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 poisonsâonce 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 awayâher 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 bigâhe 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
"Hendrix?" Beatrice's voice pulled him back to reality.He turned his head and gazed up at her. A jolt went through Beatrice when she saw the look in his eyes."Yes?" Hendrix asked. His voice was calm, as if nothing had happened.After a brief pause, Beatrice said, "You haven't had a proper rest in a long time, have you? Why don't you go home for a bit? I can stay with Rosie.""No, I'm fine." Hendrix refused without hesitation. "Besides, I promised Rosie I'd stay with her.""Butâ""You should head back," Hendrix cut her off. Then, he turned his attention back to Rosie, who was lying in bed.Beatrice looked at his back. After hesitating for a moment, she finally said, "Is there still no news about Noelle?"At her words, Hendrix seemed to tense for a moment. Then, he said, "It's fine. I'll find her. And even if I can't, there's someone who definitely knows where she is."Noelle's disappearance wasn't a coincidence. Whoever knew the exact locations of all the surveillance cameras
Hendrix didn't respond to Ruth. He simply pulled his arm away, his face devoid of any expression.Then, he glanced at the security guard nearby. The guard had wanted to stop Ruth earlier, but her heavily pregnant state made him hesitate to act.However, with Hendrix's icy gaze now on him, the guard had no choice but to step forward."Let go of me! Who do you think you are? Get your hands off me!" Ruth screamed, but the guard didn't release her.From her position, all she could do was watch Hendrix walk past her. Her eyes widened slightly, and her voice grew even shriller. "I get it now. That bitch is dead, isn't she? Serves her right! She deserved it! She should've died a long time ago!"As soon as Ruth finished speaking, Hendrix came to an abrupt halt. Then, he turned to look at her.Ruth had been ready to continue her tirade. After all, she had nothing left to lose now. Her family's company and factories had all been shut down. Ricky had even called her a jinx, blaming her for
"Nelly?" a voice called out, and Noelle snapped out of her thoughts."Mom, what's wrong?" she asked."I should be asking you that," Irene said, tapping the edge of Noelle's bowl with a frown. "You're supposed to be eating. What are you daydreaming about?"Noelle let out a soft "oh" and obediently lowered her head to continue eating.With a frown still on her face, Irene asked, "Are you still thinking about what happened today? Those cops were talking nonsense! Anyway, the date is already set, so we'll go ahead with the wedding. "You're not getting any younger. Once you're married, hurry up and have a baby. I can help take care of them.""Who am I marrying?" Noelle asked."What are you talking about? You're marrying Sid, of course. I've already accepted the wedding gift. What else do you want?" Irene furrowed her brows tighter as she spoke.Noelle quickly shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just asking.""You must be over the moon, huh? Wasn't this already decided before? Bes
"Mrs. Wallace, look. This is a photo of Mr. Freeman's wife, and she looks exaâ"Irene cut Jerry off, "What photo? What do I care what his wife looks like? This is my daughter!" "I understand, but since there's doubt, why not settle it with a DNA test? Once the results are inâ""What DNA test? I won't do it! You're all out of your minds! How could my daughter suddenly be someone else's wife? Nelly, we're leaving!"With that, Irene grabbed Noelle's hand and turned to leave.Jerry was about to step forward and say something, but Hendrix stopped him."Mr. Freeman, what are youâ""Where do they live?" Hendrix asked."What?""The village they mentionedâwhere is it?"âĶPeople always said it wasn't unusual for two people in the world to look alike. But Hendrix knew he hadn't made a mistake. There was no way he could have been wrong.In truth, he could have taken Noelle to the hospital right then and there, and a simple DNA test would have confirmed her real identity. Even if she h
"Isn't there a hospital nearby?" Hendrix asked, his impatience creeping into his voice. "A DNA test would settle this, wouldn't it?""Yes, that's right." Jerry finally remembered this option and immediately arranged for someone to take them to the hospital.But Sid wasn't having it. "No way! You're all in on this! Don't think I don't see what's going onâyou're just sucking up to this guy because he's rich. And when the results come back, you'll make sure they say whatever he wants!""Mr. Hodge, please watch what you're saying." Jerry's expression darkened. "Do you even realize where you are and what you're saying?""Iâwhatever! You're all in this together. We're leaving right now!"With that, Sid grabbed Noelle's hand and was about to pull her away when Hendrix stood up."Let go of her hand," he said icily."This has nothing to do with you! I'm telling you. They might suck up to you, but I'm not afraid of you! You canâ""Mr. Hodge, if you insist on leaving now, we can charge yo
