When Hendrix was working, he always carried an air of sharpness and seriousness, making him look unapproachable. Even Noelle hesitated for a moment before approaching.Hendrix heard the movement and quickly looked over. Everything had happened so suddenly that his expression hadn't yet shifted back to normal.It wasn't until his eyes met Noelle's that his demeanor softened slightly. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to go to sleep first?"Noelle didn't answer. Instead, she placed the glass of water in front of him. "What's going on?" she asked.Hendrix glanced at the glass of water but didn't say anything.Noelle frowned. "Well?""Erwin's been arrested," Hendrix finally told her.Noelle was confused."He's been staying in the country for a while," Hendrix explained slowly. "A few days ago, he even threw a party. And just last night, someone ended up dead."A frown immediately appeared on Noelle's face. "And then?""The person died from an overdose."Noelle's eyes widened.
Noelle tossed and turned in bed for what felt like hours before finally drifting into a restless sleep. When she woke up, the sky outside was already bright. She jolted awake and immediately rushed to the study, but Hendrix was no longer there.The household staff informed her that Hendrix had already left by the time they arrived. It seemed he had driven off early in the morning.Noelle didn't say anything, only pursed her lips tightly. When she returned to the bedroom, she found a note Hendrix had left for her.It said he needed to handle some matters and wouldn't be back for a few days. However, he didn't specify where he was going.Noelle stared at the note for a while before slowly tucking it away.That same day, she saw news reports about Erwin. But perhaps because too many people were involved, the reports didn't reveal much, and the story barely made a ripple.Noele didn't believe this was the whole story. The current calm was merely the lull before the storm.Just as sh
Noelle looked up, meeting Dylan's gaze for a moment before replying, "He's busy with something, so he couldn't make it.""Oh. Mrs. Swift is already inside waiting. Were you on your way to see her?" Dylan asked.Noelle nodded.Dylan then led the way, acting as if he were the host, while Noelle followed a few steps behind him.As they climbed the stairs, Noelle suddenly asked, "Have you seen the reports about what happened in Tilwick?"Dylan paused mid-step and turned to look at her. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.Noelle stood there, meeting his gaze. "It was because of you that Nathan was able to return to the country, wasn't it?"Even though she phrased it as a question, her tone was one of uncertainty.Dylan locked eyes with her for a moment before chuckling. "What is this? An interrogation? Even the police haven't found anything on me. Do you have proof to back up your question?""No," Noelle replied. "I just wanted to ask you. That's all.""So, when you asked,
Back then, Dylan had seemed like just an accomplice, someone who had acted out of necessity because the people involved were his family.But if he had truly been pure and upright, he would never have chosen to help them in the first place. When the incident occurred, he wouldn't have tried so hard to cover it up and salvage the situation.Power and influence were like addictive poisons—once one got a taste of it, one always wanted more. But there were only so many spots at the top, and the only way to climb higher seemed to be pulling others down.Because of Noelle, the person Dylan saw standing in his way was Hendrix. Moreover, because of Hendrix, Dylan had lost something important to him. So, it was only natural for him to hate Hendrix.Noelle even suspected that Dylan's later obsession with being with her was partly because he wanted to win against Hendrix. After all, in terms of business tactics, he might not have been able to compete with Hendrix, but what if he could win her
Hendrix was currently in Halbort.Erwin had just been released on bail.In reality, this whole situation was pretty unfair to him. After all, he had merely been a guest at the party, and he wasn't the one who had brought in the illegal substances. The person who had brought them in not only died but also dragged everyone else down with him.Erwin himself wasn't too concerned. As long as he could prove his innocence, there wasn't much the authorities here could do to him.But it was a different story for Hendrix. His entire career was rooted in the country, and if any rumors about this incident spread, the impact on him would be devastating.That was why he had taken the initiative to come from Coppersville to cooperate with the police investigation. As long as the police here could prove his innocence, any media outlets trying to smear him would be guilty of defamation.Even though Erwin knew Hendrix was only doing this for his own benefit, he still said sincerely, "Thanks for th
Hendrix didn't even spare Marshall and Marla a glance. Instead, he turned to the people behind him and said, "Search for Noelle."The moment the words left his mouth, his men moved in without hesitation."Hendrix Freeman! This is my home. You're trespassing on private property!" Marla shouted."Noelle came to your party and then disappeared. So what's so wrong with me searching for her here?""Are you seriously accusing us of hiding her?"Instead of responding, Hendrix simply followed the others upstairs.However, it wasn't long before the police called him, informing him that Noelle had likely been taken away by someone.Whoever took her was clearly familiar with the Swift family's estate surveillance layout. They carefully avoided the cameras while moving through the property.The only footage they managed to capture was a brief glimpse of an arm flashing across one of the cameras. It appeared that Noelle had been carried away—her arms hanging limply at her side.It lasted n
Unlike the furious Hendrix, Dylan remained perfectly calm. There was even a hint of confusion in his eyes as he looked at the former.Then, Dylan said, "Mr. Freeman, aren't you asking the wrong person? Noelle's your wife, so why are you asking me where she is? Isn't that a little inappropriate? Or do you have evidence to suggest that I took her?"Hendrix fell silent. He simply stood there, staring at Dylan. His clenched fists slowly loosened.Then, he let out a soft laugh. "Fine, Dylan. You've made your choice."With that, he turned and walked away.Dylan remained where he was, watching Hendrix leave before turning to the other employees with a smile. "If there's nothing else, you can all go back to work now."At his words, the employees didn't dare to linger any longer. After exchanging a few glances with each other, they quickly dispersed.As he walked, Hendrix was already making calls. Coppersville wasn't that big—he refused to believe that even if he had to turn the entire c
