A sharp pain shot through Dylan, forcing him to his knees. Gritting his teeth, he looked up, only to see Hendrix already standing and shielding Noelle behind him.Hendrix locked his gaze onto Dylan. His eyes were full of disdain, like Dylan was beneath him."You should be explaining yourself to Mr. Swift right now. Why don't you tell me what really happened?"As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward Marshall.By then, Marshall's expression had already turned ashen, and his chest was rising and falling violently. He looked as if he might pass out any second.But Hendrix didn't care. He just grabbed Noelle's hand and walked out.Noelle glanced back at Dylan one last time.He was staring straight at her.That look felt strangely familiar to Noelle, like she'd seen it somewhere before. She tried to catch a glimpse of Marla and Marshall, but before she could, Hendrix yanked her out of the private room.Noelle couldn't help but ask, "Will they be okay in there?""Relax. I told the staf
"You barely ate anything back there, so I'm taking you for buffalo wings," Hendrix said."Buffalo wings?" Noelle turned to him in surprise.Hendrix caught her hand. "Yeah. You used to love it. Do you want to go?"A soft smile played on his lips now—a stark contrast to the cold expression he had worn earlier when discussing Dylan and the Swifts.Yet, this version of him felt strangely familiar to Noelle. Just as she studied him, Hendrix turned to look at her. "Well?"Only then did she realize he had asked her a question. After a brief hesitation, she finally nodded. "Okay."The car smoothly changed lanes, eventually pulling up in front of a shopping mall.It was a weekend, so the place was crowded. When Hendrix led her to the buffalo wings restaurant, they were even told that there was a waitlist.Hendrix instantly frowned. He turned to ask if Noelle wanted to go somewhere else, only to find her staring fixed ahead at a warmly lit bakery, its entrance adorned with a row of cotto
Hendrix's prediction was correct.That very night, Marshall was indeed rushed to the hospital. In all honesty, he should have anticipated their plan's failure. But what truly shattered him was Dylan's betrayal.Everyone close to him knew just how much trust he had placed in Dylan. He had even secretly discussed with Marla that it might not be a bad idea to leave their fortune to Dylan after their passing.After all, if not for Dylan, the two of them might not have survived the grief that followed Seline's death. In their eyes, he was no different from a son.Yet, Marshall never imagined that the person he trusted so deeply would ultimately stab him in the back.As he lay unconscious in the hospital bed, Marla unleashed all her fury and resentment toward Dylan."How could you do this? After all the trust we placed in you! Do you even have any humanity left?" She was practically screaming at the top of her lungs.At this point, there was nothing she could do. The situation of the
"But didn't Noelle lose her memories?" Marla asked."Who knows if she's truly forgotten or just pretending? But that doesn't matter because even if she has, the fact remains that Seline died saving Rosie, no?""That's true.""Yet, she's now working with Hendrix to take you and Mr. Swift down. Don't you think it's wrong of her to do that?"Marla didn't respond."So, will you talk to her?" Dylan pressed.Marla frowned at him."It's chaotic outside now. The shareholders are screaming for Mr. Swift to take responsibility, but how could you bear to drag him into this mess when he's still lying unconscious?"His words snapped Marla out of her daze. "You're right.""Don't worry. I'll take care of Mr. Swift. Right now, the priority is stopping Hendrix as soon as possible."Marla glanced at Dylan, then at the man lying in bed—Marshall still hadn't woken up.The doctor said Marshall was out of danger, but no one could say when he would regain consciousness. Honestly speaking, Marla di
Marla hadn't held back, and Noelle's cheek immediately flushed red.The household staff standing nearby paled at the sight and rushed forward to block Marla."Get out of my way!" Marla snarled through clenched teeth. "Noelle, you're nothing but an ungrateful bitch! After everything Seline did for you—if it weren't for her, you'd be long dead!"Back then, you lived worse than a stray dog left out in the cold. Seline helped you so much—she even died saving Rosie! And this is how you repay us, her parents?"Marla was hysterical.The household staff tried to shield Noelle while calling Hendrix. But Noelle stopped them. Then, she stepped forward to face Marla directly."Mrs. Freeman." The household staff looked worried, but Noelle ignored them.She stood before Marla and asked, "I have a question for you.""What is it? You—"Noelle cut her off, "Did you have anything to do with my disappearance and injury?"The softly spoken question instantly silenced Marla. The fury that had bee
"At the time, Hendrix actually had no reason to target you and Mr. Swift," Noelle said.Marla froze for a moment. "W-what?""Isn't that true?" Noelle looked at her with genuine confusion in her eyes. "The only reason Hendrix dragged you and Mr. Swift into this was because you helped Dylan.""If you truly wanted me to live well, as you claim, you would never have let him take me away like that. That's why Hendrix came after you. And when you realized I was still alive, this was the outcome."Marla had no rebuttal."I already found out about what happened to Seline, and I'm grateful she saved Rosie. If possible, I'd gladly take her place in caring for you both. But ultimately, Rosie and I owe Seline, not you or Mr. Swift. In fact, the connection is faint at best."The moment you became Dylan's accomplice, whatever shred of obligation I owed toward you and Mr. Swift was paid in full. As for your current situation, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."Marla had arrived brimming
When Hendrix returned, Noelle was still engrossed in the files on her computer—so much so she didn't even notice he had come back."What are you looking at?" Hendrix whispered into her ear.Startled, she instinctively moved to block the screen before turning to ask, "How do you walk without making any sound?"Hendrix glanced at her computer screen. There was nothing scandalous—just some of her past work, things he had already seen.He had even bought all of her published works. For a while, anyone entering his office would spot, amid stacks of documents, a few brightly colored comic books on his desk.The covers featured intimate poses between a man and a woman. Normally, this wouldn't be noteworthy, but paired with Hendrix's image, the contrast was jarring.He knew what people whispered behind his back, but he simply ignored them.Now, with just one look at her screen, he could pinpoint exactly where the story had progressed. Oh, the male lead was about to kneel in the rain to
Noelle quickly added, "But don't worry. I'm not hurt or anything. It was just a slap."By the end of the sentence, she started to lose confidence, so her voice unconsciously dropped a few notches.Hendrix let out a cold laugh. "Just a slap? And you think that's not serious? What would qualify as serious to you? Beating you until you're paralyzed? This is our home. You expect me to just let it slide when someone barges in and hits you?"With each word, his anger seemed to escalate. He pressed his lips into a tight line before he abruptly turned to leave.Noelle quickly grabbed him. "What are you going to do?""Let go.""Don't act impulsively. You're scaring me like this."Her words made Hendrix freeze mid-step. As if afraid he'd still leave, Noelle clung tightly to his waist and looked up at him.Even though Hendrix didn't say anything, he did seem to be much calmer.After a pause, Noelle added, "Besides, I didn't take it lying down.""You hit her back?""Well, no. But I argu
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