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
When Noelle woke up, the sky outside was already bright. The snowing had stopped, but inside the house, she was still alone.Noelle had thought Hendrix would come talk to her today. After all, based on her understanding of him, he was never one to drag things out for too long. The longer it dragged on, the more it would seem like he had lost.But this time, Noelle was wrong again.Hendrix didn't come back the entire day. Instead, in the evening, it was Beatrice who called Noelle, asking her to come to the villa in the outskirts.Noelle didn't know what she wanted, but she still went the next day.Perhaps it was the comfortable living environment, but Beatrice looked noticeably better than before. She had also abandoned her usual traditional and expensive outfits. Dressed in casual wear with her hair tied in a simple low ponytail, she looked much younger and more alive.In the past, Noelle had always felt that Beatrice was like a woman trapped inside a picture frame. But now, it w
Noelle slowly turned her gaze to the mango tree beside her.The sapling was only slightly taller than her now, but she could already picture it in a few years—lush, full of leaves, and heavy with fruit.But she knew she wouldn't be around to see it.The thought settled in her mind, and so she voiced it to Beatrice.Beatrice's expression visibly changed. Then, in a lowered voice, she asked, "Is there really no way to turn things around?""Mm, yeah.""But I don't think you can leave," Beatrice countered. "To be honest, the last time I gave you the chance to go, that was already your best opportunity."Noelle frowned, and she was just about to say something when Beatrice spoke again, "He's my son. I know him better than you do. No matter how strained things are between you two right now, as long as he still has an obsession with you, he won't let you go."Noelle's frown deepened."Even if all that's left between you two is hatred," Beatrice added.Noelle didn't really believe he
"Yes, but was this really an investment? This was clearly a trap! Maxwell deliberately set me up!" Craig said."Oh? If that's the case, then I suggest you call the police."As Hendrix finished speaking, the expression on Craig's face slowly faded."If you do report it, I can provide you with some evidence," Hendrix continued, handing over a stack of documents he had already prepared. Craig's expression grew even darker, his chest rising and falling violently."So, you knew all along, and yet, you just stood there, watching me walk right into it! You were waiting for this moment, weren't you?"Hendrix said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.Craig shot to his feet and grabbed him by the collar. "Are you out of your mind? What could you possibly gain from this? And to think I trusted you! I even married Noelle off to you!"Hendrix glanced down at the hand gripping his collar before speaking again, "Losing your temper at me won't change anything. The money is gone. Even if yo
Noelle's wedding dress was also custom-made. It was said to be entirely hand-stitched by a top international designer.Considering that Noelle was pregnant, the designer had thoughtfully added adjustable ribbons at the waist, allowing the fit to be easily modified to her current figure.Diamonds were embedded into the hem. They sparkled brilliantly under the lights, like a sky full of stars.Even though Noelle felt utterly numb inside, she couldn't help but admire herself for a moment when she saw her reflection in the mirror.Aside from the photoshoot, this was the second time she had worn a wedding dress. And she was marrying the same man.The first time she walked toward Hendrix, her heart had been full of joy, brimming with endless anticipation and passion. To her, he had been like the bright moon in the sky—someone she longed to approach yet feared getting too close to.So, just like the cotton candy she had craved as a child but never dared ask for, she had carefully hidden
The figure was thin—almost frail—but carried a reckless, desperate madness.Instinct took over. The moment she lunged forward, Noelle's first reaction was to shield her abdomen.A wave of sheer terror overwhelmed her. Her mind instantly flashed back to the moment on the staircase—when Sandra had pushed her down.Back then, Sandra had worn the same frenzied smile.But this time, the pain Noelle had braced for never came. She opened her eyes, only to see Sandra had already been pinned to the ground by the bodyguards."Let go of me! Hendrix, I hate you! And Noelle, you bitch! It's all because of you! Why did you come back? This was supposed to be my wedding! All of it should have been mine! Why didn't you just die? You should be dead! All of you should be dead!"Sandra kept screaming. It all seemed to be vile and malicious curses, but Noelle had already forgotten the details.Just as Noelle was feeling relieved that she was unharmed, she suddenly heard panicked screams from the cro
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
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