Hendrix was clearly taken aback by what Noelle said.

It was a strike to the heart.

If he truly cared about her as much as he appeared to be, Noelle knew that just that one sentence would be enough to keep him awake all night. And the thought of that made her incredibly happy.

Even though she understood that hurtful words in a relationship were like a double-edged sword- wounding her as much as they hurt him-in that moment, all Noelle cared about was that he felt the pain more deeply than she did.

Noelle didn't look at him again and simply turned to leave. The cobblestone path wasn't easy to walk on.

She knew the backs of her heels were bleeding, but she didn't pay any attention to them. She walked into the restaurant in her high heels, with Hendrix silently following behind her.

Though it was called a farmhouse restaurant, the decor was far from ordinary. As soon as Noelle entered the lobby, she noticed two paintings hanging nearby. The signature on them was one she was very familiar with-it was Zavier York's work.

As the waiter guided them to the private room, he took the opportunity to introduce the restaurant. He explained that all the ingredients were sourced from the farm in the nearby mountains, with fish and poultry freshly slaughtered and cooked to order.

Guests even had the option to visit the back mountain to personally select their ingredients. He went on to emphasize that their chickens, ducks, and geese were raised on saffron, claiming it made them particularly nourishing.noveldrama

Noelle wasn't sure whether saffron-fed chickens offered any extraordinary benefits, but based on the waiter's description, she couldn't help but think this place hardly qualified as a farmhouse restaurant. After all, what kind of rural farm raised chicken on saffron?

As the waiter wrapped up his introduction, they arrived at the private room. Inside, Javier was already waiting. But to Noelle's surprise, there was someone else in the room-Sandra.

The last time Noelle had gone back to Coppersville, she hadn't visited the Swansons, so it had been several months since she'd last seen Sandra. If she remembered correctly, Brandon had mentioned that Sandra was pregnant.

Noelle's gaze slowly drifted downward, only to notice that Sandra's stomach was flat, showing no signs of pregnancy at all.

When Sandra saw Noelle, she was visibly startled for a moment, but she quickly composed herself and offered a graceful smile to both of them.

"Mr. Freeman." Javier, seemingly oblivious to the subtle teision between the two women, stood and shook hands with Hendrix.

Naturally, Hendrix returned the handshake.

The Continental Reach project had completed its soil and water quality surveys and was now ready to officially launch. Hendrix and Javier had finalized their partnership carlier, and as one of the collaborators, Noelle was here to negotiate a separate loan agreement.

Elm Group's finances were naturally no match for Amity Group's deep pockets, so securing a partnership for Continental Reach was a major win. It was clear that their focus this year and next would revolve around this

Chapter 260 project.

However, given the project's massive scale and the fact that payments wouldn't come through until this time next year, Noelle also needed to develop smaller projects to maintain the company's cash flow. She had assumed that, with Elm Group's prior collaboration with Vinton Bank and Hendrix personally overseeing tonight's deal, the partnership was all but guaranteed. However, Javier's demeanor that evening was unexpectedly vague.

Each time Noelle tried to bring up the topic, he would skillfully redirect the conversation elsewhere. Just as she was prepared to try again, she felt Hendrix's hand press lightly against hers under the table. Frowning, Noelle glanced up at him, only to see him smiling and casually chatting with Javier about the restaurant. At the mention of it, Javier's mood visibility brightened.