Noelle seemed very solemn, but Brandon merely chuckled. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry. That was inconsiderate of me." He was very sincere when he apologized, and she looked a little pushy in comparison. Noelle also realized it. So, she apologized and said, "I got worked up just now.""It's fine. Your reputation is at stake, after all. It's only understandable that you reacted like that. It's my bad to begin with." The elevator door slid open as Brandon spoke. He was absolutely right when he said that the view on the balcony was wonderful up here. The distant neon lights flickered gently, and the blowing wind lifted Noelle's spirits. Brandon glanced at Noelle's reaction and confirmed that she was happy with this spot before he continued, "Actually, I'm quite against the idea of Maxwell and Sandra being together."Maxwell is my younger brother. Although I wasn't willing to accept that fact, blood is thicker than water. As far as I'm concerned, Sandra isn't a good choice for
Noelle tapped on the car window gently. "Mrs. Freeman!"Noelle corrected Levi multiple times, but the latter was still used to addressing her in this manner. By now, she couldn't be bothered to correct him anymore. She nodded. "What are you doing here?""Mr. Freeman went out on a work trip," Levi explained. "He went overseas and won't be back until after a week. This is the invitation and plane ticket he wanted me to give you."Noelle was stunned. By the time she lowered her eyes, she found that the audition invitation Hendrix gave her was already in her hands.Noelle left it at Percy Gardens previously, but she didn't expect him to send it back to her once more. He even bought her a plane ticket to Leverton. Just as Noelle was staring at the ticket and spacing out, Levi spoke up again, "Mrs. Freeman?" He was also giving her a strange look.Noelle came back to her senses and shook her head. "I'm not taking them.""Um… Mr. Freeman prepared these just for you, Mrs. Freeman. Mor
"Mr. Freeman," Dan greeted when he saw Hendrix.Dan was at Coppersville Airport, and he could tell at first glance that Hendrix was displeased. He still handed the latter the file in his hand. "This is the data report from Zenvora. They have just sent it earlier. Please have a look at it."Hendrix cast a glance at it and asked, "And?""Huh?""What comes after the market valuation? How are they going to attract the investors? What about the relevant analysis report and media outreach plans?"Aside from that, Hendrix asked Dan a barrage of questions so overwhelming that the latter was stumped. Initially, he was walking, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Then, he turned around and looked at Dan, and his expression was as dark as coal. "I can look past it if they didn't know me well enough, but you've been working for me a long time now, Dan. How could you not have figured out something this simple?"Initially, Dan thought Hendrix would take a look at this report and determine
Sandra had a whole plan, and she even prepared a dance to further her personal agenda tonight. However, all of it went down the drain, and it was all because of Noelle.Noelle wore a mask, and her appearance was completely different from her usual getup. However, Sandra recognized her at first glance.At that moment, Sandra had the strong urge to make a dash at Noelle and tear off the latter's mask or just give her a hard shove. However, she did nothing of the sort. After all, she would've destroyed the image she had painstakingly maintained all these years.Sandra remained where she stood. She nearly ground her teeth to dust with how much gnashing she was doing. But aside from that, there was nothing else she could've done. This moment suddenly took Sandra back to when she was 14 years old. It was the time when she heard that Noelle would rejoin the Swanson family. For the last ten years, Sandra had reveled in all the attention and affection she received in the Swanson family.
