In truth, Noelle didn't want to be the one to stand out. In fact, the dinner had been going smoothly until Hendrix suddenly made his move, clearly aiming to put Dominic in a difficult position.She wasn't sure what personal grudges existed between them, but she knew one thing for certain—Dominic valued his pride deeply. And he would eventually take it out on Noelle for the way Hendrix had put him on the spot today. So, she had no choice but to step up.Hendrix fell silent, his fingers idly tracing the rim of his wine glass. His deep and unpredictable eyes, however, never left her.Noelle swiftly refilled her glass before continuing, "Coincidentally, it will soon be the tenth anniversary of Hayes Group's founding. Allow me to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. Hayes, in advance."Clayton's expressions remained slightly sour, yet he still lifted his glass. "You're too kind, Ms. Swanson."Hendrix watched the scene before him, a sudden chuckle escaping his lips. He then turned to N
Hendrix fell silent. His eyes narrowed as he observed her, as though waiting to see how she would handle downing the entire bottle of wine.Noticing his unspoken approval, Noelle immediately grabbed the bottle and raised it to her lips. She then poured the entire content straight down her throat.What no one noticed was that, under the table, Hendrix was clenching his fists tightly.…As soon as Noelle came out of the restroom, it was immediately clear to herself that there was no way she was okay.The waitress, noticing her unsteady gait, went up to help her. But before she could, Noelle shoved her away and leaned over the nearest trash bin. The next second she found herself retching violently.A sharp, fiery sensation surged from her stomach, bringing with it bitter bile, all of which she vomited out completely. She hadn't fully recovered from her cough, and now, tears and snot were streaming down her face. Her delicate makeup was ruined beyond repair, leaving her looking utter
Hendrix gazed at her in silence.Noelle could barely stand at this point. She was relying entirely on the last thread of willpower left in her mind to hold herself up. But the moment the elevator doors opened and she saw Oliver standing outside, that last thread of willpower instantly snapped.Noelle knew precisely what Dominic's intentions were. Although she had come alone tonight, she had sent Oliver a message earlier, informing him that he would need to pick her up when the time came.Oliver, knowing exactly where to find her, had been anxiously scanning the restaurant lobby. So when he finally spotted her in the elevator, he let out a sigh of relief.Ignoring Hendrix standing nearby, Noelle staggered a few steps toward Oliver before collapsing entirely. Without a second thought, Oliver rushed to catch her."Take me to the hospital," Noelle managed to whisper through the pain before everything went black and she passed out.Oliver didn't have the chance to ask what had happene
"Didn't you meet with Hendrix last night?" Craig mercilessly exposed her lie.Noelle fell silent.Craig, as if he knew what she was thinking, said, "Amity Group is planning something big over in Vinton City. By now, you should have a clear understanding of the current market trends there. If you can secure this partnership, you should know what it means for Elm Group."You wouldn't want to stay stuck in that subsidiary company forever, would you? If this partnership is finalized, it will prove your capabilities to everyone. When that time comes, I will officially transfer you back, and no one will question your position as a successor."Craig's words were unhurried.Noelle was tempted to take him up on his offer, but she was also well aware that he absolutely wouldn't really agree to let her go back and become the successor.The death of Matilda had always stayed with him, and the only reason he let Noelle stay in the company was merely because she was his only biological daughte
After seeing Clayton off, Noelle stood alone in front of the café. The heatwave rolling in from the street was a sharp contrast to the cool air from the air conditioning inside, and it made her throat itch uncomfortably.Fighting the urge to cough, Noelle pulled a throat lozenge from her bag and popped it into her mouth just as a call from the office came through, urging her to return for a meeting.The meeting's agenda was similar to what Craig had mentioned to her a few days ago. The past two years had seen a sluggish market, but Amity Group, as the industry leader, seemed untouched by the downturn.The incident with Beatrice had caused quite a stir at the time, and Hendrix was labeled as cold and unfilial by the media. He was also accused of pushing Beatrice to the brink, leaving her with no choice but to take that tragic path.Meanwhile, the couple who had lost their son, Lloyd, took every opportunity to find reporters to smear his reputation. Hendrix seemed completely unconcer
"We're at Neufit Sports Arena. Mr. Freeman mentioned he'd like to speak to you personally," said Julio.Noelle froze for a moment, then frowned. "With me?""Yes. Where are you right now? Should I have the driver come pick you up?""No need. I'll drive myself over."Noelle wasn't sure what Hendrix wanted, but since Julio was Craig's man and had already made it clear she should go, refusing would undoubtedly result in a report back to Craig. Reluctantly, she headed over.Hendrix and Julio were at the tennis court. Today, Hendrix was dressed casually in a white sweatshirt, his bangs falling over his forehead, giving him a slightly youthful, almost boyish look."Noelle's here." Julio quickly walked over and patted Noelle's shoulder in a mentor-like manner. "Even though she's only been with the company for a few months, her performance has been outstanding. "Take this recent project proposal for the Continental Reach—her ideas were so impressive that I—""Ms. Swanson, is it true th