Hearing those words, Hendrix finally seemed to snap out of his daze. He stood up and headed out the door.Perhaps because he had been sitting in the same position for too long, he felt a wave of dizziness as he got up. He stood up still for a moment, waiting for the sensation to pass, before continuing forward.Rosie's condition was critical. Although she had been recovering well, the possibility of a relapse was always there. That was why every time she got sick or ran a fever, there was always a chance it was a sign of relapse.Beatrice's eyes were already red with worry. When she saw Hendrix, she had every intention of scolding him for showing up so late. But the moment she took in his expression, she swallowed back her words.Then, she lowered her voice and said, "Go check on Rosie."Hendrix didn't respond. He simply walked into the hospital room.Rosie was lying in bed. Hendrix hadn't seen her in days. She'd lost weight, her face pale under the oxygen mask.He slowly sat be
"Mr. Freeman, it's time to change your dressi—" The doctor's voice suddenly broke the silence.The unexpected interruption sent a jolt through Noelle. It was as if she had suddenly snapped back to reality. In a flurry, she pushed Hendrix away.She looked as though she had been caught doing something wrong. She stumbled backward several steps, her hands rising and falling repeatedly. Her lips quivered as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. Panic filled her eyes, unmistakable and clear.The doctor, however, was tactful. "My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt," he said quickly before excusing himself and leaving.Noelle's face turned an even deeper shade of red at this. She wanted to chase after the doctor, but Hendrix grabbed her hand again."Let go of me," Noelle said when she finally managed to find her voice.She had intended to reprimand him. But after the kiss and the nervous tension, her voice came out slightly hoarse, sounding almost alluring. Even Noelle
Noelle hadn't expected Hendrix to bring this up, so she was stunned for a moment. Then, she looked at him with confusion."I wanted to use the bathroom," he answered with a cheeky grin."Oh." Even though Noelle felt flustered, she still quickly stepped aside.Hendrix, however, remained seated. Noelle looked at him, puzzled.He chuckled and said, "My arm is injured. I can't even feed myself—do you think I can go to the bathroom on my own?"Noelle's expression changed instantly. "W-What do you mean?"Hendrix reached out and took her hand. "Help me," he said in a low and raspy voice.Noelle immediately shook her head. "No way!"As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand away.But even with only one good hand, Hendrix's grip was still strong.Not only did he not let go, but he slid his fingers through Noelle's and pressed his palm firmly against hers. The dry, burning warmth of his hand made Noelle's cheeks flush instantly. It was as if, at this moment, she wasn't holding his hand
Inside the bag was a thermos of soup she had made that morning. It was made with chicken and mushrooms she had bought early at the market. She had simmered them for half an hour, and as soon as she opened the lid, the rich aroma of the soup spread throughout the hospital room.Hendrix suddenly remembered the bowl of soup Noelle had given him late that night two days ago. Good food was never something he lacked. In fact, to him, food was just a necessity for survival. But that night, something about that simple bowl of soup had brought him to the brink of tears.He had found her. There had been a time when he truly believed she had vanished from this world. He thought he would never see her again. It was also in that moment that he fully understood what Noelle meant to him.After all, he had seen the light, so how could he ever return to the darkness? His life had been set on a certain path. Even Beatrice had never cooked him a bowl of soup before, and he had accepted that kind of li
The moment Noelle saw her reflection in Hendrix's eyes, and when he stood under the streetlight and smiled at her, those feelings of resistance and fear vanished instantly.At the time, Noelle felt as if she had known him for a long time. Even under the dim light, she could vividly trace the contours of his face in her mind. It was as if she had done this countless times before.Even though her memories of the past remained a blank, just seeing him made her heart race. The feeling was unfamiliar, yet she knew exactly what it was and what it meant.She liked him, and it felt like she had liked him for a long time.…That night, Hendrix had to stay in the hospital. His whereabouts were supposed to be confidential, but the local authorities were already aware of his presence. After receiving Jerry's report, Austin Warren immediately came to visit with his team.Of course, Hendrix didn't tell them the truth about how he got injured. Instead, he simply claimed he had tripped and falle
Noelle wasn't quick enough to stop Irene this time.When Irene swung down her hoe, Hendrix instinctively raised his arm to block it. As a result, the wound he had just had re-bandaged at the hospital that day split open again. There was even a faint cracking sound, as if a bone had been fractured.Even for someone as tough as Hendrix, the intense pain was enough to make him frown, and cold sweat quickly beaded on his forehead."Mom!" Noelle rushed forward and grabbed Irene's arm.But was still in the heat of anger. She pushed Noelle aside and was about to strike again when Jerry, who had received an emergency call, arrived on the scene.Jerry felt his vision darken for a moment when he saw Hendrix's injury. Then, without hesitation, he and his team restrained Irene."What are you doing? You bunch of ass-kissers! Let me go!" Irene struggled fiercely, her curses never stopping.Jerry was at a loss. He was about to have her taken to the police station when Hendrix grabbed his arm.
