Chapter 348
25 BONUS
Erwin’s tone was unnervingly calm, as if he were merely discussing the weather with Noelle. For a moment, she couldn’t quite process what he had just said. It wasn’t until Erwin turned to her with a smile that the weight of his words began to sink in.
Noelle had only met him once. Back then, although Erwin had maintained the demeanor of a well–mannered gentleman and greeted her out of respect for Hendrix, his paze had still carried an unmistakable arrogance and disdain toward Noelle.
Now, his expression was no different.
But it seemed he realized this wasn’t the attitude he should have in the current moment. So, he made an effort to adjust, attempting to present a more “amiable” appearance. But instead, his smile appeared distorted, almost grotesque.
Clearly, he failed.
Erwin didn’t give her much time to think. He quickly added “You like this painting, don’t you? I’ll give it to you.”
“That’s not necessary,” Noelle replied without hesitation. I don’t know much about oil paintings.”
“Is that so? But out of everything here, you specifically focused on this one. That shows you have some taste.”
Noelle wasn’t sure if what he said was meant to be a compliment. To her, it just felt uncomfortable.
Since Hendrix wasn’t here, Noelle had no intention of wasting her time with Erwin. She promptly said, “I’ll take my leave now. Let’s have dinner together next time when Hendrix is here. ”
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With that, she turned to leave. Erwin didn’t stop her because there was no need for him to personally do so. As Noelle reached the door, a tall man in a suit stepped forward and blocked her path.
She turned back to look at Erwin. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“I simply wish to invite you to dinner,” refuse now?”
Erwin replied. “You’ve already come all this way, so wouldn’t it be rude
to
“I don’t think you’re genuinely inviting me to dinner,” Noelle said with a frown. “Besides, you’re Hendrix’s friend, and we’re not familiar with each other, so there’s no need to make this difficult for both of us.”
“It’s no problem. I’m quite interested in you. Besides, I had my staff prepare Jainese cuisine especially for tonight. I thought you might enjoy it,” Erwin said sincerely.
But Noelle knew very well that she had no choice in this matter. In the end, she found herself “invited” to the dining room.
Erwin clearly had little interest in Jainese cuisine. He couldn’t handle the utensils well and, after awkwardly using
fork to eat a few bites, set his utensils down.
Turning to Noelle, he asked, “What do you think of the food?”
“They’re fine,” Noelle replied.
“That’s good to hear. Good Jainese food is hard to find around here. The chef I brought in was specially invited and only arrived this evening. Otherwise, I would have asked you to join me for lunch instead.”
Noelle looked at him. “If you have something to say, feel free to say it directly.”
“Oh?”
Chapter 348
+25 BONUS
“I mean, why did you invite me to dinner? Surely there must be a reason for you to go to such great lengths?”
Erwin chuckled. “Hmm, it seems like you’re not as stupid as I thought. You’re a bit different from those brainless women with big chests.”
Noelle didn’t appreciate his derogatory remark about women, but given his arrogant, dismissive demeanor, she knew saying anything to him would be pointless. So, she chose to remain silent.
Erwin continued, “Can’t you tell? I’m very interested in you!”
Noelle frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“I just said you’re not as stupid as I thought, but it seems like I was wrong.”
