Seeing Noelle remain silent for a while, Oliver couldn't help but call out, "Ms. Swanson?"

Noelle snapped back to reality and immediately put on a standard smile. "Of course, Mr. Freeman. Thank you for making the introduction."

11

"We're all partners. It's the least I can do."

As he spoke, Hendrix stood up and extended his hand to her

There were others in the conference room, and in their eyes, Hendrix was still the attention-grabbing

man. So, Noelle had no choice but to extend her hand in return.

But as she shook Hendrix's hand, she couldn't help but dig her nails into his palm. Her nails weren't long. with the pressure, Hendrix surely felt some pain..

but

Noelle noticed his brows twitching slightly. She didn't linger, though. After saying her goodbyes, she turned and walked out.

The "Mr. Mueller" Hendrix mentioned was a major figure at Vinton Bank. Even if Noelle had dealings with the bank, meeting him in person would be out of the question. For Hendrix, however, it was a different story.

Noelle knew this wasn't Hendrix's first time working with Javier. After all, their personal relationship seemed solid. This time, it was clear that Hendrix had gone out of his way to include her..

As expected, Hendrix called in the evening. He mentioned picking her up for dinner and specifically emphasized that the meeting was for Noelle alone.

Noelle wasn't surprised, but she insisted on driving herself Hendrix didn't push back and simply told her to follow him closely as the restaurant could be a little tricky to find.noveldrama

She recalled how, not long ago over drinks, Hendrix had claimed that he wasn't familiar with Vinton City. Yet here he was today, navigating his car through a maze of twists and turns, eventually arriving at a place even Noelle didn't recognize.

Vinton City was already far less bustling than Coppersville, and now, they'd ventured into its outskirts. The place before them felt eerily remote, almost unsettling

Noelle got out of her car, and before she could even voice her thoughts, Hendrix seemed to know what she was thinking and said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to sell you."

Noelle shot him a sideways glance. "Where's the restaurant?"

"It's inside. We can't go in by car." As he spoke, Hendrix glanced at her shoes. "Do you want to change into another pair?"

"No, it's fine," Noelle answered, already walking ahead.

Hendrix hadn't lied to her. After walking down the cobblestone path, she saw the

lights ahead. It was a farmhouse

restaurant.

Noelle turned to look at the man behind her, but Hendrix's gaze was fixed on her heel. He wasn't sure if it

was the high heels that didn't fit properly, but there was an obvious red mark on her ankle.

She seemed to have noticed nothing, only furrowing her brows as she stared back at him.

Hendrix could only raise his eyes and say, "Let's go. Mr. Mueller is already waiting for us inside." 1/2

Noelle looked at him, then suddenly said, "So, it seems like you're more familiar with Vinton City than I am."

Her words were clearly pointed.

Hendrix's fists clenched Involuntarily, but Noelle didn't spare him another glance as she continued walking ahead. The next moment, though, Hendrix reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

The sudden action caught Noelle off guard, but she quickly pulled her hand away from his. She hadn't wanted to pay him any attention or bring up what happened that night.

But after taking a couple of steps, she couldn't help herself and turned to tell him, "Thanks to you, I ended up at the hospital getting my stomach pumped that night.'