Wife 36
The Cherished Wife
Chapter 36
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Winter could not help smirking, though she put on a surprised face. âA fountain pen? Noelleâs so
thoughtful, knowing how much grandpa loves his pens Sheâs on the same wavelength as me.
Luckily, our gifts didnât overlap.â
Winter was not wrong. The crowd started to piece together the sistersâ gifts, weighing their
significance. They looked at Noelle with new eyes. âWinter went for the obvious, thinking Grandpa
would love some art, but she didnât see the pen coming.â
Noelle watched Winterâs dramatic display, her feelings a tangled mess. She just did not know how
to react, being the center of attention like this.
Charles squinted and shot Ronald a quick look.
Ronald felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. How had he never noticed his boss loved to
stick
his nose into everyoneâs business?
Ronald might have been grumbling inside, but he knew better than to slack off. He cleared his
throat and put on a look of mock surprise. âHey, isnât that the pen we saw the other day at Curio
Corner?â he said. He gave Noelle a sly look, then turned to his boss with a feigned casual air. âSo
itâs Miss Noelle who snapped it up! What are the odds? Mr. Hoffman wanted to gift that pen to Sir
Shaw and had me go buy it, but Miss Noelle beat us to the punch!â
The crowd suddenly got it. âOh, itâs from Curio Corner? Thatâs a real gem! If Mr. Hoffman was after
it, itâs got to be something special!â
Samuel, hearing all this, picked up the pen and examined it with wide eyes. âYoung lady, what did
this cost you? You⦠You know, Iâve told you I donât need anything. Why go and spend a fortune?â
Despite his worde
Samuel was clearly smitten with the brush and could not stop admiring it.
Someone in the crowd piped up, âIsnât this a relic? I was lucky enough to see one before, and they
say back thenâ¦
Noelle was stunned and turned to Charles, only to find him giving her a knowing look, his eyes
twinkling
with amusement.
Noelle was at a loss for words. She could not figure Charles out, and what he was trying to say was
beyond her.
He had offhandedly mentioned that the pen was not anything special, so⦠did that mean she was
in his
debt now?
The incident was quickly forgotten by everyone else. It was, after all, just another piece of gossip, a
fleeting moment of drama.
After wandering aimlessly with Samuel, Noelle finally made her way to the back garden to get some
air. Deep down, she knew what todayâs gathering was about, yet she still showed up, clinging to a
vain hope that her parents might stand up for her. As usual, however, she was left feeling let down.
âWhat are you doing out here?â
She spun around to find the tall silhouette of the man who had been the center of attention just
moments ago. Noelleâs lips curled into a halfâsmile as she recalled the earlier incident and
chuckled. âAnd you? Whatâs your story for dropping by?â She was curious about his reasons for
coming today.
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Charles just grinned, closed the distance between them, and came to a halt right in front of her.
Taken aback, Noelle stumbled a couple of steps backward and craned her neck to look up at him.
He towered over her, and even in her heels, she felt dwarfed by his height. She gazed up at him, a
bit strained. âYouâ¦â
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