As Hendrix himself had pointed out, it was inevitable that they would run into Dylan now that he was living in Coppersville—especially since they moved in the same social circles. But even with this understanding, the moment he saw Dylan, his expression immediately darkened."Hello, Mr. Freeman."Hendrix had always been the center of attention. Even at a gathering like this, a crowd naturally formed around him. He had been in the middle of a conversation with the person next to him when Dylan suddenly cut in and brought it to an abrupt halt.At the same time, everyone turned to look at him.Hendrix merely spared him a fleeting glance before looking away. He didn't so much as acknowledge Dylan's greeting.However, Dylan didn't seem to mind. He kept his easy smile and said, "I saw Mrs. Freeman the other day on the street. I wonder how she's been doing?"At the mention of "Mrs. Freeman", a few people suddenly remembered that when Ophelia passed away, Dylan had brought a woman to her
So when the host approached him, Dylan already knew what was coming. He wasn't particularly surprised. After smiling faintly, he set down his wine glass and excused himself before the host could speak."Sorry, but I just remembered I have something to attend to. So, I'll take my leave now. I'll treat you to dinner next time."With that, Dylan turned and left, leaving the host standing there, utterly bewildered.…Since Hendrix had been drinking tonight, Levi took him home. When he opened the door, Noelle was just slipping on her coat, ready to head out."Where are you going?""Why are you back?"They spoke at the same time.Hendrix immediately frowned. Then, he swept his gaze over Noelle's outfit—a light-colored dress with a white coat over it.Her complexion had improved over the past few months. So now, even with just a touch of lipstick, she looked especially alluring.Hendrix's expression darkened further. "Where are you planning to go?"Noelle, however, found his questi
Noelle still had a glass in her hand, and Hendrix's sudden embrace nearly made her drop it. She paused for a moment before turning to him. "What are you doing?"Instead of answering her, Hendrix simply lowered his head and kissed her on the shoulder. Even though it was only a light kiss, it still sent a shiver down her spine. She instinctively tightened her grip on the glass and tried to pry his hands off."Let go first."Hendrix didn't listen."If you don't stop, I'm pouring this water on you."Noelle's tone carried a hint of anger, but Hendrix didn't seem to care. Instead, he took the glass from her hand and downed the water in one go. The empty glass clinked against the marble countertop as he set it down.Her dress was already bunched up around her waist. Her fingers dug into the counter's edge, knuckles turning white from how hard she was gripping it.The entire villa was silent—every little sound seemed amplified in the stillness. Because of this, Noelle bit down on her li
As she spoke, Noelle began pounding her fists against Hendrix's chest. "It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"Frustrated, she didn't hold back her punches at all. But for Hendrix, who worked out regularly, her blows were nothing. Once she had vented enough, he gently grabbed her wrists."Don't worry. Rosie didn't see anything.""How do you know?""If she did, she wouldn't have gone to bed so quietly. Besides, didn't you see how she was acting earlier? By tomorrow, she won't remember a thing."Hendrix tried to reassure her, but Noelle was still fuming and glaring at him with her teeth clenched.However, he seemed completely oblivious to her anger and even asked, "Want to take a shower together?"Noelle pushed him away. Instead of being upset, Hendrix simply chuckled and headed to the bathroom by himself.By the time he finished showering and came out of the bathroom, Noelle had already changed into her pajamas and was sitting on the bed."Take a look at this." Seeing him
In the restaurant, Ricky was eagerly pouring wine for Noelle."Mrs. Freeman, I really can't thank you enough. We never expected Mr. Freeman to give us this opportunity. Rest assured. I'll personally oversee things at the factory and make sure he's satisfied."Ruth was also seated at the table. She had seen Ricky flatter others before, but she found it particularly unpleasant when the person on the receiving end was Noelle.Thus, she quickly said, "That's enough. You don't need to keep thanking her. I'm sure this is just a small favor for her.""No, no, I must," Ricky insisted. "Mrs. Freeman, you have no idea how big of a help this is to us. Initially, we—""It's fine, Mr. Massey," Noelle interrupted with a smile. "Ruth and I have been friends for a long time. Like she said, it was just a small favor. I'm happy I could help.""This is more than just a small favor!" Ricky immediately continued. "You have no idea—just yesterday, my father was still skeptical about my plans. Let's se
Ruth didn't say anything else, nor did she stop Noelle from leaving.Noelle simply picked up her bag and walked out. As the private room door closed, Noelle caught a glimpse of Ruth from the corner of her eye.Ruth was looking down, admiring her newly bought bracelet. Her relaxed demeanor was a stark contrast to the suspicious look she had given Noelle earlier.Noelle could understand her feelings. After all, as Ruth had pointed out, Noelle's claim of wanting to take down Hendrix seemed almost absurd.First, considering Hendrix's status and abilities, there was no way she could threaten his position simply by relying on his trust in her.Second, there were her feelings for him. Given the circumstances, no one would believe she wouldn't waver—making Ruth's skepticism entirely reasonable. That was precisely why Noelle's moment of hesitation just now had only made her seem more convincing.If possible, Noelle would have preferred not to use such a clumsy excuse to deceive Ruth. But
Hendrix glanced at the documents but didn't take them.Puzzled by his reaction, Noelle asked, "Aren't you going to take a look at them?"Hendrix's expression remained unchanged. "There's no rush. First, tell me about your plan.""Oh, right. I've already inspected their factory. Currently, Ricky's brother-in-law is managing the factory, which has about 500 workers. The project deadline is set for 25 days, and if they have enough raw materials stocked up, they should be able to meet it."But the factory hasn't been performing well lately, and Ricky's brother-in-law is a notorious gambler. So, in reality, the factory's material reserves are practically nonexistent. "In other words, they'll have to find another way to produce the required quantity in such a short time," Noelle spoke slowly, her voice as calm and gentle as ever. Watching her, Hendrix found himself lost in her voice. For a brief moment, he even forgot why he had been so upset earlier.It wasn't until Noelle finished
At first, Hendrix hadn't really cared. To him, Ruth and Ricky were insignificant. But since Noelle found amusement in watching them struggle, he was willing to let her have her way.As for what happened to Ruth and Ricky in the end, it didn't matter to him. But Ricky's message made him change his mind.When Hendrix heard Ricky's deliberately lowered tone, he almost laughed out of sheer frustration. Dylan was one thing—although he didn't think much of him, the fact that Noelle had been with him in the past meant he must have had some redeeming qualities.But Ricky? Who did he think he was? How could someone like him actually have the audacity to set his sights on Noelle? It was both ignorant and laughable.So, Hendrix changed his mind. He wouldn't interfere with Noelle's plan, but he would refine it a little. Besides, he was done seeing Ruth around. It was time to make sure they disappeared from this city for good."Hendrix." Noelle's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts.Hen
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