Chapter 49

This was the harsh truth about her parents—they had never really put her first.

Marriage?

If marriage was the real goal, why had they rushed to toss her into Simon's bed?

"Awake?"

The man's voice, crisp and icy, had sliced through the silence, jolting Noelle back to the present. She stumbled backward in a panic, crashing into the bed and collapsing onto it, her face drained of color.

Charles arched an eyebrow, taking in Noelle's panicked dance. Had he scared her that much?

Realizing she might have overreacted, Noelle managed a sheepish grin. "Mr. Hoffman!"

"Mm," Charles had hummed, nodding. "Good to see you're up. Feeling alright? There's some medicine for fever on the table if you need it."

"A fever?" Noelle was shocked. "I wasn't running a fever." Then she added quickly, "Did you rescue me last night?"

Charles squinted and flashed a knowing grin. "Pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Noelle inhaled deeply. She really did not like the idea of being in debt to Charles, yet he had sa