The Cherished Wife



Caught in an awkward spot, Noelle reached out and shook Charles's hand slightly. "Hey... Charles, weren't you going to show me how to ride a horse?"

Her words sliced through the weird silence like a sword, and Charles let out a light laugh, nodding. He playfully tousled Noelle's hair. "Sure thing. Let's get you into some riding gear, then we'll go find you a horse."

With that, Charles and Noelle headed off, leaving Sean staring after them, a storm brewing inside him. After a while, he finally let out a gruff, "Sorry!" Peter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, and his hand fished in his pocket before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Sean, who just shook his head. "I quit!" Peter might not have known that Sean had kicked the habit years ago, though sometimes he would still hold onto a cigarette for old times' sake.

Catching the cue, Peter pocketed the cigarettes again and twirled one between his fingers. His gaze drifted off into the distance. "I'm in the wrong, too. It's not just you."

With a shared look and a chuckle, they reached a silent truce. "Let's go give Charles a run for his money. It's just us single men here. No way we're letting him have all the fun."

Sean's eyebrow quirked up in agreement. "Now you're talking!"

Noelle cast a worried glance over her shoulder. "They're not going to throw punches, are they?" The tension had been thick just moments ago, and Noelle was seriously scared that the trio might come to blows. That was why she had piped up to shatter the uneasy quiet. Charles had just grabbed her hand and pulled her away, leaving Noelle fretting that Peter and Sean might still clash if things went south.

"Don't worry," Charles reassured her

with a glint in his eye. He figured it was a win if those two did not gang

up on him. He did not care about

ie

them fighting each other. Out loud, though, he played it cool. "We don't just start brawling for no good reason. Peter's not going to hurt Sean."

"Are you sure?" Noelle was skeptical. The standoff had been intense, and she could tell each of the men had a powerful presence. They might have come to blows if she had not been there.

Truth be told, Noelle had every reason to be concerned. It had happened before, but Charles was not about to spill that to freak her out. "Very sure," he insisted.

Noelle nodded, hesitating. "Can I ask you something?" She bit her lip. "Is Tania, Peter's wife, the sister you talked about?"

Charles gave a nod of confirmation.

"Yeah, she's my second uncle's kid. She got mixed up with Layla as a baby and ended up being raised by this guy named Christian. It wasn't until she was all grown up that strange turn of events led to

Tania had an uncanny

everyone figuring out the mix up.

to my second aunt, which made people look into it. She has a long history with Peter. A big

misunderstanding tore them apart after they got married, and she has been missing ever since."

Noelle bit her lip, words failing her. Even with just those few sentences from Charles, she sensed how much Steven meant to both Peter and Charles. "You guys didn't try to track her down?"NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.

Charles shook his head, a look of frustration crossing his face. "Of course we did. She was as stubborn

as they come. Once she makes up t

n

her mind good luck changing it. Chances were slim that she would ever come back." He let out a heavy sigh. "She left Peter an official-looking agreement when she took off. It seemed pretty final, like she had written off coming back for good."

"What about Peter? He didn't try to win her back?"