After leaving the hospital, Hendrix took Noelle out for breakfast.

She hadn't seen the sun in days, so for the moment, she forgot about the tension between them and simply sat there, eating in silence.

"Do you know what Maxwell has been up to lately?" Hendik suddenly asked.

Noelle paused, then replied, "I've been locked in a room for so long. How would I know?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

But Hendrix didn't mind. He simply chuckled and continued, "This isn't something he just started working on You really don't know?"

"I don't. I haven't been in contact with him for a long time,

Hendrix hummed in acknowledgment. "Aren't you curious about what he's doing?"

Noelle glanced at him.noveldrama

"He's trying to pull your father into a new energy project. I've read the proposal. It's well put together." Noelle frowned but didn't respond.

"A 30% return rate sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" Hendrix added.

Without thinking, Noelle blurted out, "That's a scam, isn't it?"

Hendrix laughed. "You see? Even you are more rational than your father."

"Right now, it's not an exaggeration to say that Craig has nothing left. What could Maxwell possibly gain by dragging him into this? His real target must be..."

Noelle trailed off, suddenly realizing something. She turned to him. "You, right?"

As soon as she said it, Hendrix started laughing. Then, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "Yup! You're really smart, Penny."

Noelle still resisted his touch, but she forced herself to endure it instead of pushing his hand away. Hendrix quickly withdrew his hand.

"He's coming for me," he admitted. "But the trap is too obvious. I wouldn't fall for it. The only question is... should I pull your father out of this mess or not?"

Noelle finally understood why he was telling her all this. She met his gaze and said, "That's your decision to make. I stopped caring about him a long time ago.

Hendrix just smiled indifferently.

Noelle had already finished eating, but after a brief hesitation, she picked up her fork again. Then, casually, she asked, "So, what do you plan to do?"

Hendrix chuckled, but he didn't answer.

Noelle hated it when he acted like this. She lost interest in hearing his response, threw her fork onto the table, and stood up to leave.

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But just as she turned, Hendrix suddenly grabbed her wrist

He didn't use much force, but her wrists had been bruised by the tie over the past few days. The moment

his fingers brushed against her skin, she recoiled as if electrocured, immediately yanking, her hand away. She didn't even have time to cover it up.

Hendrix saw her wrist.

He had been carrying her to the bathroom every day. This wasn't the first time he had noticed the marks on her wrist. But now, under the sunlight, they looked even more striking.

His brows furrowed deeply.

Noelle, however, didn't look at him again. She turned and walked straight toward the exit.

Hendrix followed her. He had originally wanted to tell her about his plans, but then, he saw her stop at the

door, her eyes locked onto something across the street.

Following her gaze, he saw a baby store.

"Do you want to go in and take a look?" Hendrix asked.

."No."

Noelle quickly averted her eyes and got straight into the car after the swift refusal.

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