The Cherished Wife

Wife 100

Sean closed his eyes for a moment, trying to let it go. “Okay, enough about that. I’m heading out in two days. Can you look after Arnold for me?” He got up to leave, then hesitated. “And my cousin… if he bothers you, just… try to cut him some slack, okay?”

Charles nodded, giving Sean a quick look. “Just watch your back, alright?”

Sean gave a half–smile, a hint of caution in his voice. “You‘

got to watch your back these days. I hear you’re planning to take on Robert? He may not be a tiger, but watch out. Even a kitty can pack a punch!” Grabbing his suit jacket from the chair, Sean headed for the door and spotted Noelle with two bowls of gazpacho. “Is this for us?”

Noelle nodded. “Try it!”

Sean chuckled. “I’d love to, but I’ve got some loose ends to tie up at the hospital. Save it for a toast with my bro!”

“Sure thing. Catch you later!” Noelle replied with a warm smile, missing the stern look on Charles’s face as Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Sean left.

Turning around, Noelle found Charles holding her bowl. “Want a taste? I made it earlier and just chilled it. Should be perfect!”

Charles gave a sly squint, letting the previous topic slide. He sipped the soup, his eyebrows lifting in approval.

Seeing his reaction, Noelle’s tension melted away. “Well?”

“It’s delicious!” Charles said honestly. “The perfect mix of tart and sweet, and just the right chill!”

“Great! If you like it, have some more!” Noelle beamed. “I overheard you guys earlier. Running into any trouble?”

Charles downed the rest of the soup and handed back the empty bowl, which Noelle took with ease. He hesitated for a moment. “Nah, just the usual company red tape.”

Noelle gave a quick nod. “You‘

got stuff to do, so I’ll let you get back to it!”

Charles caught her hand, causing Noelle to give him a confused glance. “What’s up?”

“You’re with the Frotconn

project team, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right, the pro

team,” she confirmed, then hesitated. “Something wrong?”

Charles shook his head. “Ever thought about leaving Frotconn?”

That threw Noelle for a loop. Honestly, the thought had never crossed her mind. Charles seemed different today, and it made Noelle give it some real thought. “Why would I?”

She gave a small laugh. “I’m not the type to just quit, but I’m also not going to bang my head against a brick wall. Leaving because of something Xavier did is not my style.” She eyed Charles. “However, after the mess today, maybe it’s time to think it over.”

Charles nodded in agreement. “Frotconn’s hit a ceiling. Joseph’s stuck. He never thought to use the resources Collosus Group offered him to grow. Instead, he’s just trying to snag benefits from them. A

company like that’s never gonna soar!”

Noelle bit her lip. “I might not see things the way your big boss does, but Frotconn’s definitely got issues, and they didn’t just pop up overnight.”

“Why’d you even join Frotconn?”

Caught off guard, Noelle’s cheeks tinged pink. “Would you think less of me if I said it was for personal reasons?”