Noelle turned to look at Rosie.She was pouting unhappily. But when she locked eyes with Noelle, she thought for a moment and then said, "Mommy, I want a little sister, not a little brother."…In the end, Noelle went to the airport alone. On the way, she happened to pass by a flower shop and decided to go inside to buy a bouquet of flowers. It wasn't until she was standing at the airport with the flowers in her hand that she realized something was off.Why was she giving Hendrix flowers? But since she had already bought them, it seemed wasteful to throw them away. Thus, she continued to hold them as she waited.The flight arrived soon enough. Noelle watched as passengers began to stream out, but Hendrix was nowhere to be seen.She couldn't help but frown. Just as she was about to call him, an unfamiliar number popped up on her screen.For some reason, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that number.She answered the call. "Hello?""Is this Mrs. Freeman?" It was a woman's
Hendrix was currently in the living room, facing the courtyard. The front gate was tightly shut. Several men stood guard in the courtyard, clutching hoes and hammers, ready to stop him if he tried to make a run for it.Hendrix found their vigilance almost laughable. Even if they hadn't been standing guard, he had no intention of trying to escape—because there was simply no need.He leisurely sipped his coffee, then turned to the man in front of him, Tony Gill. "If you had asked for five million dollars from the beginning, I might have agreed to it. But you didn't. That's because someone's been guiding you behind the scenes, isn't it? And you stand to gain more from them than from me."Hendrix's voice was calm, his lips curling into a faint smile as he stared confidently at Tony.Tony's eyes widened slightly."Is there more to your brother's death than meets the eye?" Hendrix continued."What nonsense are you talking about? My brother died because of you. That's all there is to it
"You've been sitting here for so long, so you must be hungry, right?" May Dawson said as she tried to shove the bowl into Hendrix's hands. "Now, hurry up and eat it."Hendrix immediately frowned and pulled his arm away, knocking the bowl of instant noodles to the floor. "Don't touch me!"May froze.Hearing the commotion, Tony rushed in from outside. "May, are you okay?"As he spoke, he grabbed May's hand, his concern evident.May pulled her hand back nervously. "It's nothing. I just accidentally spilled the noodles."Hearing this, Tony glanced at the floor. When he saw the spilled noodles, his eyes turned red. Then, he glared at Hendrix. "You ungrateful bastard!"Hendrix didn't respond. He simply stared back at Tony expressionlessly.Tony was clearly the one standing, and his men were all outside, armed with hoes and other tools. Yet, they found themselves completely overpowered by Hendrix's presence alone.As the two sides stood at a stalemate, a voice suddenly came from outs
Hendrix frowned at the sound. When he looked up, the man casually removed the baseball cap from his head.Everyone in the room was stunned. Because the man's features were almost identical to Hendrix's.But years of exposure to the elements and life's hardships had left his skin rough and tanned, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.While everyone else was staring at Nathan's face, Hendrix's gaze slowly drifted downward to his feet. As if knowing what Hendrix was thinking, Nathan smiled and pulled up his pant legs. There, attached to his knees, were prosthetic legs.Realization finally dawned on Hendrix. "So, you're not dead, after all," he said softly.Nathan continued to smile. "Yeah, I'm not dead. Are you disappointed?"Hendrix didn't respond. Instead, he glanced at the man still pinned under his foot. "Is he the one you've been working with? Probably not, right? You don't seem to recognize him, either."Then, he turned his attention back to Nathan. "And you should still be abroa
"There's no other way, Tony," Nathan said. "Look around you. These are all men who've worked alongside you for years. Can you really bear to see them all go to prison?"And let's not forget—you're responsible for your own brother's death. Did you honestly think you'd walk away unscathed? If you die now, at least May might have a chance at a better life."As Nathan spoke, he glanced at the woman beside him. May's face was filled with terror, and her eyes were bloodshot. As if realizing what he was about to do, she shook her head frantically.Tony gritted his teeth and finally said, "Don't worry about me! Kill Hendrix first!"At his words, those who had been hesitating immediately charged forward.Hendrix's expression darkened. He first kicked Tony away, then grabbed a wooden chair nearby. Next, he pulled a lighter from his pocket.He had actually quit smoking a long time ago, but he still kept the lighter Noelle gave him on him at all times. The switch was still responsive, and wi
The fire spread quickly.The houses in this area were all connected, so when one caught fire, the neighboring ones were soon engulfed as well. The surrounding residents had already been evacuated, but from the house at the heart of the fire, no one had yet emerged.Noelle knew Hendrix was inside. For some reason, memories of the past few days flashed through her mind. The last time they had seen each other was when they were on their way to the equestrian club.Hendrix had tried hard to lighten the mood, but she had cut him off. Because at that time, she had still been angry with him, so she hadn't wanted to hear him speak. He wasn't someone who liked to talk much in the first place. But at that moment, she had told him to be quiet.Later, in the video call, he had invited her to join him in Tilwick. She had understood his hint and clearly seen the hope in his eyes, but she had still refused him. She hadn't even said a single kind word to him.And now? Even if she wanted to say so