"Six o'clock. Do you see the man standing there?" Brandon asked. He and Noelle were dancing. So, their bodies were pressed up against each other. It had been a long time since Noelle had done something this fun, and her breathing became a little uneven now. The tip of her nose was covered in sweat as well.After she heard what Brandon asked, she immediately looked over. "Yeah. So?""That's the son of Brennan Townsend, the CEO of Tidalwave Holdings. He has been watching you for a while now. I'll introduce you two later, and you'll dance with him for a while. How does that sound?"Noelle chuckled. "Why should I?""I'm going to collaborate with Brennan." Brandon didn't hide anything from Noelle, either. He continued, "If you help me this once, I will let you have direct shares in the production of your comic adaptation. If the TV series becomes insanely popular, you'll get your fair share of profits as well."Noelle merely chuckled again. It seemed like she wasn't much interest
"You're going to have to get in line, mister," Clark said as he turned around with a grin on his face. Hendrix responded calmly, "I beg to differ. I think the lady gets to choose who she's dancing with."What he said had Clark stumped. Hendrix no longer looked at Clark. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Noelle. His eyes had always displayed calmness, but it seemed like there were some repressed feelings underneath them.Noelle's hands hung by her side, and she couldn't help but clench her fists. After a brief moment, she suddenly giggled and rested her hand on Clark's palm. She agreed to dance with him. Hendrix's expression instantly darkened, and he clenched his palm. He intended to look at Noelle again, but she had already turned around with Clark. He gnashed his teeth as he looked at their retreating figures.At that moment, Brandon stepped forward and said, "Hi, Mr. Freeman."Hendrix looked at him with a blank face. Brandon continued with a smile on his face, "I didn't thi
Noelle and Clark's negotiation went smoothly. In fact, they went ahead with their second dance instead of leaving the dance floor even when the first song had ended."I don't think I've got your name yet," Clark couldn't resist asking her.Raising an eyebrow, she replied, "It's a masquerade ball. I don't see a need for us to exchange names.""But you already know who I am. Isn't that a little unfair for me?""There are plenty of people who are aware of your identity here. There's nothing I can do about it when you're so famous." There was a tinge of resignation in her tone.However, Clark didn't appear the slightest bit angry. Instead, he simply asked, "Does that mean that I won't get the chance to take you out for a meal after tonight?""Oh, you can still take me out." Noelle nodded earnestly as she continued, "When the time comes, you can bring your father along, and I'll come with Mr. Quinlan. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a meal together?""So, it turns out you're Brandon's
Only then did Noelle realize that something was amiss. She slowly drew back her foot, which was just about to give Hendrix another kick in the crotch.His gaze was piercingly cold, even with the mask in place. It felt as if he couldn't wait to tear her apart piece by piece.Noelle met his gaze for a long while. In the end, she still broke the silence as she spoke up, "Why… Why did you bring me here?""What's the matter? Are you upset that I've ruined your plans?" He sneered.Hendrix's face grew stormier as his grip around her chin became tighter. It was clear that he was holding a grudge because she'd rejected his dance invitation earlier. The kick she'd just given him only added fuel to the fire.Right now, his grip was so strong that it felt as if he was about to crush her bones.Noelle couldn't help but furrow her brows in pain. She was just about to push his hand away when Hendrix pinned her hands down. Then, he pushed his knee up and got right between her legs."You're cert
Noelle had already muted the group chat, but private messages kept popping up.They were from the mothers she'd met in the apartment complex while taking Rosie out to play. They were all asking when Hendrix would arrive today. Some even said that if he wasn't coming, he should've given them a heads-up, since their kids had been looking forward to it all day.Noelle stared at the messages blankly. Truthfully, she should've seen this coming from the moment Hendrix started this charade. Manipulating people and controlling them like puppets were the things he had always excelled at.She had finally found some stability in this apartment complex, but now, he had ruined it. He certainly understood the saying, "Give someone an inch, and they'd take a mile", better than anyone.And the money he spent on all those toys? It meant nothing to him. What he really wanted was to control people's minds and shatter Noelle's peace."Mommy! Mommy!"Rosie's voice brought Noelle back to reality. She
Rosie's straightforward answer made Noelle smile. "Alright. Let's go home, then."With that, they walked away hand in hand, as if the noise and excitement behind them seemed to have nothing to do with them.…The next day, Hendrix came again. This time, he wasn't alone, as several bodyguards followed him, each carrying heavy bags.Without Hendrix even saying a word, all the children rushed over. Even kids from neighboring apartments had heard about it and came running.Hendrix didn't discriminate—any child who approached was given a gift. Today, he didn't need to interact with them personally, so he had time to glance over at Noelle to gauge her reaction. However, he quickly realized that Noelle and Rosie were no longer there. He hadn't even noticed when they had left.The same thing happened on the third and fourth days, but by the fifth day, Hendrix didn't show up. But after several days of free gifts, both the children and their parents had gotten a taste for it. Now, they
"So, does that mean you're not going to accept my apology?" Hendrix asked.Noelle finally snapped out of her daze. She stared at him for a moment before picking up her glass and lightly clinking it against his.Noelle wasn't sure what Hendrix was trying to do. After all, based on his past behavior, he wasn't the type to just apologize like that. Yet here he was, doing exactly that. She found it strange but decided not to dwell on it, pretending nothing had happened as she took a sip of her water.Hendrix didn't say much after that.Surprisingly, the meal passed in relative peace. Noelle couldn't even remember the last time they had shared a meal so quietly.So, when Hendrix later suggested that he might occasionally come over to have meals with Rosie, Noelle was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.Hendrix, however, took her silence as permission granted. He then pulled a plushie from a bag and handed it to Rosie. It was a character from the stage performance they had seen a