"Noelle," Julio called her name as soon as she stepped out of the restroom.He was frowning deeply—it was clear he wasn't pleased with how she acted earlier."You know how important this project is to the company, don't you?"Noelle simply nodded."Then, why are you acting so cold toward Mr. Freeman?" Julio's eyes darkened. "Don't tell me you can't tell what he's hinting at."A project as massive as Continental Reach was still in its early stages, and the workload Hendrix had to be managing was beyond imagination. Yet today, he had spent time playing tennis and having dinner with them.And before Noelle's toast, that deliberate glance he gave her—it didn't take a genius to figure out his intentions. But Noelle didn't take the bait."I'm already divorced from him," she said after meeting Julio's gaze for a moment.Julio chuckled lightly. "So what if you're divorced? Does that mean you're married to Mr. Carter and Mr. Russo now?"Noelle's expression changed instantly, her eyes s
"I can't give you this project directly, but I can provide a fair chance for competition," Hendrix said.Noelle sneered. "What's the condition?"The moment she finished speaking, Hendrix laughed. His lips were arched, and even the smile in his eyes deepened, making him appear delighted."How do you know I have a condition?"Noelle did not reply and just stared at him.Hendrix quickly dropped his smile, and his fingers caressed the coffee cup in his hands. He said, "What Lana and I have are only scandals. It was done for a public stunt."Noelle didn't know why he was explaining himself, so she frowned."The doctor said… my mother's condition has improved. It's very possible for her to wake up," continued Hendrix. "For the previous matter…""Mr. Freeman," Noelle cut him off. "Do you remember the things you've said to me in Dynalis? You said we are impossible."Hendrix remained silent."It might seem like I'm getting ahead of myself when I say this, but by what you meant just no
Dylan had been wrong all along.Money and power—none of that had ever been what he was truly meant to chase. Because no one could stay at the center of power forever, and no one could possess those things for all time. What he should have been chasing was just that one light. That one light that would stay on for him late into the night. But now, he knew it was all too late.As he closed his eyes, Dylan suddenly thought of his mother, Leah. He remembered how, as a child, he had longed for a new set of paintbrushes. He had asked his parents for them many times. He even wanted to use his own Christmas money to buy them. But they refused.They believed it was wasteful. It didn't align with the frugal and disciplined lifestyle they lived by. So in the end, Dylan stole the set of paintbrushes from the stationery store.Because he came from a prestigious scholarly family and always kept a refined, gentlemanly image in public, the store owner never suspected a thing.But his parents fo
"Are you crazy? Noelle, let go of the wheel!" Dylan struggled to regain control of the car, but Noelle held onto the steering wheel tightly, refusing to let go.The car didn't slow down. On the contrary, it raced forward at an even faster pace.How long did this go on? Maybe it lasted only dozens of seconds. But for Dylan, it felt like the blink of an eye. Because the next moment, he saw the oncoming car.That car was speeding as well.Dylan didn't even have time to grab his gun. Just as he was about to slam on the brakes, the two cars collided at high speed. There was a deafening crash as the cars were thrown into the air, then slammed back down.Dylan's eyes widened. But in that instant, his first instinct was to turn and look at Noelle. Her eyes were already closed. She looked as if she had been prepared to face death all along. She must have known what he intended to do, and she also knew he didn't actually want to die.The only reason he took her away was so he could use her
Erwin was just about to repeat his question when a voice came from behind."Excuse me, but I think I know where your wife is."Hendrix spun around immediately.Standing behind them was a woman with long hair and big eyes. "I saw her just now in the backyard. Someone was taking her away. If I'm not mistaken, I think it was Mr. Pritchett from Morphy Fund?"At the mention of Dylan, Hendrix's expression turned dark as thunder. He charged up to the woman. "Where did they go?""I'm not sure. But I did take down his license plate number. Do you need it?""Where is it?" Hendrix barked.The woman held out her hand. "I'll give it to you for 1,000 dollars."Hendrix didn't carry cash with him. But he shoved his bank card into her hand without hesitation. "The license plate number!"The woman looked at the card, a little dissatisfied. But considering Hendrix's status, she figured he likely wouldn't care about such a small amount of money. Thus, in the end, she still showed Hendrix the phot
