Hendrix was well aware that they were in a public space. Truthfully, he hadn't planned on doing anything inappropriate—he just wanted to tease Noelle a little.Of course, his little stunt came with its own consequences, but seeing Noelle flustered and nervously glance around made it all worth it.The plane soon arrived in Coppersville.As Noelle disembarked, she was surprised to see Beatrice waiting at the airport with Rosie. The moment Rosie spotted Noelle, she rushed over and clung to her, refusing to let go.Noelle gently hugged her back, feeling a little guilty. She couldn't help but think back to what she had done earlier—if something had really happened to her and Hendrix back then, wouldn't that have been incredibly irresponsible toward Rosie?Thankfully, they had both returned safely. Noelle didn't say anything more, simply holding Rosie a little tighter.Meanwhile, Beatrice was scrutinizing Hendrix from head to toe.Hendrix knew what she was thinking and simply stood th
Hendrix didn't answer Noelle."She's just starting to warm up to you, so can't you be a little nicer to her?" Noelle asked, displeasure growing in her tone."Haven't I been nice to her?" Hendrix finally replied."Then, tell me—what did you say to her earlier?"Hendrix paused mid-step. Then, he turned around to glance at her, saying, "I told her you were injured and needed rest.""That's all?""What else did you think I said?" Hendrix asked with a chuckle.Noelle felt there was more to it, but Hendrix didn't give her a chance to press further. Instead, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her swiftly toward the bedroom."What are you doing?" Noelle blurted out."What do you think I'm doing?" Hendrix shot back.His response left Noelle momentarily speechless. After a pause, she said, "Didn't you just say I needed rest?""Exactly. And this is rest," he replied.By then, Hendrix had already carried her into the bedroom. But he didn't set her down. Instead, he kicked the
When Hendrix was working, he always carried an air of sharpness and seriousness, making him look unapproachable. Even Noelle hesitated for a moment before approaching.Hendrix heard the movement and quickly looked over. Everything had happened so suddenly that his expression hadn't yet shifted back to normal.It wasn't until his eyes met Noelle's that his demeanor softened slightly. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to go to sleep first?"Noelle didn't answer. Instead, she placed the glass of water in front of him. "What's going on?" she asked.Hendrix glanced at the glass of water but didn't say anything.Noelle frowned. "Well?""Erwin's been arrested," Hendrix finally told her.Noelle was confused."He's been staying in the country for a while," Hendrix explained slowly. "A few days ago, he even threw a party. And just last night, someone ended up dead."A frown immediately appeared on Noelle's face. "And then?""The person died from an overdose."Noelle's eyes widened.
Noelle tossed and turned in bed for what felt like hours before finally drifting into a restless sleep. When she woke up, the sky outside was already bright. She jolted awake and immediately rushed to the study, but Hendrix was no longer there.The household staff informed her that Hendrix had already left by the time they arrived. It seemed he had driven off early in the morning.Noelle didn't say anything, only pursed her lips tightly. When she returned to the bedroom, she found a note Hendrix had left for her.It said he needed to handle some matters and wouldn't be back for a few days. However, he didn't specify where he was going.Noelle stared at the note for a while before slowly tucking it away.That same day, she saw news reports about Erwin. But perhaps because too many people were involved, the reports didn't reveal much, and the story barely made a ripple.Noele didn't believe this was the whole story. The current calm was merely the lull before the storm.Just as sh
Noelle looked up, meeting Dylan's gaze for a moment before replying, "He's busy with something, so he couldn't make it.""Oh. Mrs. Swift is already inside waiting. Were you on your way to see her?" Dylan asked.Noelle nodded.Dylan then led the way, acting as if he were the host, while Noelle followed a few steps behind him.As they climbed the stairs, Noelle suddenly asked, "Have you seen the reports about what happened in Tilwick?"Dylan paused mid-step and turned to look at her. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.Noelle stood there, meeting his gaze. "It was because of you that Nathan was able to return to the country, wasn't it?"Even though she phrased it as a question, her tone was one of uncertainty.Dylan locked eyes with her for a moment before chuckling. "What is this? An interrogation? Even the police haven't found anything on me. Do you have proof to back up your question?""No," Noelle replied. "I just wanted to ask you. That's all.""So, when you asked,
Back then, Dylan had seemed like just an accomplice, someone who had acted out of necessity because the people involved were his family.But if he had truly been pure and upright, he would never have chosen to help them in the first place. When the incident occurred, he wouldn't have tried so hard to cover it up and salvage the situation.Power and influence were like addictive poisons—once one got a taste of it, one always wanted more. But there were only so many spots at the top, and the only way to climb higher seemed to be pulling others down.Because of Noelle, the person Dylan saw standing in his way was Hendrix. Moreover, because of Hendrix, Dylan had lost something important to him. So, it was only natural for him to hate Hendrix.Noelle even suspected that Dylan's later obsession with being with her was partly because he wanted to win against Hendrix. After all, in terms of business tactics, he might not have been able to compete with Hendrix, but what if he could win her
Hendrix was currently in Halbort.Erwin had just been released on bail.In reality, this whole situation was pretty unfair to him. After all, he had merely been a guest at the party, and he wasn't the one who had brought in the illegal substances. The person who had brought them in not only died but also dragged everyone else down with him.Erwin himself wasn't too concerned. As long as he could prove his innocence, there wasn't much the authorities here could do to him.But it was a different story for Hendrix. His entire career was rooted in the country, and if any rumors about this incident spread, the impact on him would be devastating.That was why he had taken the initiative to come from Coppersville to cooperate with the police investigation. As long as the police here could prove his innocence, any media outlets trying to smear him would be guilty of defamation.Even though Erwin knew Hendrix was only doing this for his own benefit, he still said sincerely, "Thanks for th
Hendrix didn't even spare Marshall and Marla a glance. Instead, he turned to the people behind him and said, "Search for Noelle."The moment the words left his mouth, his men moved in without hesitation."Hendrix Freeman! This is my home. You're trespassing on private property!" Marla shouted."Noelle came to your party and then disappeared. So what's so wrong with me searching for her here?""Are you seriously accusing us of hiding her?"Instead of responding, Hendrix simply followed the others upstairs.However, it wasn't long before the police called him, informing him that Noelle had likely been taken away by someone.Whoever took her was clearly familiar with the Swift family's estate surveillance layout. They carefully avoided the cameras while moving through the property.The only footage they managed to capture was a brief glimpse of an arm flashing across one of the cameras. It appeared that Noelle had been carried away—her arms hanging limply at her side.It lasted n
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