"Why didn't you answer any of my calls, then?" Hendrix questioned.

"I didn't hear it because my phone was on silent," Noelle replied.

Hendrix suddenly stood up and stormed toward her. His tal figure filled the narrow entryway, and as he approached, Noelle instantly felt the pressure radiating from him.

She instinctively tried to step back, only to bump into the door, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

She had no choice but to lift her eyes to look at him. Her gaze seemed to carry some confusion, but there was not a trace of guilt or fear in it.

Hendrix lowered his eyes, locking his gaze with hers. After moment, he said, "Sandra called me earlier and told me you were drinking with her."

"With her?" Noelle scoffed. "Do you really think that's possible?"

Hendrix nodded. "Yeah, I know it's impossible. But she told me you were drunk, and since you weren't at home or answering my calls, I thought I'd go check on you."

His piercing gaze seemed to look right through Noelle. Sheppened her mouth but couldn't find the words to

"Sandra told me to go to a hotel. Guess what we did inside? continued Hendrix.

Noelle froze, but she quickly smiled. "I don't know."

"I told you to guess."

"I don't want to."

say.

After Noelle said that, Hendrix slowly shifted his gaze away from her. Then, he laughed. "Sorry to

disappoint you, but nothing happened between me and her. I never had anything with her before, and there's no way that's happening now.

"But Noelle, I'm disappointed in you. Whether you were trying to test me or truly trying to push me toward Sandra, it just makes me feel disappointed."

As he spoke, Hendrix moved past her to get to the door.

But Noelle's question stopped him in his tracks. "So how does it feel to be on the receiving end of this kind of treatment?"

She turned to face him. "Do you feel wronged for being ignored and used? Well, that's been my reality for the past. two years."

A faint, bittersweet smile crossed her lips as she lowered her head. "I wasn't trying to test you, and I definitely wasn't trying to push you toward Sandra. I just... wanted to see you angry.

Hendrix fell silent, his lips pressed into a tight line.

Noelle, however, refused to meet his gaze. "Things are fine the way they are now. Please leave, and don't ever come back again."

With that, she turned on her heel and started toward her room. But Hendrix suddenly closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm.

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" He sneered. "To provoke me, to make me angry, and then draw a clear line between us. What if I refuse to give you what you want?"

Hendrix's gaze had darkened. Noelle felt like he would crush her arm at any moment and was about to wrench herself free when, without warning, Hendrix leaned down and kissed her on the lips.noveldrama

First, she froze with shock, but then, she bit down hard on his lips without hesitation. The sharp, metallic taste of blood quickly filled both of their mouths.

Yet, neither of them let go. They clutched onto each other tightly, as if fighting to the death. But deep down, they both understood one thing-this time, they were evenly matched.

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