The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

Charles smiled as he pulled Noelle into his arms, using his right arm to cradle Noelle's arm as he drew comforting strokes along it. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't confident in what I had planned!" "Alright!" Noelle nodded. "Are you really going to meet your uncle tomorrow? What did you say he's here for this time?"

"To find out the truth!" Charles sneered. "My uncle is very meticulous, and he never misses a detail in his plans. He'd never trust anyone but himself to execute what is planned, and he'll only rest easy when he's the one working on things." "So, you'll be meeting him tomorrow just to put his mind at ease?" Noelle asked as she raised an eyebrow. When she saw the surprised look in Charles' eyes, she could not help but laugh. "Did I get that right?"

"You're brilliant, Nelly. You're an amazing student," Charles said as he gently tapped Noelle's nose and said lovingly, "He won't be doing anything this time. It doesn't matter how fond he is of Janet. He'd never allow her to ruin his plans."

"Which means that Janet might merely be one part of his plan?" Noelle did not know what Charles was getting at, but from what she heard, it seemed that Milo Baker would be tough to deal with.

"Perhaps! I don't know what his ultimate goal is, but he's got plenty of ambition. He was not pulling this many moves several years ago when the relationship between the Hoffman and Baker families wasn't as bad as it is now. Looks like he's getting impatient." Charles chuckled. "This matter will have to be dealt with sooner or later!"

"Oh, right. You mentioned something about three years ago. What on earth happened three years ago?" Noelle recalled the way Charles had gritted his teeth when he mentioned the incident three years ago and his foul expression when speaking of Milo.

An odd look flitted through Charles' eyes, and his eyebrows furrowed together slightly upon hearing that. However, he soon regained his calm composure and turned toward Noelle, gazing at her before saying, "It's nothing much, just some friction between the Hoffman family and the Baker family. It's a long story, and it's getting late. I'll tell you some other time!"

"Alright!" Noelle nodded. Though her instincts told her things were not as simple as they seemed, she would not force Charles to tell her anything when he did not feel like talking about it. "Let's get an early night! You'll need to rest up so you can meet your uncle while you're still full of energy!"

...

Charles chose the location. They were in Bamboo Grove House's largest private room, which Charles frequented.

Charles had sent Ronald to escort Milo over, and the two arrived at basically the same time.

Ronald knocked on the door before opening it to allow Milo entrance. Meanwhile, he stood waiting outside. "Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Baker has arrived!"

"Uncle Milo, please take a seat!"

Charles said before he clapped his

hands together. "Ronald, have someone bring the tea over!" Then, he turned to Milo. "It's been three years since we last met, Uncle Milo. I wasn't sure if your preferences have changed."

"No big deal," Milo said as he took his coat off and placed it over his arm. His gaze landed on Charles as he gazed at him carefully.

It had been three years since they last met, and the youthful-looking boy of his memories had changed Though his looks remained largely the same, something about his aura

and demeanor had saura

QUMS

Three years ago, Charles still looked like a somewhat immature and youthful teenager. Today, he had transformed into a man with a wealth of experience behind him, and the fierce, intense energy he had about him was not what any

ordinary person could achieve.

Milo's eyes had an intelligent spark as they landed on Charles, and he smiled. "It's been a long time since we last met, and you're becoming even more composed and mature by the day." "That's very high praise from you, Uncle Milo. Please, take a seat!"

Charles poured Milo a cup of tea and handed it to him before saying, "I've already placed an order for our meal. It's all your favorite dishes."