The Cherished Wife



"Over here!" Charles waved her over. The scent had Noelle forgetting all about her staunch vow not to forgive a certain someone. She dashed to the table and burst into laughter at the sight of the soup. "How on earth did you know I was craving creamy mushroom soup?"

She had been dreaming of soup the night before, but whipping up creamy mushroom soup was not exactly easy for them with their hectic schedules. Noelle would've rather spent her time working or sleeping. She never expected Charles to surprise her with the very dish first thing in the morning. Charles flashed a grin. "Take a seat. Becky brought over some homemade kimchi a while back, and today, it's the star of the show."

"Becky?" Noelle's eyes sparkled. "Ronald mentioned she's from Lacindra, right? They're famous for their killer pickled radishes!" Chatting away, Noelle ladled out two bowls of soup and popped open the box. The rich scent of radishes hit her, and she could not resist exclaiming, "Wow, that smells amazing!"

"Eat up, we're running out of time."

"Got it!" Noelle nodded and started to eat with focus, but then she suddenly stopped and looked up. "Oh, I can't go with you today!"

"Huh?" Charles raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Noelle hesitated. "You forgot about last night? J at Collosus Group, remember? She nearly caught us." The thought of the close call made Noelle uneasy. She might have been spotted if Charles had not distracted J at the last second.

Noelle rambled on, oblivious to the shift in Charles's expression, which had turned sour.

With her head down, Noelle sipped her soup and noticed Charles's silence. Puzzled, she looked up to meet his intense gaze and gulped. "What's up?"

"You're really scared she'll find out, huh?" Charles's voice was icy.

Chewing on a piece of pickled radish, Noelle blinked. "Yeah, I mean, J seems pretty intense. If she had caught me in your space yesterday, she wouldn't have let it go." As Noelle spoke, she noticed Charles's mood darkening. What's up with you?" Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

"Is our relationship that embarrassing?" Charles was clearly not pleased. "Noelle, are you that against people knowing about us?"

Noelle could not help it; she burst into laughter, nearly choking on her food. "You're mad? Seriously? Because I don't want J in on our secret?" She batted her eyelashes innocently. "Wow, Charles, I had no clue you were so touchy!"

Charles's brows quirked up, his eyes narrowing into slits that flashed a warning. It was as if he was silently telling Noelle to tread carefully, or they would be heading into choppy waters.

"Come on, haven't we been over this like a million times?" he said with a hint of exasperation. "It's not that I'm against it. I just think we need to ease into it. At first, I didn't want the whole world making a big deal about us getting hitched, especially with the Shaw clan ready to pounce and use our relationship to their advantage. And now, well, you know the drill with my family. You're aware of the Hoffmans' stance on things. Plus, my mom's got this thing for J. If they catch wind of you now, won't that just stir up a whole mess?"

Noelle set her fork down and rested her chin on her palm, giving Charles a thoughtful look. "Truth be told, I'm not scared of a little drama. If you're cool with it, going public isn't a big deal to me. But it's not just about me getting hassled. Your marriage is bound to set off fireworks!