"His wife? No, this is my wife. We're going to register our marriage today. Her mother has already accepted the wedding gift!" The man's voice grew louder.Hendrix snapped back to the present. Slowly, he turned to look at Noelle, as if waiting for her to explain. But she wouldn't even meet his gaze.She didn't seem the least bit happy at seeing him again. Instead, she was trying to pry his fingers off her in a bid to free herself."Noelle," Hendrix called her name. "What are you doing?"But she gave him no response.Hendrix clenched his teeth, and he was about to pull her closer to question her when Noelle screamed, "Let me go!"Her sharp voice forced Hendrix to release his grip. Noelle immediately stepped back and hid behind the man."See? She doesn't know you at all. So like I said, she's not your wife. I think you're just trying to take advantage of my wife because she's pretty! You might look decent on the surface, but you're nothing but a shameless scumbag!"The man was fu
Hendrix's phone continued to ring. Beside him, Jerry was still rambling about something. The man sitting next to her was speaking animatedly, trying to explain himself.But all those sounds faded into nothing for Hendrix. His vision narrowed to only the woman in front of him. She was sitting beside the man, wearing a rough but clean white shirt, her hair tied into a low ponytail.Hendrix was actually standing quite far from her. But the woman's figure was etched into his mind. His breathing grew rapid, his hands clenched, and even his shoulders began to tremble slightly."Mr. Freeman?" Jerry had been talking the whole time. But when he realized Hendrix hadn't responded, he couldn't help but call out to him.Hendrix didn't answer. He just stood there, staring intently at the woman."Mr. Freeman, are youâ" Jerry wanted to say more, but Hendrix had already started walking toward her.At first, his steps were hesitant, stiff, and slow. But then, his pace quickened.By the time he re
But in the end, Hendrix still managed to finish his sentence. Even Jerry couldn't help but be moved by the sight of him. He quickly nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'll definitely help you. I mean, this is our duty, after all. So, you can rest assured!"As he spoke, he signaled to his colleague to print out the photo of Noelle from Hendrix's phone.When Jerry saw the photo again, he furrowed his brows slightly. He couldn't help but feel like he had seen the woman in the photo somewhere before. But he couldn't remember where."Captain Ortiz?" someone beside him called out cautiously.Only then did Jerry snap out of it and realize Hendrix was still in the office."Oh, right. This way, please, Mr. Freeman. I'll take you to the hotel now.""Thank you." Hendrix nodded at him.Jerry smiled and opened the office door for him.Meanwhile, the man who had just been brought in was still arguing. "It's not like that. We're really getting married out of our own free will. We're from the sa
To avoid his superiors blaming him for Hendrix losing too much blood, Jerry had him taken to his office. As he questioned Hendrix, he also tended to his wound.Just as he finished, officers returned from the scene with two more people in tow."What are you doing? We're completely legal! I even gave her mother a wedding gift! Why are you bringing me to the station?" the man kept shouting angrily as he walked in.Jerry frowned and turned to his colleague. "What's going on?""Oh, the courthouse reported them," the colleague explained. "They were there to register their marriage today, but the bride's ID didn't match her. The age didn't line up, either. "Plus, she couldn't remember her full name and seemed a bit off. The courthouse staff suspected human trafficking, so they called us."As the colleague spoke, Jerry glanced at the two newcomers.He noticed that the woman was quite beautiful. Though she was dressed in rough clothes and her hair was disheveled, her tanned skin and del
So, had something really happened to Noelle? Was she really dead?No, that couldn't be possible. But if she wasn't, then why couldn't Hendrix find a single trace of her? Even when he had already exhausted all his connections and resources. And more importantly, if she were still alive, how could she not send him even the slightest message?This was a possibility Hendrix had considered before, but he had never been able to accept it.Now, his worst fears had been confirmed. The one thing that had kept him going all this time crumbled in an instant. He stood frozen, unable to react.At that moment, the men charged at him, their weapons aimed directly at him.Even though he had gone stiff and no longer had the will to live, Hendrix instinctively raised his arm as the blade came down.The blade struck his arm, and the sharp pain snapped him back to reality. He kicked the man in front of him away. Then, he opened the car door and got inside without hesitation."Don't let him escape!"
The plane landed safely. Hendrix then drove himself to Creston.The journey took five or six hours, but he didn't feel the slightest bit of fatigue. He had considered bringing someone with him, but Dylan had insisted he come alone. Otherwise, all he would find was Noelle's corpse.Hendrix didn't want to take that risk. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Noelle. Besides, he had already made arrangements for what would come after. If he really died there, Dylan wouldn't survive, either.Once Dylan was gone, the people backing him would lose their support, and they would have no choice but to release Noelle. That was if Noelle was still alive.But if something had already happened to her, then it was only right for him to join her in death. He knew this was irresponsible of himâespecially toward Beatrice and Rosie, and just when Rosie had finally started to warm up to him.But before he was a son or a father, Hendrix was first and foremost himselfâand Noelle's husb