The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)
Chapter 682

Charles' eyes flickered, and he gently played with Noelle's hand. "You know, you're too smart for your own good. Nothing can be hidden from you. I thought it might be nice to see you a little jealous or upset.

"But here you are, always figuring everything out. Maybe you shouldn't be so clever all the time. Otherwise, even if I wanted to fool you, I wouldn't stand a chance."

"Fool me? Why would you ever need to deceive me? Is there something you'd want to lie about?" Noelle tightened her grip on Charles' restless hand. "You wouldn't dare lie to me, would you?"

"Alright, alright. Enough teasing." Charles chuckled, letting Noelle hold his hand.

Not satisfied, Noelle squeezed harder. Though she thought she was using all her strength, it barely fazed Charles. Annoyed, she dug her nails into his hand. "Start talking."

"It's nothing much, really. It's just that the Bakers seem to be getting impatient, and I needed to come up with a way to deal with it."

Although Charles only offered a simple explanation, Noelle immediately pieced it together. "Oh, so you're trying to use this gossip about you and Winter to stir things up, to make Janet target Winter? And in doing so, you're planning to use Janet to deal with Winter?" She shook her head, unable to suppress a laugh. "You know, taking down two women like this is a bit... underhanded."

"Are you saying we should just let it go?" Charles raised an eyebrow.

Noelle quickly covered his mouth with her hand. "No, I think it's a good idea. I'm not the kind of person who just takes a hit without hitting back."

She knew she was not overly kind or forgiving. If she kept letting others hurt her, she would only end up suffering more. She had to protect herself first.

Charles nodded in approval. "I'm glad you understand. That's exactly why I was so determined to marry you."

"Oh?" Noelle arched her eyebrow. "So, you saw this potential in me all along?"

Charles nodded with a smile, tapping her nose. "Yes."

Noelle nodded back in satisfaction. "Alright, now that I know about this, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Even though this situation has shifted toward Winter, you still need to be careful. Knowing Janet's personality, she won't just focus on Winter."

While Charles disliked Janet, he still

understood her well since they were

family. Janet was obsessively stubborn, almost to the point of

madness, especially when it came to

her feelings for Charles.

Noelle's expression grew serious. She had already witnessed how terrifying Janet could be. However, she still felt confused. "Janet's attitude toward me seems... odd."

"What do you mean?" Charles's eyes

flickered with a sharp light, but he quickly concealed it when Noelle looked up. As he stroked her cheek, he asked earnestly, "Tell me more."

Noelle shook her head. "I can't quite explain it, but at the year-end party, the way Janet looked at me was strange. It felt like she was looking at someone else through me. And it was almost as if she was scared of that person."