Noelle simply smiled. "I don't think that way, but I recently just got out of a failed marriage, so I'm not ready to jump into another one just yet, let alone have children.""I've told you. You just need to have the baby, and I'll help you raise them," said Leah.Noelle put down her cutlery and, with a smile, said, "But I'm not ready to become a mother yet. I don't want to do anything that would be unfair to the child.""Then, what about Dylan? Aren't you being unfair to him, too? He's already 34 years old. If he doesn't get married and have children soon—""That's his business.""What did you say?"Leah's expression immediately darkened. She was so upset that she stood up abruptly.Then, she turned to look at Dylan. "Did you see that? You always say I can't tolerate anyone, but look at how she's treating me! After all these years of raising you, is this what you brought me—a woman who's hellbent on giving me a stroke?""Alright. Calm down," Roland finally spoke up.But as so
As a leading city, Coppersville's airport buzzed with activity even in the early hours of dawn.The moment Noelle boarded the plane, she requested a blanket from the flight attendant and then shut her eyes to catch up on sleep.It wasn't until someone sat down beside her that she stirred. She felt a hand gently adjusting the blanket draped over her. Startled awake, Noelle's eyes flew open and locked onto the person next to her.She had just been dreaming, though a fleeting one. In it, she had seen this same face. He was dressed in a sleek black suit, sliding a wedding ring onto her finger and leaning in to kiss her. But now, the person next to her had jolted her awake.In that moment, the man before her seemed to blur with the one from her dream, making it impossible for Noelle to tell if she was still dreaming or if this was real.He reached out again, gently brushing aside the stray strands of hair on her forehead. The cool touch of his fingertips against her skin jolted Noelle
Hendrix explained, "Now, I realize I was wrong. If it was the wrong choice, then I should do everything I can to fix it. That's exactly what I'm doing now. "To be honest, I used to think people who were controlled by their emotions were foolish. But when it happened to me, I realized it's not such a bad feeling. The profits in business have always been meaningless numbers to me. But if those numbers were tied to you, they'd actually make me happy."The plane had already taken off. Hendrix powered off his tablet, his unwavering gaze locked on Noelle. In the depths of his eyes burned an undeniable sincerity and longing.Noelle met his gaze, then suddenly laughed. "Honestly, if I'd heard you say this in the past, I'd probably be overjoyed.""And now?" Hendrix asked."It's too late," she said, her voice calm.Hendrix's eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "You're going to say it's because you have a boyfriend, right? I already know about you and Dylan. You're jus
"I don't know, either. But considering everything that's happened between us, you won't mind if I take a little more time to think, right?" Noelle asked.That was the final response she left for Hendrix. And she was right—too much had happened between them, so taking more time to think things through was only fair.Hendrix had always considered himself a patient man, or at least he used to believe so.Take Amity Group's situation, for example. He had been laying the groundwork since last year and had only recently begun to reel it all in. So that was why he had always believed himself to be a skilled hunter.But as the days passed, Hendrix found that his patience wasn't as steadfast as he had once believed. Looking back, he realized he had done countless irrational things when it came to Noelle.Every time Hendrix thought about reaching out to her, he would remember the serious look on her face that day. If it meant a good outcome, then waiting a few more days wasn't unbearable. A
Hendrix grasped her meaning immediately. "What you're saying is you want me to be the one without the official acknowledgment, right?""Something like that. After all, we're still business partners, and it wouldn't be appropriate for us to be overly showy with our relationship. How would others see you? So, I think it's best—"Before she could finish, Hendrix suddenly strode forward and punched the wall right beside her. The sudden movement startled Noelle, cutting off whatever she'd been about to say."Noelle, are you kidding me? Who the hell do you take me for? In your eyes, am I really that pathetic and lacking in dignity?"Hendrix found the whole thing utterly absurd. Who would have thought that he would one day be asked to become a lover hidden in the shadows, someone who couldn't even be acknowledged publicly? Why should he let her reduce him to that? And more than that, how could she reduce herself to this?Hendrix clenched his teeth tightly, and the veins on his forearm an
