Ronald watched Charles's retreating figure, a smirk playing on his lips. "You've got it, Mr. Hoffman!"Charles's smile was a mix of amusement and challenge. "Joseph's not ready for the big leagues. Going public?" He shook his head. "We'll just have to wait and see.""Right," Ronald agreed, then paused, a new concern flickering in his eyes. "About Ms. Shaw..."Charles spun around, his gaze sharp as it landed on Ronald. Ronald froze, his throat suddenly dry. "Your wife, uh, she went to work at Frotconn today.""Hmm?" Charles quirked an eyebrow, "Just say it!""Mr. Lambert was giving her trouble," Ronald said, eyeing Charles warily, though he could not help but wonder why Mr. Hoffman had been acting so oddly. Was Ms. Shaw actually Mr. Hoffman's other half?"Mr. Lambert?" Charles's eyes narrowed, "What kind of trouble?""It looked like there was a mess with Frotconn's finances. The lady must have picked up on something. She dropped a hint during the morning meeting, and right after,

Noelle instinctively shook her head before realizing that they were on a call and Charles could not actually see her. She paused, thinking about it. She might not have seen this side of Charles before, but she knew the kind of man he was. The rumors in Brookville were enough to paint a picture. With that thought, everything clicked into place.Charles was the head honcho of a big-time company and had skills others could only dream of. It all added up. "Nope."Charles's laughter came through again, light and easy. "Good to hear I didn't spook you!""So, what's up? Why'd you call?" Noelle had not forgotten that Charles was the one who called her up.Charles squinted thoughtfully for a moment. "Oh, nothing much. Just wondering when you're clocking out. I’m thinking about dinner. Do you wanna eat in or go out?"Noelle was speechless for a second... He called just to chat about dinner plans? "Mr. Hoffman, just a heads-up, you're supposed to be working right now."Charles's laugh was k

"Really?" Charles stood abruptly, yanking a paper from the pile behind him. "I didn't come here to listen to your excuses. You seem to be in the dark on how I operate. Since I've brought you in, it's clear—you're out of the Collosus Group.""Mr. Hoffman!" Jenson's legs turned to jelly, and he nearly dropped to his knees, "Mr. Hoffman, I admit it, I messed up! I was backed into a corner, you know? I've got my aging parents and my kids to look after, and sure, being the finance chief sounds like a sweet gig, but... it takes guts to do this job! I was desperate. My mom's sick in the hospital with heart disease, she needs a transplant, and I was out of options."Charles gave Mr. Lowry an icy stare. "I gave you a chance to come clean, and you wasted it!" With that, Charles hit the intercom button, and Ronald was in the room in a flash. "Mr. Hoffman, Joey's spilled the beans. A bunch of those phony accounts never reached you, so things were smooth sailing until now."A smirk played on Cha

"Why should you tell me? It's work time, Noelle. Check that attitude," Xavier snapped, his voice taking on an edge. "Do you even care about this place?""I don't have to prove anything to you about my commitment here. If you don't need anything, Mr. Harris, I've got work to do," Noelle shot back, her voice icy.Her impatience was the last straw for Xavier. He grabbed her hand hard, forcing her to face him. "Noelle, we're at the office, and I'm the boss here!""Okay, Mr. Harris, what's the big deal? Tell me!" Noelle said with a frosty laugh. "Hey, we can talk without you grabbing my hand, right?" She clenched her teeth and said, "Let go!"After a struggle, she finally wrenched her hand free. Staring at the red marks Xavier's grip left, Noelle felt a surge of annoyance. "You were saying, Mr. Harris?""Do we really have to be like this, Noelle?""Not talking? Then I'm going back to work!" Noelle obviously did not want to keep bickering with Xavier, not here in the office with everyo

It took Noelle a while to catch the hidden meaning in Charles's words. By the time she pieced it together, the moment had slipped away, and she could not find a decent excuse to circle back to that conversation.They walked into the mall and made a beeline for the fresh produce. Noelle usually cooked at home. She rarely went to the mall for groceries, usually sticking to the local market. However, with her job eating up her time, her pots and pans were gathering dust.Charles was in his element, unlike Noelle. Following him through the aisles, Noelle felt that familiar tug of something more than admiration for this guy.She could not put her finger on it, but Charles was not like any rich kid she had ever met. He had this air of elegance and a cool charm but with a sly twist. He had the polish of the well-off without the usual arrogance.Noelle was at a loss for words. However, if anything, Charles was one of a kind.Charles, leading the way with the shopping cart, noticed Noelle