After Hendrix hung up, there was a moment of silence in the car.He had won the bet with Noelle. But in that moment, his emotions were flat, devoid of any excitement or triumph. Perhaps it was because everything had unfolded exactly as he expected. From the moment he saw Nathan, he knew that while the situation might not have been orchestrated by Beatrice, she still had chosen to stand by and watch with a cold, indifferent gaze. It was a reminiscence of his childhood. Hendrix would fight with other kids, and Beatrice would stand on the sidelines, watching coolly until they were pulled apart. Only then would she step forward, guide him away, and pour a bottle of water over his head in a quiet place. She would then ask, "Feeling calm now? Fighting is the last resort. Only the most useless people resort to such crude methods."That was true.But those words, they could have come from a teacher or any elder, but they should not have come from a mother. Hendrix had always been an
When Noelle saw the guy, she was stunned. Then, she looked at the two women fighting by the side.Sandra's hair was a mess, and there was a palm print on her face. Instead of a fight, it was more like Sandra getting beaten.The woman pressing on her didn't back away. She took a beer bottle and was about to hit Sandra's head with it when the man, Javier, finally couldn't take it anymore and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?""Let me go! Are you seriously defending this slut? Javier, don't forget how you came to this position! Without me, you're nothing!"The woman was angry, and as they fought, the bottle flew toward her.Noelle was just standing at the door. When the bottle flew toward her, she wanted to take a step back. However, the person behind her was faster. Hendrix blocked it with his hand. The bottle hit his arm before it fell onto the ground, making a loud noise.The atmosphere in the private room shifted, and everyone looked over.When Javier's eyes met Hendrix'
People could only divert their attention for so long. It was only for a few seconds, like someone in a gloomy mood, even if they momentarily forgot their feelings after seeing something. Once those seconds passed, the gloom inevitably returned. The same could be said for the atmosphere between Noelle and Hendrix.Even though Nathan's arrival had prompted a temporary "truce" between them, nothing else in their relationship had changed.What stood out, however, was how quickly Noelle could shift her emotions compared to Hendrix.At this moment, Hendrix's hand was still suspended midair. It was only after a long pause that he retracted it, tossing his phone onto the center console."You don't believe me?" he asked."Not really," Noelle replied almost immediately. "Besides, at this point, there's no reason for you to lie to me, is there?"Hendrix listened to her words, but they didn't make him feel any better.So, it wasn't that Noelle didn't believe him. She genuinely didn't care
Noelle didn't say a word, but the hand that had been ready to push him away eventually fell slowly back down. She turned her gaze to the window once more.The night in Coppersville was still breathtaking. Beyond the flashing neon lights were the glowing windows of residential buildings, a sea of illuminated homes—a scene of beauty and vibrancy.Yet, in Noelle's eyes, there was only endless coldness.She knew. She and Hendrix could never return to the past, and there was no way back.But Hendrix seemed unwilling to accept that.Noelle thought that perhaps, at this moment, he might finally understand. And so, even the strength to blame her seemed to have left him.…When Noelle woke up, it was already the next morning. The room was still empty except for her.She was long accustomed to mornings like this. After freshening up, she headed out directly.Today was Craig's discharge day. With the matters concerning Elm Group now settled, Craig, as the general manager, had a mountain
Noelle returned to Nivis Villa and found that Hendrix had already come back. There was an open suitcase at his feet, and he was flipping through some materials. When he heard the sound, he raised his head first. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Noelle wasn't sure what to say. Just as she was about to look away, Hendrix suddenly spoke up, "I'm going on a business trip.""Oh.""Mondivera for at least a week.""Got it." Her response was brief. Or perhaps it could be called… dismissive. Hendrix noticed it, of course. But he didn't get angry. After a brief pause, he asked, "Do you want to come with me?"His question caught Noelle off guard, and she instinctively wanted to refuse. However, it seemed like Hendrix had anticipated her answer. He decisively made the decision for her. "You're coming with me." "I'm not going." "You don't have a choice." "Why? Are you going to tie me to the plane?" "Because you're my wife on paper." As Hendrix spoke, he tossed the materials i
Noelle had intended to use that simple ring as a substitute for the engagement ring because it was more convenient to wear. However, she never had the courage to part with that ring until they divorced. Now, Noelle didn't even know where that ring had gone.Coincidentally, the ring Hendrix was putting on her finger at that moment was quite similar to the one Noelle had chosen back then. It was rose gold in color, with a subtle pattern of cosmos flowers etched into the band.She stared at it and was momentarily lost in thought.Hendrix didn't give her a chance to snap back to reality, though. He simply pulled her hand and, almost forcefully, slid the ring onto her finger."I also bought an engagement ring for the wedding," he said and added, "But for everyday wear, this one should be fine. I should've given it to you on the day we registered our marriage, but the custom design took some time."Noelle didn't even ask him to explain. But she did not cut him off. In the end, she just
Hendrix was in a bad mood, so he didn't speak to Noelle throughout the whole journey.But Noelle had gotten used to this kind of interaction with him. She didn't take the initiative to talk to him, either, and the two of them remained in silence all the way to Mondivera.After an 11-hour flight, it was still daytime when they landed.Hendrix had work, so as soon as they landed, someone came to pick him up, while another person took Noelle to the hotel.Back when they were married, Noelle had accompanied him on business trips before, usually when there were public events requiring their joint appearance. But those were always in the country, lasting just one or two days.During the day, she would stay in the hotel and wait for Hendrix, only to join him in the evening for the events. Now, it was just a change in time and location.Noelle had already slept on the plane, so she wasn't feeling particularly tired at the moment.They were now on Mondivera's famous tourist island, and f
Noelle looked at Hendrix and said, "The beach downstairs."She knew that her answer would not satisfy him, as he frowned even deeper and said, "This is not back home. Don't you know it's dangerous to go out alone?"Noelle wanted to say, "Then, why did you bring me here?"Did he want her to wait for him in the room the entire day?But after a moment of hesitation, Noelle did not retort back and just nodded in response.This reaction kind of surprised Hendrix a little."Did you need something? Why are you back?" Noelle asked. Hendrix pulled himself back together and gave her a strange look. "I'm here to bring you to meet someone.""A party?""Yeah, a friend of mine is hosting one."Noelle's gaze darkened, as she didn't know if his friend was one of his fund partners.Previously, she even went to his study room to find evidence. Hendrix did not have to bring her to meet his partners now, right?It seemed impossible when Noelle thought about it. But no matter what, she did not
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