Chapter 220
“Noelle,” Julio called her hame as soon as she stepped out of the restroom.
He was frowning deeply–it was clear he wasn’t pleased with how she acted earlier.
“You know how important this project is to the company, don’t you?”
Noelle simply nodded.
“Then, why are you acting so cold toward Mr. Freeman?” Julio’s eyes darkened. “Don’t tell me you can’t tell what he’s hinting at.”
A project as massive as Continental Reach was still in its early stages, and the workload Hendrix had to be managing was beyond imagination. Yet today, he had spent time playing tennis and having dinner with them.
And before Noelle’s toast, that deliberate glance he gave her–it didn’t take a genius to figure out his intentions. But Noelle didn’t take the bait.
“I’m already divorced from him,” she said after meeting Julio’s gaze for a moment.
Julio chuckled lightly. “So what if you’re divorced? Does that mean you’re married to Mr. Carter and Mr. Russo
now?”
Noelle’s expression changed instantly, her eyes snapping toward him. Though Noelle was well aware of their intentions, she had always been careful to keep her distance.
But Julio’s harsh words suddenly made her feel that, in the eyes of others, all her efforts and actions before had. meant nothing. To them, perhaps her recent successes were just a result of her relationship with men like Hendrix. Her grip tightened.
Julio glanced at her, then quickly added, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then, what did you mean?”
Julio, who was about the same age as Craig, had been a familiar face to Noelle during the holidays. She had seen. him a few times and even called him “Uncle Julio“. But at that moment, she suddenly found having called him that to be incredibly ironic.
“What I mean is, if you can negotiate with them, why can’t you do the same with Hendrix?” Julio said slowly.” They’re clients of the company, but Hendrix is a more important partner. Don’t you understand the difference?
“It’s just like you said–you and he are already divorced, but now, you’re treating him like just another business partner. You know what needs to be done–no need for me to teach you, right?”
Noelle didn’t know how to respond to that.
Julio watched her for a moment before patting her on the shoulder. “Mr. Freeman is still waiting for us back in the private dining room. You should head in. I have some things to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Noelle bit her lip but didn’t reject what Julio had said.
Julio gave her one last meaningful look before walking away.
Noelle remained standing where she was. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she suddenly snapped out of it and turned to walk back
Hendrix was still in the private dining room. He was on the phone, and Noelle could hear the soft, playful tone of Lana’s voice on the other end. “So, it’s settled, then?”
Chapter 220
+25 BONUS
When Hendrix heard the door open, he didn’t look up. He simply muttered a quiet “mm” before hanging up.
Noelle sat down across from him.
“Sorry, Mr. Freeman. Mr. Garcia had to leave unexpectedly, she said with a smile. “But before he left, he made sure to tell me to take good care of you. Allow me to offer you another toast-”
But Hendrix interrupted her before she could finish, “Since it’s just the two of us, let’s skip the formalities, shall We?”
His words were blunt, and the smile Noelle had spent so long preparing outside the room suddenly felt out of place.
She didn’t say anything, merely placing her glass down slowly. “What do you mean by that, Mr. Freeman?”
