"Thank you," Beatrice's voice came from behind just as Noelle was in the kitchen preparing a snack for Rosie. Even though there were household staff and chefs in the villa, Noelle still preferred making Rosie's food herself.Despite being in a new environment, Rosie adapted quickly. Noelle had spent the morning reading to her, and during lunch, she ate quietly without fuss. She even took her medicine without any tears or complaints. Now, she was upstairs sleeping.Beatrice adored her but was careful not to overwhelm her with too much attention. Seeing Noelle take the time to make snacks, she couldn't help but speak up.Noelle froze for a second, then turned to her with a puzzled look, unsure what she meant."You've raised Rosie well," Beatrice said."I'm her mother. That's what I'm supposed to do," Noelle said. "And she's my daughter, so you don't have to thank me for that."The line Noelle drew was clear and firm.Beatrice understood what she was saying right away. She also k
Rosie adapted well to the new environment. At first, she was a little reserved around Beatrice. But after a few days together, her smiles grew more frequent, and whenever she saw Beatrice, she would call her "Grandma" without prompting.Beatrice bought her plenty of toys. Although Rosie accepted them all, her favorite was still the little lion plushie. She never let it leave her side, even sleeping with it at night.Noelle had once asked if she realized this wasn't her original lion plushie, and Rosie said she knew. She liked the old one, too, but that didn't change how much she liked the new one.Such simple words carried a deeper meaning that resonated with Noelle. But before she could process it, a voice suddenly came from outside, "Mr. Freeman is back."Noelle's expression froze instantly.Rosie, on the other hand, asked her curiously, "Mommy, who's Mr. Freeman?"Noelle was about to explain when the man in question stepped inside, and he wasn't alone. Next to him stood a woma
A child's emotions were simple and straightforward—they would instinctively gravitate toward those who were good to them.Beatrice was always kind and warm. Every time she saw Rosie, her face would always light up with a gentle smile, so it was only natural for Rosie to like her.Hendrix, however, was a different story.Their first meeting left a terrible impression on Rosie, and if Noelle remembered correctly, Hendrix had never smiled at Rosie even once.Whenever Rosie saw him, he always had a stern expression. Adding that to their bad first encounter, it was no surprise Rosie disliked him.Seline indeed hadn't seen Rosie in a long time, so they were both especially excited to see each other today.After lunch, Seline took Rosie to the arcade. She was a pro at the claw machines, and by the time they left, they had a pile of stuffed animals. The two of them happily gave away most of their winnings to the kids outside the mall.Rosie loved doing things like that.While she was b
"I didn't expect to run into you here. Small world," Dylan said.Noelle gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment.Beside her, Seline asked excitedly, "You're Dylan Pritchett, the CEO of Dyno Corporation, right?""That's right. Nice to meet you, Ms. Swift."Dylan extended his hand for a brief handshake.Seline nodded repeatedly, then turned to Noelle, her eyes silently questioning her.Noelle ignored her.Unfazed, Seline looked down at Rosie and asked, "Rosie, how do you know Mr. Pritchett?""He came to the hospital to visit me once," Rosie answered seriously, then quickly asked, "Seline, didn't you say you were going to take me to go see the fountains?""Ah, right! Let's go!"Seline immediately caught on to what Rosie was getting at. She quickly grabbed Rosie's hand before turning to say to Noelle, "I'm going to bring Rosie to the fountains. You two have a good chat."With that, she whisked Rosie away.Rosie played along effortlessly. In fact, the two of them took off so qui
Seline was determined to play the role of a matchmaker to the end. When Rosie had had enough fun, she suddenly claimed she had an urgent matter to attend to and had to leave. Thus, the task of taking Noelle and Rosie home fell to Dylan.Her intentions were far too obvious. To Noelle, her act even seemed a bit clumsy. But Dylan didn't call her out. Instead, he accepted the task graciously and even thanked Seline sincerely.Seline raised an eyebrow at him and whispered a few words to Rosie before leaving.Noelle could tell Seline hadn't taught Rosie anything good, so on the way back, she tried her best to distract Rosie, hoping she'd forget about it.But Rosie was a child with a strong sense of responsibility. Eventually, she seized an opportunity and asked Dylan, "Mr. Pritchett, when you have the time, can I go out with you again?"Her question was very straightforward.She stared intently at Dylan, who was momentarily taken aback. But then, he smiled and said, "Of course."Rosie
Noelle had initially wanted to explain that their meeting with Dylan had been purely coincidental. But after a pause, she simply said, "Thanks for your concern, but both Rosie and I know the truth of the matter. So, there's no need for you to worry about anything."With that, Noelle walked forward with Rosie in her hand. Rosie naturally followed her, and from the beginning to the end, she never showed Hendrix even the slightest trace of unnecessary emotion.But when Noelle was bathing her later, she suddenly asked, "Mommy, does Daddy hate me?""Of course not," Noelle denied without hesitation."Then, why does he always look like this when he sees me?"As she spoke, she furrowed her brows and pursed her lips.Honestly speaking, the expression she made was very similar to Hendrix's, and Noelle couldn't help but laugh."Trust me. He doesn't," she said, pinching Rosie's nose. "That's just how he is. It has nothing to do with you.""Really? But Mommy, you said before that I was th
Hendrix remembered the scene from the last night when he stood on the balcony, watching Rosie smile and wave goodbye to Dylan. To be honest, the three of them looked incredibly good together, almost as if they were a real family.At this moment, if he wasn't mistaken, this was the first time Rosie had spoken to him on her own initiative. Yet, what she said was she didn't want to see him.Hendrix wanted to retort that this was his house, so why couldn't he be here? But when he met Rosie's eyes, he swallowed back his words.Then, he simply replied, "Okay."His response was straightforward, but Rosie didn't seem to think much of it. She merely nodded in satisfaction and went downstairs to find Noelle.Hendrix watched her retreating figure, his hands clenching involuntarily.It wasn't until the ache in his chest became unbearable that he finally snapped out of it and slowly made his way downstairs.Beatrice was already in the living room. When she saw him, she immediately called out
In the following days, Noelle didn't see Hendrix again. But she didn't dwell on it. After all, he rarely came around before, so she didn't find it particularly unusual.As for who Angela was, it was Seline who filled Noelle in."I heard she used to be an influencer, working as a live streamer," Seline said with a frown.In her eyes, being an influencer or live streamer wasn't exactly a respectable profession. Especially when it came to someone as attractive-looking as Angela.Seline even showed Noelle some of Angela's past live streams. In the video, Angela was wearing a white dress, chatting and smiling with her audience.Noelle nodded and said, "Oh.""That's it?" Seline widened her eyes. "You're not going to say anything about it?""What should I say?" Noelle found it strange. "Oh, she's quite… pretty.""That's just the filter! And didn't you see how much makeup she's wearing?""Well, isn't that how it is in that industry?""Yes, but Hendrix's taste has really gone downhill
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