The Cherished Wife

The kiss lasted forever. Noelle had been nervous and careful, but Charles guided her, and in that moment, Noelle felt like she truly belonged in his arms. She wrapped her arms around Charles’s neck, pressed her forehead against his, and took slow breaths. (1)

They kissed for quite a while. Afterward, Charles got out of the car and gently fixed Noelle’s messy hair, smiling slightly as he pulled her close.

She rested her hands on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. She felt her face warm up.

Charles just held her, his arms making her feel safe and warm.

He did not say anything and did not ask any questions. He just held her. After what seemed like forever, Noelle looked up at him. She noticed his lip was hurt and touched it gently. “Are you okay?”

Charles looked at her with soft eyes and a small smile. He held her hand and shook his head. “I’m fine.” Noelle gave him a small smile. “Why aren’t you asking me what happened?”

He shook his head and hugged her again. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready.” He did not need to know everything right now. However, he then gently touched the faint mark on Noelle’s cheek. “Did they hurt. you?”

Noelle tensed up, remembering something sad. She did not say anything.

Charles stroked her cheek and kissed it softly. “You don’t have to go through things alone. Remember, I’m here with you.”

Noelle looked up and found herself lost in Charles’s deep, dark eyes. She fumbled with the fabric of Charles’s shirt, her mouth opening and closing without a word, until she finally nodded. “We should head back. I’m tired!”

“Alright. We’ll go home,” Charles said as he opened the car door for Noelle and buckled her in. Once he was in the driver’s seat, he added, “Get some sleep once we’re back. We can talk about anything you want to talk about tomorrow.” 1

Noelle gave him a small nod, her eyes weary as she gazed at Charles. He reached out and softly caressed her cheek. “Sleep. I’ll wake you when we’re home.”

Home?

A shiver ran through Noelle, but she shook her head. “I can’t sleep. I just want to talk to you!” NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

“Sure.”

As the car hummed away, Noelle kept her body turned towards Charles, watching him as he waited for her to start talking.

“They found out about Grandpa giving me the shares.”

It took a while before Noelle spoke up in a whisper, “But they think I tricked Grandpa, so they want to take the shares back…”

“That was to be expected,” Charles said, tapping on the steering wheel. He had seen this day coming, just

not so soon. “The Shaw family is still led by Sir Shaw. Your dad isn’t happy, so of course he wants the shares. What happened next?”

Noelle’s lips curved slightly as she touched her cheek. “Grandpa got so upset with them that he had a stroke. He’s in the ICU now, and we don’t know if he’ll wake up tomorrow. But they know I have the shares, so they won’t leave me alone.” She knew the Shaw family too well. They would do anything to get what they wanted.

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