The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

Charles glanced at Ronald, who immediately came over and handed him a piece of paper and a pen. Charles quickly sketched a few letters on the paper and then passed it to Janice. "When can it be ready?" he asked.

Janice paused for a moment. "When do you need it?"

"Before New Year's," Charles replied, glancing at his watch. "It's getting late. I'll wait for your good news."

"Understood," Janice said with a smile, gesturing politely as she watched Charles leave with his usual composed stride.

Narrowing her eyes, she looked down at the letters he had written-C&N. She wondered who this lucky woman was to be treated so thoughtfully by Charles.

Milo had a simple purpose for his visit to Brookville-to gauge Charles' intentions and to see how much tolerance Charles had for the situation.

However, he had not expected their first encounter to be so tense. It seemed Charles was not interested in playing along or taking a softer approach this time.

In the past, Charles might have turned a blind eye to certain matters, but this time, he had been very direct. Could it be that he genuinely felt something for Winter? Perhaps they had done something that crossed Charles's boundaries? "Why did you come this time, Milo?" Clarisse asked, puzzled by Milo's silence since her arrival.

"Are you worried I'm not taking good care of Janet?"

Milo looked up at Clarisse. It had been six months since he last saw her, and she seemed to have aged quite a bit, which surprised him. Pressing his lips together, his expression turned serious.

"Why would you say that? We're all family. Do you think I believe you'd mistreat Janet? You've taken care of her since she was young. Sometimes, you're kinder to her than I am." "Then, why are you here?" Clarisse asked.

"I've already met with Charlie," Milo replied. He was making allusions to the matter with Charles, and his voice still carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Clarisse blinked in surprise. "Didn't you just arrive in Brookville? How did you meet Charlie so quickly? What did you talk about?

"If you wanted to see him, you could've told me. We could've gone to the Hoffman residence or had a meal together."

"Are you afraid I'll harm your son?" Milo snapped, clearly displeased. "I'm still Charlie's uncle. What's wrong with me meeting him?"

"That's not what I meant. You know that Charlie and I don't have the best relationship; and he's not very close to you either," Clarisse explained. "He still holds a grudge about what happened three years ago when we tried to set him up."

"Three years ago? A setup? If he wasn't willing, could we have forced him? I think he's just trying to shirk his responsibility. Should Janet carry that burden alone for the rest of her life?"

Milo's expression grew colder. "You know Janet has only ever loved him. If he didn't have feelings for her back then, why did he get involved with her?"

"Milo," Clarisse's expression darkened.

Although she deeply cared for Janet,

Charles was still her son. Over the years, she had treated Janet exceptionally well, even better than her own son at times. However hearing Milo speak about her son this way made her uncomfortable.

"Let's not dwell on what happened three years ago. If you still want Charlie to marry Janet, then you need to accept him. I'm sure that's why you're here this time. If so follow my lead and avoid conflict with Charlie. H-He's no longer the person he used to be."

"It's too late!" Milo replied, his expression contorting with anger. "Your son has become even more formidable. He doesn't even acknowledge me as his uncle anymore." Just thinking about Charles' attitude filled Milo with frustration, making it difficult to swallow his resentment.