The Cherished Wife

Wife 95

“Nelly.” He said her name like it was something sacred

Noelle blinked up at him, “Yeah?” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“It’s nothing.” Charles inhaled deeply, releasing her gently to avoid frightening her. He grabbed something and started walking. “Come on. We’ve wasted enough time, and you said you were starving, right?”

At his words, Noelle patted her stomach, “I’m totally starving!” She decided not to dwell on Charles’s earlier behavior. “So, who’s cooking today, you or me?”

“I’ll cook if you drive us home,” Charles offered with a smile. “Let’s hit the road!”

Ronald could not believe his eyes when he stepped out of the mall. There was his boss, the epitome of cool and distant, looking down at Noelle with such warmth, his arms full of groceries.

Ronald shook his head in disbelief. The thought of his usually unapproachable boss living a normal life was almost too much. If Peter and Sean caught wind of this, they would never let him live it down.

Ronald shivered as he tried to shake off the haunting image.

Noelle gripped the steering wheel, sneaking a glance at Charles, who sat serenely beside her. The quietness was new, unfamiliar, and oddly unsettling.

Charles, lounging with one hand cradling his cheek, gave Noelle a lazy, sidelong look. “What’s with the

stare?”

Feeling caught, Noelle coughed awkwardly. “Oh, nothing, just… why am I driving when I’m not exactly a pro behind the wheel?”

“Because you’re not a pro. You know what they say, practice makes perfect. I think you should be the one driving whenever we’re together,” Charles said with a hint of teasing.

Noelle felt trapped by her own words and darted her eyes around, searching for an escape. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she blurted out, “So, Collosus Group has ties with Frotconn, huh?”

Charles’s eyebrow quirked at her clumsy attempt to switch topics. “Really? You’ve been at Frotconn for years, right?”

Noelle bit her lip, conceding, “I never really followed that stuff.” She paused, then added, “I had no clue Frotconn was linked to you or that Collosus Group was your family’s business.”

Suppressing a laugh, Charles teased, “So, what’s your question?”

“Why cut back on the orders to Frotconn?” Noelle asked, genuinely puzzled.

Charles flashed a sly grin, leaning casually against the car door with one hand while the other tapped rhythmically against his knee. “Come on, you’re too clever not to know why,” he teased.

Noelle felt a jolt of anxiety, biting her lip as she eyed Charles warily. “I’ve been through Frotconn’s records for the past few years. Without the Collosus Group propping it up, there’s no way it would’ve made it this far. So, I’m lost here. What’s your deal with Frotconn… or more like, with Joseph and Xavier? Someone as

sharp as you has got to see that it’s just throwing money down a black hole!”

Charles cocked an eyebrow, a silent cue for her to go on. Noelle took a deep breath and ventured, “So, is

this about not wanting to throw Frotconn another lifeline?”

A glint of something fierce flicker

in Charles’s eyes. “Like I said, you’re really smart.”

P