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
Amy spun around instantly and saw Hendrix walking toward her.Even though their relationship was purely transactional—and even though Amy knew better than anyone that catching feelings for a client was the worst mistake she could make—she still had to admit something.Even without Hendrix's status, his looks and presence alone were enough to make any woman blush and her heart race. Being able to call him her boyfriend, even if only on the surface, gave Amy a kind of prestige wherever she went.Seeing that Hendrix was about to reach her, Amy was about to greet him when Hailey suddenly stepped ahead of her."Hi! Are you Amy's boyfriend?" she asked.Hendrix narrowed his eyes at her. "And you are?""I'm her friend. We were out shopping together today. What a surprise to run into you like this!" Hailey said with a grin. "Amy's always bragging about you. Now, I finally see why she's been hiding you from us."As she spoke, Hailey moved to slip her arm through Hendrix's. She was wearing
Lately, Amy had been living in the lap of luxury. Hendrix not only bought her jewelry and designer bags but even a sports car—a bright red one, with the emblem of an angry bull on the front.When Amy drove it out, she immediately attracted the envy of countless people. They spoke words of admiration and praise for Amy. But behind her back, they were practically grinding their teeth in envy.Of course, Amy could see through their little games, but she didn't care. Even if they cursed her behind her back, she acted like she never heard a word of it.To be honest, if they had been in her shoes, they probably wouldn't have been able to seize the opportunity. They would have likely been kicked out due to overstepping the first time Hendrix made them sleep on the couch.So, some things were just meant to be hers.Besides the jewelry, bags, and car, Hendrix had also given her a black card with no spending limit. Now, when she entered those stores, she no longer had to carefully check the
On the contrary, Hendrix seemed to care a lot about Noelle. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed over like that. Even Amy could feel the passion in the way he looked at Noelle—it was intense and almost burning. There wasn't a trace of the indifference he had shown back at the party.So, it was very likely the two of them were acting. But for what reason?Amy couldn't figure it out, but she knew one thing—she might have just uncovered a huge secret. And this secret could very well…Amy was still thinking when the door suddenly opened in front of her. Startled, she instinctively took a few steps back, staring in shock at the person before her.Hendrix was standing there, looking at her."I didn't say anything!" Amy blurted out without hesitation. She even held up her phone, as if offering it for inspection.He gave it a glance, then quickly looked away and said, "Come on out. We've got a business deal to discuss."…"Who sent this to you?" the tanned-skin man asked.Only then did D
"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