The fire spread quickly.The houses in this area were all connected, so when one caught fire, the neighboring ones were soon engulfed as well. The surrounding residents had already been evacuated, but from the house at the heart of the fire, no one had yet emerged.Noelle knew Hendrix was inside. For some reason, memories of the past few days flashed through her mind. The last time they had seen each other was when they were on their way to the equestrian club.Hendrix had tried hard to lighten the mood, but she had cut him off. Because at that time, she had still been angry with him, so she hadn't wanted to hear him speak. He wasn't someone who liked to talk much in the first place. But at that moment, she had told him to be quiet.Later, in the video call, he had invited her to join him in Tilwick. She had understood his hint and clearly seen the hope in his eyes, but she had still refused him. She hadn't even said a single kind word to him.And now? Even if she wanted to say so
As her words fell, Noelle began to tremble uncontrollably.The firefighter in front of her stared at her for a moment, then silently removed his gas mask.Noelle understood what he meant, but she didn't take it. Instead, she shook her head and said, "I don't want it. If Hendrix is really dead inside, then I'll just stay with him."The firefighter frowned at her words. He was about to say something when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her, "Noelle."A jolt immediately shot through Noelle. Afraid that it might be her imagination playing tricks on her, she didn't dare to turn around. Not until he called her name again. Only then did she turn her head.Hendrix was standing behind her. He was wearing only a shirt, the white fabric stained with soot and what looked like blood. His hair was disheveled, his appearance a far cry from his usual composed self.Noelle stared at him for a long time. Only after confirming that she wasn't seeing things did she snap out of her daze. T
Noelle paused for a moment. It took her a few seconds to process what was happening, and then she started pushing him away. "What are you doing here? Go back to your bed! Where's your IV? Are you crazy? You're still injured!"Her voice was filled with urgency.Hendrix looked at her and smiled softly. Then, he reached out and wiped the tears from her cheeks.Noelle pressed her lips together and gently pushed him again. "Go back now! Where's the nurse?"As she spoke, she reached for the call button. But Hendrix grabbed her hand instead. In one swift motion, he pulled her back into his arms."What's the hurry?" he said. "It's not like I'm going to die if I don't have the IV drip for a few minutes. Besides, don't you know you're actually in worse shape than I am?"Then, he frowned and continued in a low voice, "Right when everyone else was evacuating, you just charged toward the fire without a second thought. Even the firefighters had gas masks on. Were you trying to get yourself kil
Hendrix's tone was light. In just a few sentences, he had explained everything to Noelle.Of course, he didn't tell her that when he circled back to the house, he wasn't just facing Dylan alone. The others had also wanted him dead.If he hadn't held May hostage and the fire hadn't grown so intense, Tony and the others would never have let him go. But Noelle didn't need to know these details.While it was true he had come out of this alive, there was no guarantee he would be that lucky if the same situation were to happen again.However, even with his abbreviated version of events, Noelle's expression remained grim. She suddenly let go of his hand and glared at him."You asked if I were trying to get myself killed, but what about you?" she asked through gritted teeth."I didn't have a choice at the time," Hendrix said. "If I didn't bring Nathan out, the situation wouldn't have been resolved. Besides—""Has it ever crossed your mind that you might actually die there? What am I sup
The doctor quickly arrived to examine Noelle. Luckily, she hadn't made it into the burning building, so she hadn't inhaled too much smoke.After listening to the doctor's update, Hendrix finally let out a breath of relief and was willing to return to his own hospital bed.But Dan soon brought him another piece of news—Nathan didn't make it.When Hendrix dragged him out, Nathan was barely breathing. Yet, even in that state, he had mustered the last of his strength to stab Hendrix in the abdomen. Which only proved just how much he hated Hendrix.But no matter how deep that hatred ran, it didn't matter anymore. In the end, he was foolish enough to throw away his own life, just to be a pawn in someone else's game. And now that he was dead, whatever deal he had with Dylan died with him—no one else knew the details.Hendrix had risked everything to drag him out for nothing.Tony and the others, however, readily admitted to detaining Hendrix. But they insisted they were only following N
Hendrix had originally planned to let her sleep. But suddenly, a flicker of petty irritation sparked in him. Without another thought, he got out of bed. He stood there, watching her for a moment. Then, he reached out and pinched her nose shut.Deprived of air, Noelle frowned and opened her eyes groggily.Hendrix was leaning over her."What the hell are you doing?" Noelle, still half-asleep, immediately swatted his hand away.After watching her for a moment, Hendrix asked, "Noelle, have you ever thought about what you would have done if I had really died this time?Noelle lay there, meeting his gaze head-on. She was fully wide awake now. She stared at Hendrix for a moment before answering bluntly, "I'd find someone else to remarry right away."The words had barely left her lips when Hendrix's eyes widened slightly. He looked at her in disbelief, as if questioning whether he had just heard her wrong.But Noelle didn't spare him another glance. She turned over, about to go back to
When Noelle and Hendrix were discharged from the hospital and getting ready to leave Tilwick, the police asked Hendrix if he wanted to take Nathan's ashes with him.Technically, given that Nathan was the ringleader in this case and Hendrix was the victim, it wasn't exactly an appropriate question. But at the same time, Hendrix was also Nathan's older brother. And in a way, his only family in this world. So, it made sense for the police to ask.When Hendrix heard the question, his expression didn't change, nor did he hesitate. He simply replied, "No, thanks. If you don't know what to do with them, scatter them into the sea. Or a sewer—either works."With that, he hung up.Though he was the one on the call, Noelle was sitting right beside him, so she had heard every word. She couldn't see the police officer's expression or reaction over the phone, but she imagined he must have been shocked.After all, from an outsider's perspective, Hendrix had risked his life running back into the
"All I can say is that you think that way because you've never truly understood him."Hendrix's words left Noelle momentarily speechless.After a pause, she finally responded, "But if it weren't for me, you and Dylan wouldn't have had any connection at all. And you wouldn't have almost lost your life because of him.""Hmm, that's true," Hendrix admitted with a nod. But then, he added, "But do you really think I'm the kind of person who's afraid of things like that?"As he spoke, he even chuckled. "If that's what you think, then you're seriously underestimating your baby, aren't you?"Noelle had been frowning at him, but when he used that term of endearment, she froze. Then, she swatted his hand away and turned to look out the window.The plane hadn't taken off yet, and outside, there was nothing but flat ground as far as the eye could see.Hendrix watched her and suddenly laughed. "What's there to be shy about?""Who said I'm shy?" Noelle shot back immediately, her brows furrow
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