Noelle was shocked and was now wide awake from her sleep. Her mind was still in a mess. "What?" "Mr. Garcia is missing!" Oliver's voice