"Aren't you afraid that he'll take revenge on you?" Dylan asked helplessly from the other end of the phone."Nope," replied Noelle without hesitation."Have you forgotten how you ended up in the hospital last time?" he reminded her.Noelle, of course, hadn't forgotten. But now, she was inexplicably certain of one thing. Someone as egotistical as Hendrix would never let anyone know about what happened tonight. Most likely, he wouldn't even want to see her again."You could have just agreed to get back together with him. I can explain things to my parents," said Dylan."Forget it," Noelle replied. "Besides, you're just an excuse I came up with. I never actually planned to get back together with him.""Why? Don't you still have feelings for him?""Feelings that feed on pain. Do those count?" Noelle poured herself a glass of wine and let out a soft laugh. "You've liked someone before, and you've been hurt because of it, so you should understand. Everyone only has so many times they
At that moment, Noelle only had one thought in her mind—no normal person would ever agree to the condition, let alone someone like Hendrix. After all, he was worshiped from a young age and now at the top of the hierarchy.Noelle was so shocked that she suddenly didn't know what to say. It took her a long while before she finally found her voice again. "Hendrix, do you know what you're saying?""I do.""You're drunk." Noelle finally reacted and pushed him away."I'm not."She pursed her lips. "The smell of alcohol on you isn't very convincing.""I told you I'm not drunk. In fact, I'm very sober right now." As Hendrix spoke, he took two steps closer to her. "And I know exactly what I'm doing.""Then, do you know why I did what I did?" Noelle asked him.Hendrix frowned."I did it so you would stay away from me! Even if you agree to this way of getting along, I won't love you anymore. In fact, I might even use you and then dump you when you have no value left. Is that something yo
Hendrix had indeed drunk quite a bit. After leaving Noelle's place, he had gone straight to the bar, and he couldn't remember exactly how much he had drunk. But when Lana appeared in front of him, he suddenly became incredibly clear-headed.So, he called Dan, asking him to handle things with Lana. He had already wrapped up the Amity Group matter. Thus he no longer needed Lana as a cover.Moreover, when he looked into Lana's eyes, he suddenly became painfully clear about one thing—she wasn't Noelle, nor could she ever replace Noelle. So, he went back to Noelle's place.Noelle said he was crazy. In truth, Hendrix felt that way too. Because if he wasn't crazy, how could he have agreed to her conditions? He knew full well she was degrading him, but at that moment, he suddenly wondered—maybe she was just trying to force him to leave in this way? And why would she do that?Maybe it was because she still had feelings for him, and she was afraid she would fall for him again if she were t
The moment Hendrix fixed his eyes on Noelle, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. As their eyes met, even the tips of her ears began to flush red without her realizing it."Why are you looking at me like that?" Noelle couldn't help but ask."So, have you remembered everything?" Hendrix asked instead. "Everything about us?""No," Noelle replied, turning her head away. "My head hurts. Didn't you say you were going to get the doctor? You can go—"But before she could finish, Hendrix suddenly grabbed her hand. His grip wasn't strong, but the way his fingers gently moved across hers felt like an intimate caress.Noelle couldn't help but tremble, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back.But then Hendrix suddenly said, "Actually, even before we got married, I'd seen you many times."Noelle hadn't expected him to bring this up. She froze for a second. Then, she quickly said, "I know. Back then at college—""Not just at college. After I graduated, I went to see you,
"Who are you?"That was the first thing Noelle said when she opened her eyes.Hendrix had still been basking in the relief of her waking up, but the moment he heard those words, the expression on his face vanished completely."What did you say?" he asked, his voice slightly strained.Noelle didn't answer. She simply stared at him, confusion clear in her eyes.Hendrix clenched his fists tightly. Maybe it was because he had gone through something like this before that he was able to calm himself down quickly this time."I'm your husband. My name is Hendrix Freeman. Do you still remember your own name?" he asked."Husband?" Noelle frowned slightly. "As in—we're married?""Yes. And we have a daughter. Her name is Rosie. She's three years old. This is her picture."As he spoke, Hendrix started to pull up a photo on his phone.But Noelle quickly asked, "Then why don't I remember you?""You were injured. But don't worry. I'll get the doctor to take a look at you."As Hendrix moved
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