"I haven't eaten yet. Will you grab a bite with me?" Hendrix asked Noelle.Noelle was stunned. But before she could react, Hendrix had already taken her hand and started leading her forward.Jerry had wanted to say something to Hendrix, but all he got was a distant wave as Hendrix took Noelle straight to the car.This was the car Hendrix had someone bring over yesterday. The once gleaming paint was now covered in splatters of mud after driving through the village's dirt roads. But he didn't mind.It wasn't until they had driven for a while that Noelle finally snapped out of her daze. "My mom will find out!""Don't worry. If she gets mad at you, I'll explain it to her.""She'll definitely hit you."Hendrix, holding the steering wheel, glanced at her. "What? Are you worried about me?""Of course not!" Noelle replied immediately. Then, she turned to look out the window.Hendrix watched her for a moment before reaching over and taking her hand."What are—" Noelle's eyes widened.
Irene owned a plot of land in the village. She used to grow corn on it, but in the past two years, a contractor from the neighboring village had come by, so she switched to growing strawberries instead.It was now the season for planting seedlings. After the morning's commotion, Noelle had convinced Irene to rest at home and took over the planting work herself.The task wasn't particularly strenuous, but bending over for long periods was exhausting. Noelle squatted down, but after a while, she started feeling dizzy. She closed her eyes, preparing to take a short break, when somebody suddenly yanked her up.Hendrix frowned at her and asked, "What are you doing?"Noelle was startled for a moment, then clumsily pushed his hand away. Only after taking several steps back to put a safe distance between them did she finally ask, "What are you doing here?"Hendrix's frown deepened at her reaction. "Are you afraid of me?""No," Noelle quickly denied it. Her flustered expression made it se
Hendrix wasn't a particularly delicate person, but even he found the environment hard to endure. Not long after, he was woken up by a commotion outside. He opened his eyes and pushed himself up, just in time to see what was happening outside the window.Irene was chasing someone off with a broom. Despite her age, she still had the energy to scold while giving chase, her voice so loud and full of vigor that it startled everyone inside and out. And then, she turned around and scolded the onlookers as well.Noelle followed closely behind her, sheltered under her protection. Her eyes were curious as she glanced around, but she didn't dare stray more than half a step from Irene.Just as Hendrix was watching, Noelle noticed him, too. She seemed to freeze for a moment, then quickly looked away and tugged at Irene's hand.After a bit more commotion, Irene finally pulled her inside and shut the door with a loud bang.Once inside, Irene turned to Noelle and said, "Don't worry, Nelly. Sid's
Noelle immediately turned around with panic written all over her face.Irene narrowed her eyes. "What were you doing outside so late in the night?""I-I thought I heard a cat meowing, so I went to check.""A cat?" Irene frowned. "What's so strange about a few cats in the village?"Noelle fell silent.Irene didn't press further, simply telling her to go to bed early before turning and heading back to her own room.Noelle followed behind her. The window in her room faced the house across the street—the one with the lit window, where Hendrix was staying.The broken glass in the window had been repaired earlier that day. The warm yellow light shining through matched the glow in her room. Noelle stared at it for a while before finally lying down to sleep.The night passed quickly.Irene didn't need much sleep. Before dawn even broke, she had already taken her hoe and headed out to work in the field.After making her bed, Noelle started preparing breakfast. Just as she was beating