Noelle had been to this restaurant a few times before with Dylan, so the server immediately recognized her. One of them started approaching her with a warm smile, but the moment she saw the man walking behind Noelle, her expression faltered slightly.Noelle ignored her reaction and simply said, "I'll have my usual order and an omelette for my daughter.""Got it," the server said with a nod, though she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at Hendrix before turning and heading back to the kitchen."Have you been here before?" Hendrix asked.Though the restaurant was decently decorated, it showed its age. The tables and chairs were made of lacquered wood, clean but with a noticeable sheen of grease from years of use.Noelle noticed Hendrix frowning slightly, but he didn't say anything. The frown lasted only for a brief second before he sat down as if nothing had happened. Then, he looked at her, waiting for her answer."Yeah. I've been here a few times.""With Dylan?" Hendrix aske
"Mommy, why hasn't Mr. Pritchett come to see me lately?"Rosie's sudden question caught Noelle off guard. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "He's been really busy lately, so he can't find the time to come."Rosie let out a soft "oh" and continued swinging. Her movements were gentle, and Noelle sat quietly beside her, watching.But after a while, Rosie suddenly hopped off the swing and ran over to Noelle, tightly grabbing her hand.Noelle was puzzled, but still she hugged her quickly. "What's wrong?"Rosie didn't say a word, her eyes fixed straight ahead. It was then Noelle noticed the man standing there.It was early autumn in Stormridge, and the man was dressed in a crisp, well-tailored suit. His tall, slender figure and strikingly handsome face instantly drew the attention of several people in the apartment complex.It was a weekday, and most of the people playing with the children downstairs were their grandparents. Their gazes were anything but subtle, openly sw
Noelle couldn't help but clench her hand.She had no idea how long the silence stretched before Dylan suddenly burst into laughter. It was as if he had just heard an unbelievably funny joke. His laughter echoed through the phone, carrying a hint of finality.Then, he said, "You want me to be honest? Do you really think we'll have a future together if I were to be honest with you? Do you think if I tell you everything now, we can live happily ever after? As if I'm ever going to believe that."The answer Noelle had been dreading finally came crashing down. She slowly unclenched her fist. Her lips parted, about to say something, but Dylan beat her to it."You're right. I did lie to you. The so-called investor is actually Jean. Her father left her some assets abroad, and I'm going with her to retrieve them."Yes, I'm with her again, but you know how I feel about her. I've never liked her, and I'm just using her. Besides, you should know that the reason I'm doing all this is so that I
Noelle had just finished putting Rosie to sleep when Dylan sent over the e-tickets for the amusement park."I just checked. There'll be plenty of staff on-site. So when you're there with Rosie, you can just go straight to them if you need anything," his message read.He seemed to know she'd be busy settling Rosie, so he didn't call. Instead, he sent a thoughtful, detailed text, listing out several precautions for their upcoming trip.After reading through his message, Noelle hesitated for a moment before dialing his number.Dylan picked up almost immediately. "Hey, is Rosie asleep?"His voice was the same as always, no different from what Noelle had heard over the past few days.But this time, she paused. It took her a moment before she finally answered, "Yeah, she's asleep.""Did you see the list I sent? The staff should have most things covered, but you should still bring a couple of towels. And don't forget Rosie's favorite floatie—""Dylan," Noelle suddenly cut him off.Ju
Noelle raised her head, her eyes locking onto Jean's. "I thought you hated me? So, why are you telling me all this?""Because I hate Dylan even more. I know it was him who set me up back then. If it weren't for his tip-off, my father would never have fallen from grace. So, how could I not hate him?""So, the assets you mentioned were just a lie to fool him?""Of course." Jean nodded without hesitation, turning to face Noelle with a smile. "So, are you going to tell him that?"Noelle pressed her lips together. "I don't believe you're doing this alone.""What?""You said it yourself—Dylan was the one who reported your family, leading to the investigation. He knows exactly what happened to your family, so he'd know whether your father left you any overseas assets or not."And you just got out of prison. Even if you wanted to forge an asset certificate, you'd need a professional to help you with that. Dylan has been in the business world for years, so it wouldn't be easy to fool him
"You must be wondering why I'm telling you all this, right?" Jean chuckled softly. "To be honest, I still hate you. Or maybe it's more accurate to say I'm jealous of you. Because you have so many things I wanted but could never have."Just look at your face. With that alone, you can easily get whatever you want. Thinking about it makes me seethe with envy and drives me mad.""Ms. Fisher, you once had plenty of things yourself," Noelle said.Jean paused, caught off guard by the response. Then, she nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, you're right. But what does that matter now? I've already lost everything. Well, not everything. I still have some connections my father left me, along with a few assets abroad."She slowly shifted her gaze back to Noelle. "So, do you understand now what my advice to you really means?"Noelle frowned."Dylan must have told you he's going on a business trip abroad soon, right?" Jean continued, her lips curling into a sly smile. "To be frank, he's going wit