The Sway and Slide of Love

Ruth didn't say anything else, nor did she stop Noelle from leaving.

Noelle simply picked up her bag and walked out. As the private room door closed, Noelle caught a glimpse of Ruth from the corner of her eye.

Ruth was looking down, admiring her newly bought bracelet. Her relaxed demeanor was a stark contrast to the suspicious look she had given Noelle earlier.

Noelle could understand her feelings. After all, as Ruth had pointed out, Noelle's claim of wanting to take down Hendrix seemed almost absurd.

First, considering Hendrix's status and abilities, there was no way she could threaten his position simply by relying on his trust in her.noveldrama

Second, there were her feelings for him. Given the circumstances, no one would believe she wouldn't waver—making Ruth's skepticism entirely reasonable. That was precisely why Noelle's moment of hesitation just now had only made her seem more convincing.

If possible, Noelle would have preferred not to use such a clumsy excuse to deceive Ruth. But at the time, if she had simply said she didn't care about the past and even took the initiative to agree to the collaboration, Ruth would have been even more suspicious.

Thus, Noelle had no choice but to come up with this excuse. Regardless, the matter had been smoothed over-for now.

Noelle had obtained the signed documents from Ricky and was about to deliver them to Hendrix when she suddenly received a friend request.

It was from Ricky. Noelle found it strange but accepted the request anyway.

Ricky quickly sent a voice message. "It's me. I really can't thank you enough for this."

Noelle frowned, doubting that Ricky had reached out just to thank her. Sure enough, a second voice message followed.

"Ruth already told me about what happened between you and Mr. Freeman in the past. I really feel for anjin you. But we're friends now, right? So if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. I know a great place-how about I take you out for a drink next time?"

When Ricky's invitations came through, Noelle finally understood his intentions. Thinking of Ruth's slightly swollen belly and the way she tirelessly networked around, Noelle even felt a pang of sympathy for her.

But of course, that feeling was fleeting. She quickly locked her screen and set it aside. Then, she said to the driver, "Take me back to Roselle Court."

To Noelle, Ricky's message was nothing more than a minor blip. She didn't remove Ricky from her friends list-she just archived his voice

messages. Despite doing so,

Hendrix still heard them ends

something she hadn't expected.

was

By then, night had already fallen. Noelle had just put Rosie to sleep and returned

to the bedroom, only to find Hendrix sitting there with a darkened expression.

Noelle gave him a puzzled look. "What's wrong?"

Hendrix didn't answer.

Since he chose to remain silent, Noelle didn't press further and picked up her phone.

But the next moment, Hendrix leaned in. "What are you planning to do?" Noelle had no idea what he was talking about. "What?" "You know, about Ruth."

"Oh." Noelle finally remembered and turned to hand him the documents. "I was going to bring these to your office. But the restaurant was too far from Amity Group, so I just brought them home instead. Take a book."