Ruth instantly felt her smile freeze at Hendrix's question.Everyone in the room understood exactly what Hendrix was implying. After all, before Noelle reconciled with Hendrix, she was just an ordinary person. Even if Ruth had fallen on hard times, she hadn't reached the point where she needed to grovel to Noelle.But now, things were different.Noelle was now Hendrix's wife. Ruth had been skeptical about this at first. If the two had truly reconciled, how could there be no news about it?Moreover, Noelle used to frequently attend various gatherings as Hendrix's wife. Yet, Ruth had not seen her at any events at all recently.It wasn't until yesterday—after witnessing everything with her own eyes—that Ruth finally understood. This was all Hendrix's doing.He knew that with his current status, any news of their reconciliation would draw immense attention. And he didn't want Noelle to be disturbed. In other words, he was doing everything he could to protect her.Just how deeply did
Ruth had actually blurred Noelle's face in the photo, but the antique lamp behind them was too eye-catching. Though the auction house had never disclosed the buyer, word had circulated in their social circles.Moreover, Noelle had attended some events before. Many people carefully compared the blurred figure in the picture to past photos of her and confirmed the woman in the photo was indeed Noelle.And just like that, rumors about her relationship with Hendrix started spreading.Meanwhile, Noelle had no idea what was happening outside since she wasn't feeling well today. At first, she thought it was just a mild cold. But by noon, she suddenly developed a low-grade fever.When the household staff informed Hendrix, he immediately rushed home with a doctor in tow.After checking Noelle's temperature, the doctor hesitated before suggesting she go to the hospital for a blood test."A blood test? Is it that serious?" Hendrix asked with a frown."Not necessarily. Based on Mrs. Freeman
"Even back when Rosie was sick—"At this point, Hendrix paused on his own. He knew that because of this incident, Noelle had permanently condemned him.The fact that they were here now, living together like this, was nothing short of a miracle. There were nights when he'd wake up in the middle of the dream, needing to hold Noelle tightly just to reassure himself she was really still by his side.And as for that period of their lives, neither of them had spoken about it for a long time.That was until now, when Hendrix brought it up on his own.Noelle clearly didn't want to revisit that memory, either. The moment he mentioned it, she frowned and instinctively pulled her hand away from him.But Hendrix immediately tightened his hold, as if he knew exactly what she was going to do."I know what I did was wrong back then," Hendrix said. "I was just so angry and wanted to hurt you as badly as you hurt me. I wanted you to give in to me. That first time at the hotel—I just wanted you t
After taking her medication, Noelle spent the entire afternoon drifting in and out of sleep. So, it wasn't until evening that she saw the messages on her phone.Some people asked if the woman in the photo with Ruth was her, while others asked when she had returned to Coppersville and if she'd like to meet up for dinner sometime.In truth, many in her social circle probably already knew Noelle had returned to Coppersville. After all, many of them had been present at Seline's funeral. It was just that the Swifts had kicked Noelle out then.At the time, Noelle had even heard people calling her a jinx behind her back. But now? Their attitudes had done a complete 180. Not that it was surprising. After all, it was human nature to look out for one's own interests.Besides, Noelle barely remembered most of their names, so whatever they had to say—however they saw her—made no difference to her.If it were the Noelle of the past, even if she loathed it, she would have forced herself to exch
"Don't worry. I'm fine," Noelle said.Rosie stood there, locking eyes with Noelle for a moment before saying, "But what if you get infected again?"Noelle couldn't help but chuckle at her. "It's fine. I'm wearing a mask."Rosie still seemed conflicted but eventually let out a soft "oh".Noelle immediately took a step back. "It's getting late. You should go to sleep. Will you be okay alone tonight?""Uh-huh." Rosie nodded without hesitation. "I'm all grown up now.""Mm-hmm. Go ahead, then."Rosie looked at Noelle, her eyes filled with a hint of reluctance. But in the end, she didn't say anything else and simply turned to leave.Noelle watched her retreating figure, the smile on her lips gradually fading. Only after Rosie returned to her room did Noelle turn around and climb back into bed.Perhaps because she had slept too much during the day, Noelle found herself wide awake. She lay in bed, staring out the window for a while before turning over and closing her eyes.Just as sh
"Alright. Go ahead. I'll leave once you're asleep," Hendrix said, but Noelle didn't believe a word of it.Still, she was too tired to argue with him at that point. So, she simply pulled the blanket over herself and turned her back to him.She hadn't felt sleepy earlier. But after the commotion with Hendrix, exhaustion gradually crept in, and her thoughts began to scatter.Noelle was right not to believe Hendrix's words. He had said he would leave once she fell asleep, yet when she woke up the next morning, she found him lying right beside her. Not only that, but his arm was tightly around her, too.Furious, Noelle was about to push him off when Hendrix suddenly turned his head and coughed twice. Then, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "I think I caught your cold."Noelle froze for a moment.Hendrix grabbed her hand and placed it on his forehead. "Here. Feel it. Do I have a fever?"Noelle took his temperature with a thermometer, and it was perfectly normal.But Hendrix stubb
Hendrix's smile slowly faded. Then, he got out of bed and poured himself a glass of water.Noelle assumed it was for himself. But when he turned around, he held the glass out to her instead. "I was joking. Not funny, huh?"She still didn't say anything, but she took the glass from him. That alone was enough of a response for Hendrix. His lips curled slightly."Get some rest." Noelle took a single sip before setting the glass aside. "I'm going out for a walk."But before she could step outside, Hendrix grabbed her hand. "Where are you going?""The yard. To get some sun.""I'll go with you.""Weren't you feeling awful just a moment ago? You should rest more if you're really sick."As she spoke, she swept her gaze over him with obvious skepticism. It was clear she didn't believe a word about him being sick.Hendrix, however, remained completely unfazed under her scrutiny. "I could use some sun, too. Besides, didn't the doctor say my immune system is strong? So, my cold isn't that
Hendrix had few memories of his childhood. Looking back now, it was mostly filled with endless lessons and tasks. He had to learn so many things. He had to achieve the best grades in school, learn to play musical instruments and master golf, horseback riding, and multiple languages.From a young age, everyone envied his status. The last name "Freeman" seemed to carry an innate sense of honor. But along with that honor came an overwhelming weight of expectations.If Hendrix were to choose now, he wasn't sure which life would be better. After all, while he had missed out on the carefree happiness of a normal childhood, what he had gained was indeed substantial.But one thing was certain—he would never impose the same burdens on Rosie. So, when Beatrice recently suggested enrolling Rosie in various lessons, he turned her down without hesitation.Beatrice had argued that as his daughter, Rosie was bound to be a prominent figure in Coopersville. Thus, if she didn't learn anything, it wo
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