Noelle hadn't seen Dylan in a long time. The last time was in a café. That day, he told her he was leaving the country.Back then, she had thought they would never cross paths again in this lifetime. Neither of them could have imagined that so much would happen afterward.Compared to their moment of disorientation, the other two seemed completely at ease.Jean even went so far as to introduce them to each other—as if they were meeting for the very first time.Hendrix extended his hand toward Dylan with an air of sincerity. "Mr. Pritchett, pleasure to meet you."Dylan's expression was noticeably stiff. After a brief hesitation, he finally reached out and shook Hendrix's hand.Hendrix smiled and said, "So, you two are getting married soon as well? And on the same day as us, no less. What a coincidence!""Right? I thought so, too!" Jean quickly responded. "But we actually picked this date a long time ago—we even sent you both an invitation. Maybe you two also thought it was an espe
"Dylan, what do you think you're doing?" The moment Jean caught up to Dylan, she demanded an answer. "You're seriously going to give me an attitude in front of everyone?"Dylan stopped in his tracks. Then, he turned around and glanced at Jean before saying, "I didn't mean to do it.""You didn't mean to do it?" Jean let out a cold laugh. "Are you joking? Then tell me—what exactly were you trying to do back there?""I just don't see the point of this dinner," Dylan replied expressionlessly. "So, I didn't want to waste my time.""You don't see the point? Don't you know who Hendrix is? He's the general manager of Amity Group! Do you have any idea how many people in Coppersville would kill for a chance to have dinner with him?""That's them, not me."Jean stared at him for a long moment before suddenly laughing. "Oh? Do you still think you're the same high-and-mighty professor as before? Or maybe… you just hate Hendrix because he stole the woman you loved the most?""Jean." Dylan's g
Jean's temper flared quickly but faded just as fast. Or rather, when it came to Dylan, she had always shown a level of tolerance she rarely afforded others.So now, after just a few coaxing words from him, her anger dissipated.At that moment, Dylan took the chance to say, "Alright. I really do need to make a call. You should head back in first. After all, you were the one who set this dinner up, so it wouldn't look good if neither of us were there.""Fine. I'll go in first, but hurry up with the call.""Got it."Dylan smiled, standing in place as he watched Jean return to the private dining room.The moment she shut the door behind her, his smile vanished instantly. And in its place was obvious exhaustion and disgust.He turned, about to find a quiet corner to have a smoke, but then, he saw Noelle standing there.He had no idea how long she had been there, but from the look of her face, she had likely heard everything—Jean's commanding tone and his own subdued responses. Dy
Noelle immediately stopped and turned to him.That calm, almost puzzled gaze only pierced Dylan deeper.After a long pause, he finally asked, "Are you looking down on me, too?""No," Noelle answered without hesitation. "I already said—I think you did well, and I can understand why you did what you did. Besides, my choices weren't all that different from yours. So, what right do I have to look down on you?"Dylan instantly fell silent at her words. Then, he smiled bitterly. "Is that so?""Yeah, so—"Noelle had been about to pull her wrist free, but Dylan tightened his grip and asked, "So, do you not hate them?"Noelle frowned."I actually have a very direct way to get revenge on them. Do you want to know what it is?"As Dylan spoke, he leaned in closer to Noelle—so much so that she could see the sinister glint in his eyes. But more than that, she saw his trembling lips.And because she saw it so clearly, she didn't dodge. In fact, she didn't even shift in the slightest. She si
Noelle remained standing there, calmly looking at Hendrix.Hendrix met her gaze for a moment longer before his smile gradually vanished. Then, in a calm voice, he said, "Alright. Let's go home."And with that, he strode forward and grabbed Noelle's hand without hesitation."Where do you think you're going?" Jean's voice rang out behind them. "Hendrix Freeman, do you really think we're that easy to bully? Do you even know who you just hit? You—""Call the police," Hendrix cut her off calmly. "And while you're at it, have the restaurant check the surveillance footage. Then, you'll understand exactly why I hit him."That indifferent attitude of his left Jean completely speechless.Hendrix didn't spare her another glance. After he finished speaking, he simply grabbed Noelle's hand and marched forward quickly—so quickly that Noelle had to half-jog just to keep up.In their rush, she hadn't taken her coat or scarf. The moment they stepped outside, the biting wind hit her, sending an i
The moment those words left Noelle's lips, Hendrix suddenly let go of her throat. He kept looking at her as he staggered several steps backward.Suddenly, he laughed."Oh, so that's how it is. Yes, I've known all along. Honestly, Noelle, your acting was never that good. I never said anything because I was willing to be deceived by you. But since you already made the choice to lie to me, why didn't you just keep lying? Why did you have to—""Because there's no need to anymore," Noelle interjected. "At this point, continuing to lie would just be ridiculous.""And am I not ridiculous now?" Hendrix's gaze bored into hers. "Why would you do this to me?""I told you—I hate you."This time, Noelle's answer was clear and absolute.Hendrix stared at her, and suddenly, a phrase surfaced in his mind—"Hate born out of love".But as he looked into her eyes, he saw no emotions in them. And that was when he understood—she didn't feel the same way about him. All that was left was pure hatred.