"Erwin!"The voice came just as Erwin stood on the terrace, smoking a cigarette in frustration.Although they had technically won the battle and he had earned a great deal from it, he felt, strangely enough, not the slightest trace of satisfaction. Maybe it was because Hendrix had forced him into the game. Or maybe, by now, winning and losing simply didn't stir anything in him anymore.At the beginning, Erwin had been somewhat excited. He had thought Dylan would be a difficult opponent—someone who could cause serious trouble, maybe even defeat them entirely. That would have been interesting. But instead, everything had gone far too smoothly. There had been no twists and no turns. Just a clean finish. It was boring, to say the least.And the current victory party? Equally so.Hendrix had insisted Noelle attend the party, saying she had flawlessly completed her part of the plan and that this victory was also hers. So, the party had turned out very wholesome, or rather, dull.Erwi
Erwin still showed signs of dissatisfaction. It seemed he was saying something, but Noelle could no longer hear him. She didn't look back either, instead turning her gaze to the other people at the party.The loud music continued, and the excitement and energy of the crowd remained high. But Noelle knew that this wasn't the usual celebration. This, in fact, was just Hendrix's way of making her adapt and accept the situation.Though she had known this for some time, the realization still made Noelle uncomfortable. Then, she suddenly remembered something Dylan had told her a few days ago about her past with Hendrix.Even though she knew Dylan's words weren't necessarily true, that didn't mean everything he said was a lie. How much of the past he mentioned was real, and how much was false?Noelle actually thought her life was fine now. She was willing to accept her past choices and believed in Hendrix's feelings for her. At least, this was what she thought sometimes.But at other tim
Dylan didn't dare to stay there. He immediately drove back to his place.He wanted to take Noelle with him and leave. Even if she didn't have her passport, it didn't matter. After all, there were definitely people looking for him right now.But no matter what, he was going to protect her. Even if they had to roam the world, it didn't matter. As long as they were together, it was fine. Even if it was just a shabby house, as long as there was a light on, that would be their home.However, when Dylan returned to the apartment, he found Noelle nowhere in sight. Gone also were all her things. The desk and floor were spotless, as if nothing had ever existed there.Dylan remained standing where he was. It took him several minutes to finally process what he was seeing. Then, he couldn't help but laugh. It was as if he had just heard the biggest joke—he laughed so hard that his whole body shook.Of course, how could he have thought she would be waiting for him here? How could she possibly
"I'm damned for ever believing your words! Now, just die!" George didn't give Dylan another chance to speak. He pulled the trigger, aiming to shoot a bullet through Dylan's forehead.In that instant, Dylan finally understood. This time, Hendrix didn't intend to leave him alive.If the goal had only been to swallow up Morphy Fund and make Dylan lose everything, the matter would have ended there. However, it seemed that Hendrix must have said something to George, which led him to believe that Dylan and Hendrix were working together—that Dylan had betrayed Morphy Fund.At this point, George had no way out. So, it wouldn't be surprising if he shot Dylan in the head. What Hendrix wanted was for him to die.Dylan didn't know what he was thinking at that moment. By the time he reacted, he had already grabbed the gun's barrel and twisted it violently. The bullet scraped past his head.Without hesitation, George moved to pull the trigger again when Dylan, still holding onto his wrist, forc
Dylan still remembered the victory party at the villa a few days ago. At that time, George had pushed him in front of everyone. He had enjoyed all the praise and recognition while sipping glass after glass of champagne.He knew that no matter how much doubt and skepticism there had been about him in the past, it all vanished that night. That was also why George had thrown him a victory party at the very first stage.After all, only by telling everyone about his achievements would they believe in him and entrust him with their funds. But they probably didn't expect the final result to be like this.Actually, when Fuer Fund continued to add to their position after reaching the peak, George had already warned Dylan that there might be some issues. But the market was unpredictable—a moment's decision or a few seconds of hesitation could lead to failure.Thus, Dylan didn't wait. He thought Hendrix was also gambling. So, he disregarded the risk and pushed all the funds in. He wanted Hend
Noelle's expression changed at that moment. It took her a while to find her voice to ask, "Is that what really happened?""Hendrix definitely hasn't told you all these, right?" Dylan smirked. "It's because he's too afraid to mention them. So, tell me. How could someone like him possibly deserve a happy life? "Don't worry. I'll make sure to take him down this time. Once I get your passport, you can go whenever you want."When he finished speaking, there was sincerity and seriousness in his eyes as he looked at Noelle. He really hoped she would stay. Of course, he wanted victory. But if he could have her by his side when he achieved it, that would be even better.Although once he reached the top, anyone could stay by his side. But the person he wanted most was Noelle."Thank you," Noelle said in the end.That wasn't the answer Dylan was most satisfied with. But he knew he couldn't afford to rush things just yet. For now, it was enough that Noelle was on his side."Alright, go to