"What happened to me? Oh, please. I've always been this way. You never knew the real me, or maybe you just never bothered to!" Noelle's laugh was cold as she cut off Xavier's words. "We've had nothing to talk about for ages. I haven't forgotten what went down last night. I'm not some puppet you can play with. Go tell Winter to watch her back. If she slips up, I'll make her wish she'd never crossed me."Noelle was not the type to be cold and unfeeling; she would not have turned this way if they had not pushed her to the limit.After her outburst, Noelle rubbed at her eyes, her head hung low, and she forced a bitter smile. No matter how much her parents played favorites, she used to just get over it. She was great at making her own fun, or she would just hang out with her Grandpa, playing chess. Her Grandpa always said chess was a great way to calm down the mind.Noelle tried to tell herself that her parents just wanted her to learn to stand on her own two feet. Then she saw how they

Noelle started packing up her stuff. It was just a rental, but she had accumulated a ton of things over time. If she was serious about this move, waiting until the third day to start packing would have been foolish. Decision made, Noelle got down to business, tossing out the junk and keeping what mattered. It was a full day's work.Meanwhile, Xavier was totally blindsided. He could not believe Noelle had actually called the cops on him, and that they had just scoffed at his name, totally unimpressed. Dropping the Hoffman family name did not work either. The cops had said, "Even if Mr. Hoffman himself showed up, we'd still play it by the book!" Little did Xavier know that Mr. Hoffman was the reason the cops were there in the first place. There was no way they were going to let him off easy.Xavier had had no other option but to ring up Winter. The moment Winter caught wind that Xavier was with the police, she dashed there without a second thought. Xavier had just wrapped up his sta

The three days flew by in a blur. Noelle had her bags all packed, just waiting for Charles to swing by and pick her up. The last few days were not just about waiting; they were filled with drama, like the York family finding out Samuel got hurt and deciding to cut all ties with the Shaws.Julian was freaking out and running around like a headless chicken. He apologized to Samuel at the hospital and blew up Noelle's phone with calls. Noelle was not about to fall for that though. She knew better than to show up. Julian even had the nerve to say on the phone that if the Yorks came after the company because of him, it would all be Noelle's fault.Noelle was so close to laughing out of sheer frustration. She could not believe the nonsense coming out of her own dad's mouth. It was a sad moment when she realized she might not really know the man she called Father.Julian did not stop there. He actually had the gall to tell her to go and throw herself at Simon, to try and charm him into gi

Noelle offered, "What can I get you to drink?"Sean winked at Charles, clearly enjoying the moment, and said, "I'd love a drink from our gracious hostess. How about...""He's not having a drink. Sean, you're not tired, are you?" Charles's eyebrows knitted together, his piercing gaze sliding over Sean with an unmistakable warning.A playful glint danced in Sean's eyes. He could tell Charles was on the verge of losing his cool, so he dropped the act. "I'm good, really. No need to bother you. Just point me to the stuff that needs moving!"He made a mental note to tell the big guy and Peter later how Charles had kept picking on him.They had decided to keep the house, so Noelle had put some things back in their places, only taking what she used daily. After watching Sean huff and puff as he collapsed onto the couch, Noelle handed him a glass of water. "Thanks a ton. You've been a huge help today!""Don't mention it, really. No need for thanks!" Sean gave Noelle a quick once-over. She

Sean took a whiff. "Wow, that smells amazing. It's rare to find girls who can cook these days.""Thanks!"Noelle dished out some rice for them. "Dig in! If you like it, help yourselves to seconds!"When Noelle passed the bowl to Charles, she caught him staring at her. Feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze, she chuckled. "What's up? Not hungry?"Charles squinted slightly, accepting the bowl. His long fingers grazed Noelle's hand, sending a flutter through her chest. She quickly pulled back, a bit flustered, and served herself some rice. "Come on, eat before it gets cold."Charles's eyes twinkled with mischief at Noelle's bashful reaction, clearly enjoying the moment. He casually stretched his legs and gave Noelle a playful nudge under the table.Noelle straightened up immediately, her eyes darting to Charles with a mix of surprise and nervousness, as if to say, ‘Hey, focus on your food. Stop kicking me!’Charles could not help but let out a grin at her adorable bewilderment