Finally, Noelle said, "Back in Dynalis, the last time I lowered my pride and asked you—if you had given me even the slightest chance back then, I wouldn't have become so completely cold to you. But what did you do instead? "You took Sandra on a trip there, and even worse… she ended up pregnant."At that, Noelle couldn't help but let out a laugh that dripped with mockery.Hendrix had looked utterly defeated just moments ago, but the second he heard that, his eyes snapped up. "What did you just say? Who told you her child was mine?"Noelle didn't answer.Hendrix immediately pieced it together himself. "It was Sandra, wasn't it? The day you two ran into each other in the hospital? Why didn't you ask me? I could have explai—""That won't be necessary," Noelle cut him off. "I didn't ask because I didn't care. If the baby is yours, then it's yours. What does that have to do with me?"Just like that, Hendrix was silenced. He stared at the woman in front of him and suddenly realized—he
"Noelle, you've won." Hendrix stood in front of her, his voice low and hoarse. "But what makes you think I'll let you go?"Noelle's lips curled slightly. "I never expected you to let me go. In fact, if you want to keep this marriage going, even go through the wedding, I'll play along. But let me tell you something—our life will always be like this. If you don't mind that, then neither do I."As for this child, I will love him with everything I have. But that has nothing to do with you. I'll love him simply because he is mine."…Hendrix left. The door slammed shut with a forceful bang, and the entire house fell into silence.Noelle remained standing where she was. It was only after a while that she slowly slid downward until she finally sat on the cold floor.She had thought she wouldn't feel pain. After all, she had planned for all of this. This outcome should have been within her expectations.And yet, she could still feel the slow, relentless ache radiating from her chest—lik
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
As Dylan spoke, his teeth clenched tighter. It was unclear whether he was trying to convince Noelle or himself.Noelle remained silent, quietly watching him.After staring at her for a while, Dylan suddenly laughed. "So, do you know why we were celebrating tonight?"Noelle shook her head."Because we stole Fuer Fund's opportunity! It's all thanks to the plan you sent me before. Now, no matter what Fuer Fund does next, we'll know about it. "George is really happy, too. He used to doubt my abilities, worried that I'd drag down his fund, but you should've seen how he treated me tonight."Not just him, but the whole industry now recognizes me. I've finally established myself here!"Dylan's voice grew more excited as he spoke.Noelle, however, remained calm.The only sign of change was when she heard that he succeeded because of the plan she had given him—her brow slightly lifted. But it was just for a moment.She quickly regained her calm and nodded.Her reaction made Dylan fro
George didn't care about being cautious. He was too excited. He had clashed with Fuer Fund a few times before, but when faced with absolute power, he had barely gotten any scraps from the table.Now, to be able to seize such a large slice of the pie from Fuer Fund and force them to back off, how could George not be thrilled?Thus, the drinks kept coming, one after another.Even if Dylan hadn't planned on getting drunk, it was hard to refuse the goodwill of so many people. In the end, he was thoroughly drunk.When he returned to the apartment, his steps were unsteady. Seeing the light still on inside, he paused for a moment. Then, he suddenly remembered he didn't live alone anymore. Noelle also lived with him now.Though Dylan was well aware, and his rational mind reminded him repeatedly that he had essentially kept her here as a hostage. If Hendrix made any further moves, he would have no choice but to kill her.But when he saw the light she had left on for him, Dylan couldn't he
The plan Hendrix had given Dylan was, of course, real. Though he had been tempted to lace it with a trap and watch him walk right into it, he knew better—Dylan wasn't that stupid.More importantly, what Hendrix truly wanted wasn't just to bait Dylan into a trap. Even if Dylan didn't trust the plan, it didn't matter. Their team would still move forward with the plan. But if he did trust it, all the better.Fuer Fund wouldn't tolerate anyone messing with their slice of the pie. And what Hendrix wanted was to drag Erwin and the rest of them into the game.Dylan might have found himself a solid backer, but this wasn't Coppersville. Taking him down alone wouldn't be easy. But what if Fuer Fund collapsed with Hendrix? That would change everything, and that was Hendrix's real goal.Thus, Hendrix didn't even panic when Erwin called him out on it. He simply raised an eyebrow."If this gets out, do you still think you'll have a place in this business?" Erwin slammed his hand on the desk. "O
"Stay at your place?" Noelle asked."Yeah," Dylan said with a smile. "Hendrix already has another woman now, doesn't he? But don't worry. Unless it's something you're willing to do, I'll never touch you.""Alright."Dylan had planned to say more but was caught off guard by how readily Noelle agreed. Her response made even him freeze for a second. Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly."Do you need me to do anything else?" Noelle asked.She looked completely sincere and serious, like they were truly on the same side now.But Dylan still held on to a shred of suspicion. Regardless, Noelle was in his hands for the time being. If all of this really was an act, and she was lying to him, then she shouldn't blame him for what came next.With that thought, Dylan smiled slightly and gently took Noelle's hand. "Alright. I'll have someone make arrangements right away."Just as he finished speaking, his partner George called to inform him that Hendrix's side had already started moving."Tha