The Cherished Wife



At the doorway, both Sean and Arnold looked over at Noelle, their eyes brimming with gratitude. Noelle paused, caught off guard by the sight of the pair. She could handle Arnold's puppy antics, but Sean's face was too much. She could not help but laugh. "Charles?"

Charles just glanced at her coolly. "It's either me or Arnold. Make your choice."

Damn!

Sean's mind was racing with frustration. He could not believe Charles had stooped so low as to compare himself to a dog. Winning that kind of contest was no victory at all.

Sean did not wait for Noelle's answer. He stormed off with Arnold. Arnold might have been able to deal with their PDA, but Sean could not! Noelle watched Sean leave, dumbfounded. She turned to Charles with a scowl. "Really? Sean's your brother, and Arnold's your pet dog." "Nothing matters more to me than you!" Charles had a way with words that could melt any heart.

Noelle felt her irritation melt away with his sweet talk, and she shook her head with a wry smile. "How did I ever fall for you?" She glanced at the bruise on Charles's face and gently touched it. "Does it hurt?"

Charles shook his head, taking Noelle's hand in his. "Not a bit!"

"Of course it does. You and Mr. Smith are too old for roughhousing!" Noelle was still a bit shaken.

Charles and Sean had walked into Phoenix Tree Residence to find Noelle playing with Arnold. It was the weekend, and without Charles, she was pretty bored-he had left in the morning, saying he had errands to run.

When he came back sporting a bruise, Noelle was beside herself with worry. She demanded to know what had happened, only to find out the two had been goofing off and ended up in a scuffle. "You guys were just messing around, but you still managed to hurt each other?"

"I'll grab some ointment for that!" Noelle said, heading for the first aid kit, but Charles caught her hand and shook his head. "Really, it's nothing!"

"No way I'm letting that bruise just

be. Just sit. get the kit," sheCopyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

insisted, pushing Charles to sit before dashing upstairs. Upon her return, she overheard Charles

sorting something out on the phone. She caught the name Suzy at the tail end of the conversation.

Noelle crouched down and started tending to Charles's wounds. "Why are you talking about Suzy?" Charles's eyebrows knitted together before he replied, "Annie saved your skin, so you owe her big time. Let's call it even with her!"

His tone was casual, but Noelle

knew the score. If Annie had not tipped her off that day, Noelle might not have e made it out of Winter and Simon's grasp alive, even if she was on high alert. She was grateful to Annie. Whatever Annie's reasons were, she had pulled Noelle out of the fire. If not, Noelle would be in the same boat as Suzy.

"So, what are you going to do?" Noelle had seen firsthand what had gone down with Suzy. She was no Mother Teresa, but the sight of Suzy's plight had struck a chord. Noelle figured there was no point in kicking Suzy while she was down.