"Noelle, let me remind you," Hendrix said, his tone cold and resolute. "The power to decide whether our relationship continues or ends has always been in my hands. Even back then, if I hadn't agreed, do you really think you could've divorced me so easily?"Noelle's hand, which had been braced to push him away, slowly dropped to her side.Her eyes, which had flickered with traces of anger and sadness, went completely blank as she stared at him.He wasn't wrong. What power did she ever have? In his eyes, she was nothing more than an object.Once, she had been his wife and was expected to bear his children. Now, she was just a tool for his gratification.Her quiet, detached demeanor was something Hendrix knew all too well. His brows furrowed again as he watched her. After a pause, he gripped her chin and abruptly leaned down, capturing her lips in a forceful kiss.The moment their lips met, tears slipped down Noelle's cheek.The cold touch of her tears sent a shiver through Hendrix
In the quiet, empty room, the sound of Noelle's stomach growling was impossibly loud.Even Hendrix froze in place.For the first time, Noelle caught a flicker of something unexpected in his gaze—surprise. Her jaw clenched tightly, and she turned her face away, refusing to look at him.Hendrix didn't continue walking. Instead, he released her and stood up."What do you want to eat?" he asked.Noelle didn't answer him.Hendrix waited for a while, then shrugged and left the room.Noelle stayed motionless on the bed. It wasn't until his footsteps faded away that she reached up and covered her eyes with her hand. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but Hendrix eventually returned."Come and eat," he said.Noelle had no intention of entertaining him. However, she hadn't eaten in nearly an entire day. The dizziness behind her eyes was growing unbearable, and her empty stomach churned uncomfortably.Eventually, she gave in to her body's demands.Hendrix had brought back a spread o
For the next few days, Hendrix didn't reach out to her, but Noelle kept receiving cakes from different dessert shops every day. And not just one cake at a time.At first, Noelle tried to refuse them, but the delivery people wouldn't even give her the chance. They would simply tell her their task was to deliver the cake, and whatever she chose to do with it was up to her.With no other choice, Noelle reluctantly accepted the cakes.After days of eating them, she finally couldn't take it anymore. She called Hendrix. "Stop sending me cakes.""Why? I thought you liked them." Hendrix sounded unusually cheerful, with a laugh barely contained in his voice.Noelle felt like he was doing it on purpose.She liked them, right? So, he would just keep sending them until she threw up.Noelle didn't respond and just hung up the phone.Hendrix had intended to say more, but he was taken aback for a moment when he heard the click of the call ending. He checked the phone, confirming she had act
In the end, Noelle picked a buffalo wings bar. The fiery, finger-staining spicy wings were clearly an odd match for Hendrix in his sharp suit.However, Noelle didn't care.Truthfully, she wasn't sure what Hendrix was trying to do. Was he just treating her like a tool? But the way he was acting now didn't really seem to fit that.Even when they were still married, they rarely ate out alone. He would give her jewelry and accessories, but never did he send over cakes like this.Now, his behavior made Noelle feel like he was... trying to please her.The thought flashed in her mind, but she immediately pushed it aside."Do you like this?" Hendrix asked, clearly unfazed as he sat down across from her after they reached their seats."Yeah." Noelle nodded. "I grew up in Creston City. I can't live without spicy food."But after she moved back to the Swanson family, they wouldn't let her eat anything like this.In their eyes, food also seemed to be ranked—spicy food was out of the quest
Ophelia seemed to be in high spirits. When Hendrix walked in, he overheard her excitedly chatting with someone, her hearty laughter filling the room.Grant was the first to notice him. He smiled and said, "Mr. Freeman is back."Hendrix gave a brief nod in acknowledgment, then turned his attention to Ophelia.Ophelia waved enthusiastically at him. "Come and take a look at this.""What is it?"Hendrix's smile remained for a moment, but it faded slightly when his eyes landed on the tablet screen."What do you think of this one? She's the Johnson family's daughter. Last time, she was at…""Why are you looking at these things?" Hendrix asked as he straightened up, clearly uninterested."What are you saying? Naturally, I'm looking for a potential granddaughter-in-law. Look. I was saying—""I'm not thinking about that for now," Hendrix cut her off."I didn't say you had to get married now! I'm just asking you to take a look. And if there's someone suitable, you can get to know them
Two days later, it was Hendrix's birthday.He had never really cared much about birthdays, but when his family insisted on throwing him a party this year, he didn't refuse. Noelle, of course, wasn't going to attend the event. Instead, Hendrix sent her a message in the evening, asking her to wait for him at Percy Gardens.The party was a success. Nearly everyone who mattered in the social circles had shown up. While the event wasn't open to the public, a few minor celebrities had managed to sneak in.Since Hendrix's divorce had become public knowledge, more people seemed eager to get close to him. Their motives were more obvious now—straightforward, even.Over the course of the night, Hendrix had his clothes ruined three times. By the time the last person spilled a drink on him, he didn't even bother to change. He simply pushed away the hand that tried to touch him."Mr. Freeman, why don't you let me clean that up for you?" The woman, wearing a strapless gown, looked at him with
But eventually, Noelle couldn't hold out any longer. Since she couldn't go to the room directly, she just collapsed onto the couch to catch a brief nap.When she woke up, the first thing she felt was the weight of a figure pressing down on her.Noelle gasped in shock and instinctively opened her mouth to scream, but Hendrix quickly covered her mouth with his hand.It was only when his palm pressed down on her that Noelle realized who it was. Her body, which had been rigid with tension, relaxed at once.Hendrix noticed the change and pressed his weight into her even more without hesitation, lowering his head to kiss her lips.Noelle could smell the alcohol on him. Just as she was about to pull away, he gripped her chin firmly and bit her lip.The taste of champagne mingled with the kiss.Combined with the overzealous energy Hendrix was showing, Noelle couldn't help but make a soft protest. She instinctively pushed against his chest, trying to create some distance.But Hendrix qu
By the time Hendrix walked out of the bathroom, Noelle was no longer in the bedroom. He was stunned a little before he exited the room.Noelle was slipping into her shoes at the door. Hendrix looked at her, and his expression darkened. "Where are you going?""Home." Noelle didn't even turn around to look at him. Hendrix immediately pursed his lips, and the coldness in his eyes intensified. However, Noelle ignored him and opened the door. Afterward, the door was closed again, and Hendrix was left all alone in the spacious house. When he turned around, he swung his foot and kicked the trash can, toppling it. Noelle didn't notice what Hendrix had just done. She kept the cufflinks in her bag, and she thought about tossing them into the trash can when she walked past one. However, her hand was suspended in midair for a long time, and she still couldn't let it go. That was when Noelle's phone rang. "You're not asleep yet, are you, Elle?" Evelyn sounded very exhilarated over the
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