Noelle had also mentioned that Rosie had been looking forward to this day for a long time, so she hoped Hendrix could set aside an entire day to spend with her.Hendrix had agreed at the time. But now, did any of it still matter?Finally, he asked Rosie, "What do you want for your birthday?" Rosie turned to look at him. After studying him for a moment, she turned back to the window and replied, "I don't want anything."Hendrix didn't know how to respond. In truth, he knew better than anyone what Rosie wanted most. But the confidence he had once felt was now replaced by uncertainty.He was well aware that leaving Rosie at Sienna Villa was a better choice. After all, he was busy with work, and he wasn't sure how to communicate with a child. Yet, he still wanted to bring her back to Roselle Court—to their home.Because Hendrix didn't want to return to a place where he would be all alone. The vast, silent space and all the familiar objects inside would serve as painful reminders tha
This was the first time Hendrix had ever put Rosie to sleep. He didn't know what to do, so he tried to imitate Noelle by reading her a storybook. But having never fallen asleep to bedtime stories as a child or read one aloud himself, his tone was inevitably stiff and awkward.Fortunately, Rosie was already exhausted from crying. So, it didn't take long before she drifted into a deep sleep.Hendrix sat beside her for a while longer, watching her as she slept. Everyone said Rosie looked like him. But now, he saw more of Noelle in her. Her eyes, the shape of her face, even the way she got angry—it was almost identical to Noelle.Hendrix looked away, closing his eyes to compose himself before finally getting up and leaving. When he returned to his bedroom, it was unsurprisingly pitch dark.He turned on the light and slowly sat down on the couch in the walk-in closet. The closet had been expanded from the master bedroom. Originally, it was divided into two sides—one for his clothes and
"Mr. Pritchett, are you saying—""What exactly do you know?" Dylan interrupted Caleb impatiently.How much Caleb knew would determine how Dylan would deal with him. Right now, he had neither the mood nor the time to beat around the bush.Caleb didn't keep him guessing, either. He said slowly, "Actually, it's nothing serious. I just happened to see you dropping that woman off on Xeno Street."As soon as Caleb finished speaking, Dylan's expression froze. At the same time, he slowly balled his hands—which were resting on the table—into fists.What Caleb said was true.Anyone who had ever been to Novaterra knew exactly what kind of place Xeno Street was. If the bustling city represented prosperity, then that area was its neglected, decaying underbelly. It was a gathering place for the homeless, drifters, and even fugitives.For a young woman like Jean to end up there was like a lamb thrown into a pack of wolves. She wouldn't even have a chance to fight back.Dylan, of course, knew
"The fish has taken the bait." When Erwin's messages came through, Hendrix was at Rosie's kindergarten.Today was the kindergarten's open day. In the past, it was always Noelle who attended events like this. Now, as the only man among a sea of mothers, Hendrix immediately attracted countless curious glances. But he acted as though he didn't notice at all, sitting there with a blank expression on his face.At the end of the open day, the children lined up in front of their parents to sing songs and perform finger dances. Rosie sat in front of Hendrix, her face just as serious and focused as ever.Hendrix suspected that she simply didn't want to perform for him. But fortunately, the performance went smoothly. When it ended, the other children reached out to hug their parents. After a moment of hesitation, Rosie gently took Hendrix's hand.Hendrix glanced at her movement, then slowly opened his palm, enveloping her little hand in his.After the event, Hendrix took Rosie home.Erwin
Dylan's chest heaved violently as he waited for those numbers to rebound. After all, that was how it had been for the past few days. But this time, they did no such thing.Soon, the trading session ended, and the stock market closed. Dylan clenched his teeth, then immediately stood up and called Caleb.He hadn't originally planned to enter the market. At first, it was just to humor Caleb. But he quickly realized that Caleb wasn't just boasting.Later, he learned that Caleb was actually a partner in a certain fund over there. Compared to the steady, long-term projects in the country, the thrill of watching those numbers fluctuate was completely different.The feeling of effortlessly climbing to the top of the pyramid was simply too addictive.Caleb soon handed him a second proposal—one share, one billion dollars. For ordinary people, this amount might not be achievable even over several generations. But for Dylan at this moment, it was nothing.More importantly, Dylan knew tha
Hendrix went to pick up Rosie as promised.As soon as they met, Beatrice noticed his pale complexion and frowned. "What have you been doing? You look terrible.""I was just really busy the past couple of days," Hendrix replied while crouching down in front of Rosie. "Ready to go home with me?"Rosie nodded. She appeared reserved on the surface, but as soon as she turned around, she immediately grabbed her little backpack.Hendrix watched her and smiled faintly. Just then, his phone rang. When he saw the name on the screen, his expression stiffened slightly.Rosie didn't know what that expression meant. It seemed like anticipation, but also unease. Before she could get a closer look, Hendrix turned to her."Wait here. I need to take this call."With that he turned and walked slowly to the yard. The caller was clearly patient. When Hendrix didn't answer the first call, they immediately dialed again. This time, Hendrix picked up."Hendrix, this is all your doing, isn't it?" Dylan
Beatrice stood nearby, her voice filled with surprise when she heard what Hendrix said. "You have news about Noelle? Where is she?""Creston. I'm going to bring her back now," Hendrix replied."Who told you this? Why would she be in Creston? And why hasn't she contacted you all this time? Is this information reliable?" Beatrice remained calm, firing off several questions in a row.But Hendrix didn't have time to explain. "I'm heading to Creston now. Just take good care of Rosie.""Wait. What if it's a scam? Hendrix!" Beatrice tried to stop him, but he didn't even break his stride.By the time she ran outside, he was already in the car.A scam? There was indeed a possibility that Dylan was lying to him just to buy time. There could be people waiting for Hendrix in Creston, ready to kill him as soon as he arrived. But so what?It had been so long since Noelle vanished without a trace. No one knew how Hendrix had made it through this time. For the first time, Hendrix understood wha
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 him—especially 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 himself—and Noelle's husb
Dylan's gaze darkened. Just as he was about to step forward, someone else beat him to it.Hendrix crouched down in front of Noelle. "What happened?"Seeing this, Dylan almost laughed. He knew things wouldn't be that simple. With how devoted Hendrix had been to Noelle before, how could he possibly fall out of love so quickly?As expected, this was just a show the two of them had put on for Dylan. With that though, he didn't linger. He turned and was about to leave when he heard Noelle's voice."Let go of me!"Her voice wasn't loud in the noisy hospital, but Dylan heard it clearly. He immediately turned his head.Hendrix was holding onto her other hand, seemingly trying to take her away.But Noelle kept struggling. "Let go of me!""Noelle Swanson!""You already have another woman, so why do you still care about me?" Noelle gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Let me tell you—I don't want anything you gave me! And I don't want to see you right now, either!"As she spoke, she tr
Dylan still didn't believe what Noelle had said, including the plan she gave him. He thought the whole thing was just an act staged by Hendrix and Noelle together. But now, Hailey's words were starting to make him waver.Hailey was one of his people. He had deliberately instructed her to approach Amy today—something Hendrix definitely didn't know about. If this really was all an act, would they really go this far?More importantly, the plan Noelle gave him was airtight. It detailed Fuer Fund's upcoming plan to acquire and merge with Julius Fund. From strategy to step-by-step execution, everything was laid out with incredible detail.He had even gone over it with George Hardin. If the plan was genuine, they could move on Julius Fund before Fuer Fund did—selling it off at the right time.This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.Even if the plan was fake, it must have cost Hendrix an enormous amount of time. Dylan didn't believe he would waste so much effort crafting this elaborate
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