Chapter 55
Meanwhile, Ronald escorted two colleagues away when a sudden chill crept over him, a gut feeling that something was off. “Seriously? Mr. Hoffman can’t be that ruthless, can he?”
Noelle listened as Charles did something he hardly ever did: he admitted he was wrong. She had to admit that part of the blame was on her for not being more alert. She glanced down at how close she and Charles were standing and felt her cheeks heat up again.
She gently pushed away Charles’s hand and turned her head to hide her flushed face. “Where are my clothes?”
Charles narrowed his eyes, feeling the loss of warmth from his hand, and looked away. “Head upstairs
first.”
“Okay.”
Noelle’s emotions were a tangled mess. Could she really have just married Charles like that? It all had happened so fast that it still felt like a dream to her.
She made her way to Charles’s bedroom. Earlier, she had noticed that his house was tastefully decorated, with a simple yet sophisticated style that did not quite match the over–the–top luxury she expected from the homes of the rich.
Noelle glanced around, feeling the seconds stretch into hours, and started looking for her belongings. That was when she spotted her phone in Charles’s room. She grabbed it in a hurry and saw it was powered off.
She turned on her phone quickly and was bombarded with a bunch of missed calls. Most were from Xavier, but there were also a few from her grandfathers, Sebastian and Samuel,
Noelle bit her lip and dialed her Grandpa Sebastian’s number first. He picked up almost immediately. ” Noelle?”
“Grandpa, it’s me, Noelle!” she said. “My phone died last night. Did you need me for something?”
“Where have you been?” Sebastian had tossed and turned all night. With Noelle’s voice finally reaching his ears, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Weren’t you at Samuel’s place yesterday? He rang me up in the dead of night, worried sick, asking if I had any clue where you were. That’s when it hit me that something was off. Noelle, you have to tell me what’s going on with the Shaws
Sebastian had always been frosty toward the Shaw clan. Noelle had sensed his chill–not just with the Shaws but with his own daughter, Jade–from a young age, but she was clueless about the beef,
Noelle nibbled on her lip. “Grandpa, don’t worry. I’m all good. I just had a rough night, so after we celebrated granddad’s big day, I headed home. My phone just died, so I missed your calls.”
She mulled it over but kept last night’s drama from Sebastian. Knowing his fiery streak and his existing beef with the Shaws, he would storm their castle if he caught wind of the stunt Jade and the Shaw squad pulled. Noelle was not about to spark a family feud. Her granddad was nothing like those Shaw villains. He was a gem.
For real?” Sebastian was skeptical, but seeing Noelle in one piece, he let it slide. “Kiddo, if you ever get in a jam, you come straight to me, okay? I’ll set things right.”
+15 BONUS
“I get it, Grandpa. Who would even try to mess with me? You’ve been up worrying all night, haven’t you? Go get some sleep. I’ll come by to see you when I get the chance!”
Noelle ended the call, a shadow passing over her eyes, and dialed Samuel. As expected, Samuel brought up last night’s drama. “I’m not too old to have missed the racket last night, you know. I’m aware you were treated unfairly, but you should’ve come to me instead of taking off on your own.” 1
“Grandpa, I understand,” Noelle said thoughtfully. “Really, I’m okay. I didn’t want to make you unhappy with what happened yesterday! And hey, I’m fine now, right?
“Okay. I know you’re a good kid, but you’ve got to remember to look out for yourself. Stay away from the Shaw place unless you really have to. If you’re missing me, just let me know, and I’ll have Mr. Thompson take me out for a bit.”
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