As her words fell, Noelle began to tremble uncontrollably.The firefighter in front of her stared at her for a moment, then silently removed his gas mask.Noelle understood what he meant, but she didn't take it. Instead, she shook her head and said, "I don't want it. If Hendrix is really dead inside, then I'll just stay with him."The firefighter frowned at her words. He was about to say something when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her, "Noelle."A jolt immediately shot through Noelle. Afraid that it might be her imagination playing tricks on her, she didn't dare to turn around. Not until he called her name again. Only then did she turn her head.Hendrix was standing behind her. He was wearing only a shirt, the white fabric stained with soot and what looked like blood. His hair was disheveled, his appearance a far cry from his usual composed self.Noelle stared at him for a long time. Only after confirming that she wasn't seeing things did she snap out of her daze. T
Noelle paused for a moment. It took her a few seconds to process what was happening, and then she started pushing him away. "What are you doing here? Go back to your bed! Where's your IV? Are you crazy? You're still injured!"Her voice was filled with urgency.Hendrix looked at her and smiled softly. Then, he reached out and wiped the tears from her cheeks.Noelle pressed her lips together and gently pushed him again. "Go back now! Where's the nurse?"As she spoke, she reached for the call button. But Hendrix grabbed her hand instead. In one swift motion, he pulled her back into his arms."What's the hurry?" he said. "It's not like I'm going to die if I don't have the IV drip for a few minutes. Besides, don't you know you're actually in worse shape than I am?"Then, he frowned and continued in a low voice, "Right when everyone else was evacuating, you just charged toward the fire without a second thought. Even the firefighters had gas masks on. Were you trying to get yourself kil
Hendrix knew what Noelle was thinking, of course.From the moment she heard about his fate, her eyes had turned red. And though she had tried to pull away, she had ultimately held back.She probably thought she was hiding it well, but to Hendrix, every little thing she did was as clear as glass. But that was fine. If not for that, how else would he have had the chance or excuse to bring her to this hotel?Originally, he had wanted to take things slow with her and date her properly. But now, she already knew and acknowledged their marriage.Thus, it would just be stupid of him if he still took it slow. Besides, there was no law saying that he couldn't date someone after sleeping with them. If anything, this was the most crucial step.Noelle had clearly forgotten some things, including the fact that at his core, Hendrix was anything but kind.Even if she really had been pitying him just now, it didn't matter. Only the weak would resent someone's pity, seeing it as condescension or
And even if Noelle said no, would Hendrix really stop?However, she couldn't bring herself to say yes, either. In the end, she could only frown at Hendrix, frustration simmering in her chest.But in Hendrix's eyes, that look carried a different kind of vulnerability. He cupped her cheek as he asked again, "Should I keep going?"Noelle stayed silent and turned her face away.But Hendrix, ever the tease, refused to let her off so easily. He caught her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look back at him. "Why aren't you saying anything? So, you don't want me to keep going?""Ugh, you're so annoying!" Noelle finally snapped. "If you don't want to continue, just get off me!"There was anger in her words. But after everything that had just happened, her tone carried an unintended, breathy softness. In this moment, it almost sounded like she was flirting with him.Hendrix's smile deepened. "Ah, so that means we can keep going," he murmured, as if talking to himself.Noelle didn'
When vision was stripped away, the other senses became acutely heightened. At this moment, Noelle's hearing was especially sharp.As the approaching footsteps grew closer, her grip tightened instinctively. Her nails dug into her palm, but the sting was insignificant compared to everything else she was feeling.She had no idea how much time had passed. Maybe it was a few minutes, or maybe mere seconds. But to her, every moment felt endlessly stretched. Each breath she took felt as if it spanned a century.Like fleeting memories flashing by in a film, she barely had time to process how to face him before Hendrix had already laid down beside her.The queen-sized bed suddenly felt suffocatingly small. She could feel the heat of his body and smell the crisp scent of his shower gel.Then, his hand settled lightly on her waist. That single touch was enough to make Noelle go entirely rigid. Her already clenched fists tightened even more.And at that moment, Hendrix pulled back her blanke
