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Chapter 12
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The Cherished Wife Chapter 13
Noelle gritted her teeth and turned to Sebastian, who gave her an awkward glance. She huffed, "Grandpa, I usually go along with your ideas, but not this. This is about who I spend my life with, and I can't afford to make that decision lightly. I don't want a repeat of the Xavier disaster. That would just be... tragic."Sebastian did not know what else to say. He had hoped that introducing Noelle to Charles might ignite a spark, but with Noelle so against it, he could not push it. "Okay, okay, I won't mention it again. But you should know that Charles is a great guy, and...""Grandpa!" Noelle's frown deepened. "If you keep this up, I won’t visit you again!”Noelle cut off Sebastian, saying, "We should head out. It doesn't feel right to leave Mr. Hoffman by himself in the living room.""You and your stubbornness..." Sebastian sighed, resigning himself to her will.As Noelle and Sebastian emerged, Charles's eyes twinkled with a teasing glint as he looked at Noelle. His lips curled in
The Cherished Wife Chapter 14
"Ms. Shaw, don’t fight it. If you can't avoid something, then just try to enjoy it. Makes sense, right?" Charles's gaze held a hint of mystery as he spoke. Noelle bit her lip, her fight fading away.When Charles felt Noelle's resistance ease up, he let go of her hand. "Hop in, Ms. Shaw."Noelle shot Charles a reluctant look but followed him into the car anyway. Charles flashed a grin. "Buckle up!"Noelle had barely settled into the car seat when she rattled off her address to Charles, then clammed up, only piping up to correct his driving once or twice. Charles was not clueless and picked up on Noelle's cold shoulder. Pulling up to her place, he shot her a look. "Remember what I said before? The offer is still valid, Ms. Shaw. Call me if you’re thinking about it again."Noelle bit her lip, "Look at you, Mr. Hoffman. You’re successful, loaded, and the town's most eligible bachelor. You could snap your fingers and have the ladies of Brookville lining up from here to kingdom come. Why
The Cherished Wife Chapter 15
"Throwing myself at some random guy? Xavier, do you hear yourself?" Noelle could not help but laugh at the absurdity of it all."I get that you're not over what happened with me and Winter, but you're young. You'll find someone who's just for you. I'm your brother-in-law now, right? I wouldn't do anything to hurt you," Xavier said, stumbling a bit over the words 'brother-in-law.' He glanced at Noelle, noticing she looked even prettier than she had just a day ago."Oh, I should be so grateful for your concern!" Noelle's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Do me a favor, will you? Just stay out of my life from now on." She was not the type to cling to what was gone. Sure, she could not just switch off her feelings for Xavier, but she would not let him see her crumble."Noelle, why do you have to be this way? If things had worked out, it would have been great, but otherwise, we should go our separate ways. We’re not a thing anymore, and I'm really into Winter.""Okay, I get it. You're head o
The Cherished Wife Chapter 16
"How can you even suggest something like that about me and Winter? It's not because...""Stop! Just stop. I can't listen to another word, Xavier. You're making me sick. Get out now before there's nothing left of you in my heart." Noelle shoved Xavier back, shooting him a look that could freeze lava. "And don't you dare come back."With that, she fished her keys out of her bag, strode to the apartment door, flung it open, and disappeared inside. She felt like she would totally lose it if she spent one more second with Xavier.Xavier watched Noelle's back as she left, completely lost. How had things between them gone so horribly wrong?Even if they could not be a couple, the bond they had once shared still lingered. He believed that if Noelle had even the slightest affection left for him, she would be mindful of his feelings. She should be cool about him and Winter being together, especially since Winter had once saved her life.He planned to make things right with her, hoping they
The Cherished Wife Chapter 17
The Frotconn weekly Monday meeting was the time to wrap up the previous week's work. This was Noelle's first time back at the familiar table since she had left a year ago. The board members did a double-take when they saw herSome were clueless about her return, while others had their opinions of her colored by the recent scandal.Noelle pretended she did not see a thing, grabbed the papers, and plopped down in her chair. Her gaze was steady as she ignored the buzz around her. The bigwigs, the chairman and the general manager, had not shown up yet, so the room was buzzing with chatter. Some of the older, more seasoned directors were acting like uncles at a family reunion, rehashing the drama from the engagement party with flair.One of the directors, who had butted heads with Noelle before over work matters, could not resist stirring the pot. "Some people embarrass themselves and still strut into the office like nothing happened."Noelle's brow creased ever so slightly. She meant to
The Cherished Wife Chapter 18
On the twenty-seventh floor of the Collosus Group, Ronald shot Becky a quick 'hey' and snagged the stack of papers she was buried in before rapping on the president's door."Come in!"The voice that cut through the silence was all business. Ronald stood tall and swung the door open, finding the man buried in paperwork. He did not even bother to look up."Mr. Hoffman, I’ve got the monthly numbers here. Director Lore from the Finance Department mentioned that the Public Relations Department's over budget. It’s your call," Ronald rattled off his report and passed the papers to Charles.Charles's brow creased ever so slightly, his fingers drumming a steady beat on the desk. "Don't sweat the small stuff. If they can handle it, no need to bring it to me," he said, barely glancing at the report before flicking it back to Ronald. "I didn’t bring them on board to stir up trouble.""Got it." Ronald let out a quiet sigh, then dropped another update, "Ms. Shaw's back at the office today.""M
The Cherished Wife Chapter 19
Peter Lennon squinted, picking up on the nervous tone in Ronald's voice, and asked, "What's up? Did Charles throw another curveball your way?"Ronald let out a forced chuckle. "Isn't your assistant some kind of computer whiz?""Just call him yourself." Peter's voice was curt, and the line went dead. Ronald stewed in silence, thinking about how Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Lennon must be cut from the same cloth. Both of them were cold businessmen with no patience or sympathy. Shaking it off, Ronald dialed up Lareal, Peter's assistant. "You've got thirty minutes to dig up info on a lady, someone Mr. Hoffman's looking for."Exactly thirty minutes later, Ronald had the scoop on Winter. He was practically gushing with gratitude. "Man, you're a lifesaver!"On the other end, Lareal gave a cool snort. "Does Mr. Hoffman have his eye on this chick?" Winter did not seem like much, but she played a tough game. Lareal could not see how she would be Charles’ type, so he pried a little."No way! I’ve got
The Cherished Wife Chapter 20
Noelle managed to get rid of Larisse and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She had been putting on a brave face all week, but seeing Xavier and Joseph in the meeting room today hit her hard.Joseph had shared a meal with her in secret just a year ago, hinting that he hoped she would end up marrying Xavier. Noelle could never have guessed that things would spiral into the mess they were in now."Ms. Shaw, Mr. Harris would like to see you," Joseph's secretary said through the phone, catching Noelle off guard. She quickly recovered. "Sure, I'll head over now."After tidying up her papers, Noelle made her way to the president's office.She rapped lightly on the door and heard Joseph's voice from inside. "Come in." Pushing the door open, Noelle found Joseph lounging on the couch, flipping through a financial magazine. He looked up and gestured for her to come closer. "Ah, Noelle, you've arrived!""Mr. Harris!" Noelle's tone was polite but distant, a clear sign she was n
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