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'
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
Noelle froze for a second before yanking her hand back without a second thought."What nonsense are you spouting?" she asked through gritted teeth. "This is all your fault!""My fault?" Hendrix was still grinning. "I tried waking you up multiple times, but you refused to get up.""If it weren't for you—" She wanted to keep arguing, but she forced herself to swallow back the words just as they were about to leave her lips.Hendrix seemed amused by her reaction. "What about me?"Noelle refused to engage further. Biting her lip, she propped herself up and got out of bed."You didn't finish your sentence. What about me?" Hendrix followed her, pestering her with questions.Ignoring him, she marched into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, cutting his voice mid-sentence.But she could still hear his low, pleased laughter from the other side. Annoyance prickled at her, but thoughts of Irene pushed it aside. Right now, she was in no mood to bicker with him. After quickly freshening
Noelle had expected Irene to be furious. After all, Irene had never had a good impression of Hendrix to begin with. And after Noelle ran off to find him last night, she'd assumed the resentment would only deepen.But to her surprise, it didn't happen like that.Irene simply stood there, her eyes flickering between the two of them before uttering, "Let's eat."The words were so light and calm that Noelle froze. For a moment, she couldn't even process it.Hendrix, however, tightened his grip on her hand and replied smoothly, "Thank you."Irene said nothing else. She just turned and walked inside.The small dining table, usually set for two, now had an extra seat for Hendrix.His injured hand hadn't fully healed yet, but he'd already mastered eating with his left. The only problem was the table was too cramped for his long legs, leaving him awkwardly squeezed in. But instead of complaining, he just ate in silence.Irene suddenly turned and brought out a bowl of minestrone soup. Th
When Hendrix left earlier, Irene had been asleep inside the house.But now, it was like she suddenly remembered something. Sitting there with a flashlight in hand, she seemed to be waiting for someone.But who could she possibly be waiting for? After all, the person she most wanted to see would never come back.After pressing his lips together, Hendrix finally walked outside.Irene heard his footsteps but didn't turn around. She just kept sitting there, stubborn."Can you tell me about Nelly?" Hendrix asked.Irene looked up at him, surprised.Hendrix's expression was awkward. This wasn't something he usually did. He hadn't even managed to get along with his own mother, Beatrice. Irene was practically a stranger to him. Well, not completely a stranger. After all, he had her to thank for the wound on his hand.If he had a choice, Hendrix wouldn't have wanted anything to do with her. But he knew Noelle cared about Irene.Even without a blood connection, Irene's care for Noelle
Irene had never been well-liked in the village. The other women claimed she'd brought misfortune to her husband, and in her younger days, they accused her of seducing their husbands.After earning her reputation as a shrew, no one would even speak to her.Truthfully, she held no attachment to this village. She had stayed at first to wait for her husband and later to wait for Nelly.But after that, none of it mattered anymore. Yet tonight, for the first time, she found someone to tell these things to.Hendrix sat quietly and listened. He'd never been good at comforting people, so after a long silence, he finally said, "When I thanked you earlier, it wasn't just for saving Noelle. It was also because you gave her things she's always wanted."Irene looked at him, puzzled.Even with her limited understanding of the outside world, she could tell Hendrix was wealthy. Which meant that everything he gave Noelle must have been the best. And what could she possibly offer Noelle?"When s
"Of course, if you ever get tired of the city and want to come back for a visit, I'll keep that room ready for you," Irene said.With that, she stood up.Hendrix watched her leave and quietly said, "Thank you."Irene paused in her tracks for just a second but didn't say anything else.She was gone, yet Hendrix remained seated, unmoving. He tilted his head back, staring at the dark sky.Compared to Coppersville, the economy and development here were certainly not worth mentioning. But the air here was clean. In Coppersville, looking up only showed endless skyscrapers—even the moonlight seemed hazy. Here, though, the moon shone bright and clear.After staring for a long time, Hendrix finally stood up and slowly walked toward the house across from him. What he didn't know was that while he was talking to Irene, someone had been secretly standing behind the door the whole time.Noelle had heard every word of their conversation. She didn't say anything, but her cheeks were cold, al
The last time Dylan saw Noelle was at the Swift family residence. She had tried to threaten him with a phone recording, and of course, Dylan wasn't going to let her have her way. He had every intention to talk things out with her properly. But unfortunately, Noelle wouldn't listen.During the struggle over the phone, she fell down the stairs. By the time the Swift family found her, blood had already pooled on the ground. But they didn't call the police. Instead, they helped Dylan load Noelle into a car.Dylan had planned to hide her away somewhere. In fact, he had already arranged everything in advance. Even if Noelle hadn't been unconscious, he would have taken her away that night.Once in the car, he transferred her to another vehicle in a spot out of the surveillance cameras' view. That car's destination was Leah's hometown. There, he had already arranged for someone to take care of Noelle.He had everything perfectly planned, and by the time Hendrix returned to Coppersville, it
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