Chapter 49
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Noelle knew it all, but she still found herself instinctively saying what she said out loud. Then, in his response, she heard the answer she had already known, and it felt almost like self–inflicted torture.
“I understand,” Noelle said. “Have you said everything you wanted to say, Mr. Freeman? Can I get out now?”
Hendrix didn’t say another word, but the car slowed down slightly. Finally, he pulled over to the side of the road.
Noelle didn’t hesitate. She turned and reached for the door.
“Noelle,” he called out suddenly from behind her.
She paused while opening the door, but she didn’t turn around.
Hendrix gripped the steering wheel, carefully considering his words. “For the sake of our time as a married couple, you… can come to me if the Swansons are facing any difficulties.
“Don’t try to disgust me like this.”
Noelle slowly tightened her grip on the door handle.
After a long pause, she said, “Well, thank you, Mr. Freeman”
With that, she opened the door. She didn’t look at him again. After closing the door behind her, she turned and walked in the direction of the subway station.
Hendrix sat in the car, his gaze following her figure as it grew smaller in the distance. His lips pressed into a tig
a tight line.
Of course, he knew there was no subway station anywhere near the Swanson family residence. So, where exactly was she going to take the subway now?
But the thought barely lingered in Hendrix’s mind before it vanished, as fleeting as the moment. From her response earlier, he already knew what she was doing–she was being deliberate.
Making such a show of being close to Maxwell and then going on a blind date with Liam–it was all just a ploy to get Hendrix to speak up and help the Swanson family.
Noelle was well aware that the thing Hendrix disliked most was being drawn into gossip and entangled in drama.
She really would stop at nothing, wouldn’t she?
Noelle quickly returned to her rental apartment. A few minutes ago, Liam had sent her a message letting her know he had made it home.
“It was a pleasure talking to you today. Will we get another chance to meet up and chat over a meal sometime?”
Liam’s words were kind, but the question was direct.
Of course, they were both adults, and it was a blind date. Suptlety didn’t really seem necessary.
To be honest, Noelle didn’t dislike him. At another time, maybe she would have considered being friends with him. But now… with the reputation she had, there was no reason to drag him into the mess with her.
She was about to text him a polite refusal when a call from an unfamiliar number came through.
Without hesitating, she answered it.
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Chapter 40
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“Luna,” a raspy voice came through the phone, as though it were a sharp needle piercing into Noelle’s body.
Her face instantly drained of color, and she threw the phone to the ground.
“It’s been eight years. Have you missed your father?”
The voice on the other end seemed completely unaffected by the situation. It continued, “I really missed you. See, the first thing I do when I get out is contact you.
“You’re in Coppersville now, huh? Wow! An international metropolis, right? I’ll come right over…
Before he could finish, Noelle ended the call abruptly.
To make sure he wouldn’t call back, she quickly turned off the phone. Her fingers were trembling, and she struggled for a long time before finally managing to turn it off.
As the screen went dark, Noelle threw the phone aside.
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