Especially since Hendrix was already caught up in trouble because of Noelle—and now, he might even be facing prison time.At that thought, Noelle lowered her gaze again."Are you scared?" Hendrix suddenly asked.Noelle froze. Only then did she realize her fingers were trembling faintly.She tried to steady them, but it was no use. So, she could only answer him truthfully, "No.""Do you know what I'm going to do?" Hendrix asked again.By now, they were standing outside the hotel room door.Hendrix held the keycard in his hand. With only one arm usable, he had let go of Noelle's hand earlier. Meaning—if she wanted to, she could turn and run right now.But she didn't move. On the contrary, her eyes remained fixed on his every action.Hendrix looked at her and suddenly laughed. Then, he swiped the card and pulled her inside.The door clicked shut behind them.Hendrix didn't even bother inserting the keycard into the slot. He simply tossed it aside before lowering his head to kis
Hendrix had been scanning Noelle from head to toe. But when he heard her words, he paused slightly and looked at her again. "You were worried about me?""Yeah. They didn't make things difficult for you, did they?" Noelle frowned. "I can testify for you. It was Sid who attacked first, and you were just protecting me."Hendrix studied her for a moment before suddenly laughing. "Of course they made it difficult for me. That bastard is still lying in the hospital, and he might even end up disabled. I've been bailed out for now, but I might still have to stand trial later. Who knows? I might even end up in prison."Noelle slowly turned pale in the face as his words slowly sank in. She stared at him in disbelief, her voice trembling. "A-Are you serious?""Yeah."Noelle fell silent, her head bowing slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."The choked sound of her voice sent an unexpected pang through Hendrix's chest. But he quickly suppressed it and asked, "Noelle, what will you do?""Wha
There was no answer.Irene immediately sensed something was wrong. She quickly removed the shovel propped against the door and swung it open, only to find no one inside the room.…"Mr. Freeman, rest assured, we will take care of this matter for you."Jerry's head was pounding. Ever since Hendrix had arrived in their jurisdiction, trouble had followed relentlessly. Yet, despite all this, he maintained a polite smile as he addressed Hendrix."What are you going to do with him?" Hendrix asked in return.Jerry hesitated for a moment before responding, "We've already looked into the matter. Rest assured, we will deal with him severely.""And what exactly do you mean by 'severely'?" Hendrix pressed, his gaze sharp enough to make sweat prickle at Jerry's temples."Well, given his attempted assault, under criminal law—""Assault?" Hendrix let out a low chuckle. "You seem to be mistaken. He was attempting rape and possibly even murder.""Murder?""Yes. Murder."Hendrix lifted his e
"Look at what they did to my son! My son was perfectly fine, and now he's lying in a hospital bed! I'll make sure that bastard rots in jail forever!"Joanne's shrill voice pierced through the door.Noelle sat on a chair, clutching a cup of hot water. Beside her sat Irene, her face dark with fury.The yelling outside continued, "Nelly is nothing but a slut! I knew from the start she was no good! Just look at that face. Who wouldn't she try to seduce? Sid isn't that kind of person! She must've failed to seduce him and then conspired with her lover to frame my son!"Irene couldn't take it anymore. She flung the door open, and the shouting stopped instantly.It was no surprise that Joanne would be scared of Irene since the old woman was holding a hoe in her hand."Get lost," Irene said simply.Joanne paled but stood her ground.Seeing this, Irene was just about to charge forward with her hoe when Joanne panicked and quickly turned to leave.But the onlookers lingered nearby, watch
But that was only if Sid had been willing to accept it. The way Hendrix had looked at him back then—cold and disdainful.And when he'd spoken, his voice had been so certain, as if he'd known Sid would take the money. And in the end, he had. But that didn't give Hendrix the right to look down on him.The more he thought about it—the way he'd been overjoyed when he first met Noelle during their matchmaking, the time and emotion he'd wasted on her—the more resentment burned in his chest."What do you want?"Noelle could feel the danger radiating off him. She kept stepping back, but Sid only advanced, step by step."What do I want?" Sid let out a cold laugh. "Simple. You just need to sleep with me once.""What did you say?" Noelle stared at him in disbelief.For a moment, she thought she must have misheard."Stop playing dumb!" Sid snarled impatiently. "Cut the act! I know you're no longer pure. I saw that bastard sneaking out of your house this morning. You've got some nerve. You
Noelle ended up leaving the room first. The moment she stepped out, she shut the door firmly behind her.Irene thought that was weird. "Why did you close the door?""No reason. Just a habit."Noelle's cheeks were still faintly flushed, and she avoided Irene's gaze, brushing off the question with a vague reply.Irene found it odd but didn't press further.After breakfast, Irene announced she was heading to the back mountain to gather herbs to sell at the market in a few days.Noelle had been thinking about how to divert her, and this played right into her plans."Come with me," Irene said. "And bring two more bottles of water."Noelle hesitated for a moment. She usually accompanied Irene on these trips, so refusing now would seem suspicious. In the end, she nodded.But before leaving, she suddenly called out, "I'm closing the door!"Her voice was loud, ensuring the person inside her room could hear.Irene gave her a strange look. "Who are you talking to?""You.""I'm standi