Dylan stood there, stunned.It took him a while to snap out of it. Then, with a smile, he patted Noelle on the shoulder and asked, "What's this? Did you miss me?"His tone was teasing, but it couldn't hide the hoarseness in his voice.Noelle pursed her lips and slowly stepped back, her eyes fixed on him. Dylan raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze.After taking a deep breath, Noelle asked, "Have you been feeling tired lately?""Not really. I was just busy.""Did something happen?"Even though Noelle phrased it as a question, there was a hint of certainty in her tone.Dylan's expression froze for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Don't worry. It's nothing serious. I've already handled it."He ruffled Noelle's hair as he spoke. Then, he turned to Rosie and asked, "And what about you? How have you been lately?"Rosie nodded. "Good.""That's great. I brought you a gift. Want to see it?"Rosie immediately nodded again.When Dylan first started g
After Dylan finished speaking, he simply stood there, quietly watching Noelle.Noelle didn't respond, but her hands noticeably clenched.Noticing this, Dylan stared at her balled fists for a while before reaching out and gently taking them in his hand.Noelle glanced down at their joined hands but didn't pull away. For Dylan, this was already a huge encouragement. Without hesitation, he leaned in closer, his lips slowly moving toward hers until…"Mommy!" Rosie's voice suddenly rang out, causing the two of them to jump up in fright. Noelle, as if caught doing something wrong, immediately pushed Dylan away.Her movement was so sudden and forceful that Dylan didn't have time to react. Thus, he ended up slamming his head into the nearby cabinet with a loud thud.Noelle froze for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to check on him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry.""I'm fine." Dylan waved it off with a smile. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt."Noelle frowned, studying him with concern.
Rosie hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.Dylan took over the task from Noelle. It was clear that this was his first time doing something like this, as his movements were a little clumsy. But Rosie didn't seem to mind. She stayed quiet throughout the entire process.Noelle stood to the side, watching. Suddenly, she found the scene oddly heartwarming.She had always known Dylan was the best choice, and that was why she had been trying so hard to convince herself to accept him. And now, it seemed that maybe she hadn't made the wrong choice, after all.After watching for a moment, she couldn't help but take a photo of them with her phone.Under the soft light, Dylan was gently combing Rosie's hair while she held a doll in her arms. The two of them looked like a pair of real father and daughter.Noelle didn't linger any longer. She turned and went to prepare breakfast for the next day. She had already prepared the pie dough earlier. Now, all she needed to do was put in the
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," Dylan replied. "But there have been a lot of issues at my company lately. It's not anything fatal, but the series of incidents makes it hard to believe it's all just a coincidence. And—"He paused, his brow furrowing slightly.Noelle looked at him. "And what?""What's more concerning is that several banks we've been working with have recently expressed their intention to terminate their partnerships with us. They've even refused to continue negotiations. I don't believe for a second that there isn't someone pressuring them to do this."What he didn't say was—in Coppersville, there were only a handful of people who could actually pull something like that off. That was because he believed Noelle could figure it out on her own.Noelle stood there, unmoving. She clenched her hands, seemingly trying to calm herself, but her teeth couldn't stop chattering.It was at this moment that Dylan asked her, "If I lose, will you be disappointed?"His ques
After all, the amount of effort Dylan had put in over the years was something no one else could fully comprehend. At least from what Noelle had seen, she knew how difficult his journey had been.But now, it was all being easily destroyed because of her.So, she would have completely understood if Dylan had chosen to sacrifice her. In fact, she might have even expected it, and that was precisely why she found his response so surprising—this was the first time she had been so firmly chosen.She unconsciously clenched her teeth as she looked at the man in front of her."You don't want to?" Dylan asked her.Noelle actually laughed out loud at the question. Then, she quickly lowered her eyes, forcing back the tears in them before looking up at Dylan again."I do. This kind of life isn't hard at all. You don't know this, but ever since I was a child, I've dreamed of having a home of my own. It doesn't need to be big or luxurious, and it certainly didn't need hired help or a nanny."As
Seline was the one who sent Hendrix the screenshot. She didn't add any commentary—just a simple screenshot. But the message she was conveying couldn't be any clearer. She wanted to tell him that he was out of the game.Hendrix stared at the screenshot expressionlessly for a moment before deleting it and promptly blocking Seline. Then, he turned his attention back to the computer screen. The data was still there, but he couldn't focus on a single number.Even though he had deleted the screenshot from his phone, he still felt as if it had been burned into his mind. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he slowly balled his hands into fists.After a while, he finally couldn't take it anymore. He shot up from his seat and grabbed his car keys before walking out. He drove fast, though he didn't really know where he was going.Eventually, he stopped in front of a new construction site. He had bought this plot of land a year ago. Construction had only started a few months ago because it
"Is that a yes or a no?" Leah narrowed her eyes."He was here a couple of days ago, but he left last night.""Is that so?" Leah responded indifferently, as if it didn't matter. "Just as well, because I have something to say to you."Noelle didn't refuse. She simply stepped aside to let her in.Dressed in a custom-tailored dress and leather shoes, Leah took one step inside and immediately frowned. She swept her gaze across the room, her dissatisfaction evident."Would you like something to drink?" Noelle asked.Leah didn't answer. Instead, her gaze slowly settled on Rosie.Despite her young age, Rosie had the sharp intuition that all children possessed. Thus, she could tell at a glance who was kind and who was not.As Leah scrutinized her, Rosie instinctively shrank behind Noelle, peeking out with wary eyes.Seeing this, the disdain in Leah's gaze deepened.Noelle gently patted Rosie on the shoulder. "Rosie, be a good girl and wait for me in your room, okay?"Rosie didn't res
After Leah finished speaking, Noelle fell silent."So, you do know that you're the one who's dragging him down, don't you?" Leah looked at her, the sarcasm in her smile deepening."What do you want me to do?" Noelle asked."Isn't it obvious? I want you to leave him, of course!"Noelle pursed her lips. "But Mrs. Pritchett, Dylan is an adult. He knows what he's doing. Besides, we've made a promise to each other. How could I abandon him now when he has stuck with me through it all?""Abandon?" Leah let out a sharp laugh. "Don't act like you don't know what's going on. His company was doing just fine before, so why is it suddenly being targeted? It's all because of you! Think about it—has anything good ever happened to him since he met you?"Every single time something bad happened to him, you were the reason behind it! Even back then! Do you really not know that his grandfather was accused of money laundering because of Hendrix? If not for that, Dylan wouldn't have gotten engaged to
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