The Cherished Wife

Wife 18

On the twenty–seventh floor of the Collosus Group,nald shot Becky a quick ‘hey and snagged the stack of papers she was buried in before rapping on the president’s door.

“Come in!”

The voice that cut through the silence was all business. Ronald stood tall and swung the door open, finding the man buried in paperwork. He did not even bother to look up.

“Mr. Hoffman, I’ve got the monthly numbers here. Director Lore from the Finance Department mentioned that the Public Relations Department’s over budget. It’s your call, Ronald rattled off his report and passed the papers to Charles.

Charles’s brow creased ever so slightly, his fingers drumming a steady beat on the desk. ” Don’t sweat the small stuff. If they can handle it, no need to bring it to me,” he said, barely glancing at the report before flicking it back to Ronald. “I didn’t bring them on board to stir up trouble.”

“Got it.” Ronald let out a quiet sigh, then dropped another update, “Ms. Shaw’s back at the office today.”

“Mm–hmm.” Charles nodded. “Anything else?”

“Yes, here’s the scoop on Ms. Shaw, Ronald said, recalling Charles’s request for the full lowdown on Noelle. At first, Ronald thought it was odd–was it about that fender bender the other day? Maybe the big boss had a crush? However, after seeing Charles’s gentle side with Noelle, Ronald figured he might have jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Charles took the papers with a look that said more than words ever could. Ronald snapped to attention, realizing he had spaced out in front of the boss. “Mr. Hoffman, I’ll get out of hair now.”

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“Wait.” Charles stopped him, rapping his fingers on the desk again. It was a sure sign he had more on his mind. “Mr. Hoffman, do you need me to handle something?”

“Ease up on the deals with Frotconn.”

That was all Ronald needed to hear to know Charles was about to shake things up.

Once Ronald was gone Chad.

dove back into the paperwork. It was not until a bit later that he picked up the file Ronald had just passed him on Noelle’s details. It was packed, chronicling Noelle’s life from day one to now.

Charles gave it a quick once–over but froze when he hit a photo of Noelle and Xavier from three years back. His eyes turned icy in an instant. He looked up and yanked the photo out.

The edges of his lips curled up just a touch as his long fingers traced the face of the girl in the photo, outlining her delicate brows and eyes. However, the moment he saw her radiant

smile, his warmth vanished like a snuffed candle. In a swift move, he ripped the photo in two, severing the connection between them. Xavier’s half was discarded, while Noelle’s was tucked safely into his wallet.

He lingered on Noelle’s profile, which spelled out her rocky relationship with the Shaw family. She had moved out years ago, thanks to the trouble stirred up by Winter and Jade.

Despite the bad blood with Winter and Jade, the Shaw family patriarch was totally smitten with Noelle, spoiling her rotten. Except for Joshua, the rest of the Shaws saw her as the black sheep of

the family.

Charles rubbed his chin thoughtfully and snapped the file shut. Picking up the phone, he buzzed Ronald. “I need Winter’s file, and you’ve got thirty minutes.”

Ronald, who was buried in work, nearly dropped his phone. “Thirty minutes?” he muttered in disbelief. Could the boss be serious?

Charles had already hung up, which left Ronald fighting back frustration. Where on earth was he supposed to dig up info in just thirty minutes? After a moment’s hesitation, he dialed a number. “Mr. Lennon, could I possibly borrow your assistant for half an hour?”

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