The Sway and Slide of Love

Chapter 201

Noelle simply smiled. She waited until Ruth had entered before lifting her gaze to welcome the next guest.

"Welcome."

As she got to the last syllable, her voice noticeably softened, and her smile faltered for a brief moment. But she quickly regained her composure, her smile blossoming once more.

"Hello, Mr. Freeman."

She wasn't sure when Hendrix had arrived, but judging by the presence of others behind him, it seemed he must have overheard her exchange with Ruth.

Hendrix quickly swept past Noelle with his gaze before walking up to Craig.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

It wasn't even a second that they shook each other's hands before releasing them again.

Noelle, however, was no longer looking at him. Instead, she turned her attention to the other guests, her smile still as bright as ever.

There were ove a thousand guests today. Just the greeting portion alone made Noelle feel like her smile was about to freeze on her face. The next part of the event no longer required her, so she took the opportunity to slip away and get some fresh air in the corridor.

She pulled out a cigarette from her purse and was about to light it when she realized she had forgotten to bring lighter. After rummaging through her purse and confirming it wasn't there, she reluctantly gave up. Just as she was about to toss the cigarette from her fingers, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she hadn't yet

had a chance to discard it when the other person's gaze quickly fixed on it.

Though Noelle had long since stopped caring about the opinions of others, seeing the furrowed brows on the person's face made her pause for a moment. However, she quickly smiled and said, "Mr. Freeman, shouldn't you be inside right now?"

Hendrix didn't answer, nor did Noelle press the issue further. Instead, she snapped the cigarette in half and threw it into the trash. Then, she turned around.

"The situation in Vinton City isn't as simple as you think," Hendrix suddenly said.

Noelle paused for a moment but quickly nodded. "I know."

"You might end up with nothing, and I mean, including yourself."

His words made Noelle laugh. Then, she answered him seriously, "Mr. Freeman, I was born with nothing to begin with."

After saying this, she didn't wait for his reply and continued walking forward.

"Stop smoking," Hendrix suddenly said from behind her. "'s bad for your health!"

Noelle paused for a moment, but she didn't turn around. Instead, she simply kept walking forward.

Bad for her health? She didn't know what to make of this bit of concern from him. There was no relationship

Chapter 201

between them anymore. Although their past interactions were characterized by a mixture of harshness and occasional kindness, Noelle no longer wanted even that small gesture of sweetness.

She had always been someone trapped in the mire, and it was he who reached out his hand to save her back then. He took her to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks and whispered in her ear that he wanted to be with her.

Despite always feeling uneasy about his kindness, he was like a light in darkness to her. When she saw the light, she felt that maybe she could still rise above her situation, that she still had a chance of being saved.

But in the end, he gave up on her without hesitation. He wouldn't even listen to a single word of explanation from

her.

Noelle had once been unable to understand, but now, she finally did. It was simply because he didn't love her. Sure, he desired her, but he could just as easily desire somebody else. And every time he saw her, he was reminded of Beatrice. Noelle was like a lump in his throat or a thorn in his side.

That was w

was why he went to find someone else, someone without any flaws, and that was why she was dumped. Today's Bonus Offer