After a brief pause, Noelle turned back and said, "Go ahead and tell them."Her response left William stunned. Before he could react, Noelle had already walked away.Furious, William slammed his hand on the table and got up to follow her, only to be stopped by a waiter. "Sir, you haven't settled your bill yet.""What bill? I didn't even order anything!""Sir, even without ordering, we still charge a seating fee," said the waiter, his eyes scanning William with unconcealed disdain.William trembled with anger. He was about to slap his bank card—which held his last 50 thousand dollars—onto the waiter's face when another voice interjected, "I'll take care of it."Hearing the voice, William's expression shifted abruptly. He turned around to see Sandra handing her card to the waiter. She then turned and smiled at him. "You must be Mr. Kaplan, right?""And you are?""I'm Noelle's sister, Sandra.""Ah, the little orphan the Swansons picked up." William sneered, his gaze roaming ove
Noelle and Liam met at a private restaurant.Despite having lived in Coppersville for a few years, Noelle never would've known that such a place existed if Liam hadn't brought her there that day.The restaurant was tucked away on the border between the urban and rural areas of Coppersville. It featured white walls, black tiles, lotus ponds, and bamboo groves. At first glance, Noelle mistook this place for a scenic garden rather than a restaurant.The owner of the restaurant was a young woman whose appearance was unremarkable, but she exuded grace and spoke with elegance.It seemed that Liam had made all the arrangements beforehand. Without even taking their order, the woman simply served them coffee and left the room."Their ingredients are all prepared fresh daily. So, I had to pre-order the dishes yesterday. I hope that's okay," Liam explained with a gentle smile. One wouldn't be able to tell from his face that he was annoyed with Noelle for losing contact with him two days ea
"I didn't know you would also come here tonight, Mr. Freeman. Had I known, I would've invited you to join us," Liam said with a smile, his tone composed and showing no signs of awkwardness at all.Hendrix released his grip and cast a glance at Noelle, who kept her head low, making it clear she had no intention of acknowledging him.Withdrawing his gaze, Hendrix replied to Liam, saying, "Since you're on a date, I won't bother you. Goodbye.""Okay. See you."After the brief exchange, the owner continued to escort Hendrix into the restaurant, while Liam returned to his seat across from Noelle."I didn't know he'd be here tonight," Liam explained."It's fine," Noelle responded with a smile, her expression already returning back to normal.Liam didn't press further, though the atmosphere now became tense and awkward. With him no longer driving the conversation, an awkward silence settled between them.Noelle hesitated for a moment. As she prepared to tell Liam her decision, a voic
William remained silent, narrowing his eyes at Noelle.Noelle chuckled. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?""Noelle," Liam interjected. Sensing the rising tension, he stood up and tugged on her hand.But Noelle stood firm. "You're not leaving, huh? Fine, then I'll go."With that, she turned to leave. Liam started to follow, but he heard William say mockingly, "Ah, living as a rich heiress for a few years really boosts you confidence!"But Noelle, don't forget your roots. If it weren't for me, you'd have starved to death ages ago. Then, where would you get the strength to boss people around like this?"And now, you've turned your back on me because I'm of no use to you? Let me tell you, Noelle. I've been holding back out of respect for the fact that you're my daughter. But if you keep being so heartless, don't blame me for spilling all your dirty secrets!"As William finished speaking, Noelle's footsteps slowly came to a stop. She turned to look back, only to see him smirki
Everyone in the world… was the same.Even if she spoke the truth, and everyone knew she was the victim—so what? Even her own biological mother couldn't accept her and treated her with disdain. What more other people?Noelle didn't stay any longer to be made a fool of. After casting a glance at Liam, she turned to leave."Luna! Noelle! Stop it right there, you bitch!" William's voice roared from behind, but Noelle didn't even flinch and quickened her pace instead.She had planned to hail a taxi and leave immediately. But upon leaving the restaurant, she realized there was still a considerable distance to the main road. Plus, this area was catered to the wealthy, meaning there was no use for taxis here.So now, she was the only person on this empty road.Noelle pulled out her phone to call for an e-hailing ride. But as she held her phone, she found her fingers trembling uncontrollably.It took her several minutes just to unlock the device, and when she finally did, she couldn't lo
Hendrix didn't respond to her, and since he said nothing, Levi naturally didn't follow Noelle's instructions, either.Noelle couldn't help but clench her fists tighter. She knew that Hendrix didn't care about her. In his eyes, she likely had no dignity to begin with, but she still didn't want him to see her in her current state.It didn't matter if he looked down on her, mocked her, or even despised her like everyone else. She just wanted to maintain her last shred of pride.At this moment, she just wanted to leave the car with her last bit of dignity left.But even this small request seemed like something Hendrix couldn't even grant her. Without his word, Levi continued driving forward.Noelle wanted to say something more, but her phone suddenly rang. The name on the screen… was exactly who she had expected."Noelle, get back here right now!" Craig's angry voice burst through the phone, breaking the silence in the car.Noelle wasn't surprised. She simply hung up the phone and t
Noelle managed to dodge.The vase was smashed onto the floor and shattered into pieces. The sharp fragments sliced into her calves, causing blood to gush out.But at this moment, no one paid attention.Craig pointed a finger at her. "You did it on purpose, didn't you? Making a scene in front of so many people just to completely ruin yourself! You wanted the entire Coppersville to know that you're damaged goods, didn't you?"How did I end up with such a shameless daughter? If I'd known, I would've strangled you to death when you were born! I shouldn't have brought you back into this family. You've done nothing but ruin the Swanson family's name!"No one in the room dared to speak. Craig's voice echoed loudly in the high-ceilinged living room, each word cutting into Noelle like a blade.Yet, she didn't feel any pain. She didn't even avoid Craig's gaze, simply standing still and meeting his eyes head-on."You still dare to look at me like that? Fine! If I don't beat you to death to
"Noelle, how could you speak to Mom like that?"Before Matilda could say anything, Sandra had already rushed over, looking at Noelle with reddened eyes. "She genuinely cares about you. You can't misunderstand her like this!"Noelle no longer wanted to be entangled with them. She only felt disgusted looking at them now. Without answering Sandra, she turned to leave."Noelle!"Sandra wanted to chase after her, but Matilda stopped her and shouted at Noelle, "Fine! Noelle, once you walk out the door, don't even think about coming back. You can starve out there for all I care."Hearing this, Noelle paused for a moment.Matilda thought she had reconsidered her actions, but to her surprise, Noelle turned around and said, "Then, I thank you for that."She was calm as ever, but this was seen as indifference to Matilda. It was like a venomous snake watching its prey while flicking its tongue ominously.Matilda couldn't help but take two steps back, her face turning pale.Sandra quickly
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