The Cherished Wife



Charles gave a sly grin and wrapped Noelle in a warm hug. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Noelle arched an eyebrow, half-teasing and half-serious. "You're playing the mystery card with me now?" She did not push for more information, though.

She figured Charles had the whole game mapped out in his head, down to the nitty-gritty details he had probably seen coming a mile away. "You're okay with laying low here for a bit, right?" he asked, his voice soft with concern.

"I get it," Noelle said as she turned and hugged Charles around the middle. "You've told me like a million times. You might not be sick of it, but I sure am!" She nuzzled her head against his chest, her eyes narrowing into a contented squint. Charles cradled her head, finding a comfy spot for her to rest on. "Feeling sleepy? Wanna head to bed?"

Noelle shook her head. "Let's catch the end of the show. It's almost over."

Charles could not help but feel a bit defeated, but he went along with Noelle's wish. Ironically, not long after declaring she would watch till the end, Noelle was out like a light.

He gazed at her tilted head, feeling a mix of helplessness and affection, and then gently scooped her up and carried her to bed.novelbin

He quickly changed her into her pajamas and slipped her under the covers, lying beside her until the bed felt cozy. Once it did, Charles carefully got up.

Meanwhile, Ronald had been on standby for Charles and perked up the moment he got the call. "Mr. Hoffman, you're here!"

"How's it looking?"

"Mr. Hoffman, everything's going as you predicted. Jade's nearly done digging up the dirt on the Bakers. She's got everything but their deepest secrets," Ronald admitted, impressed. He had not seen Charles's plan coming.

Without Charles pulling some strings, Jade would never have been able to snag such a high-profile detective, let alone dig up dirt on the Baker family's deepest secrets. It was all part of Charles's master plan.

"Mr. Hoffman, what's our next move?"

"Send Winter to the office tomorrow. It's high time we shot that Saint Di yve

commercial, and don't forget the Unchallenged Dominion movie. Winter's getting the part of the second lead." Charles's fingers tapped against the doorframe as his piercing eyes, through the window, locked onto the car below,

shimmering with a ghostly light.

Ronald caught on instantly. "I'll let Jane know first thing in the morning. But I have to say, giving Winter the Unchallenged Dominion role feels like we're giving her a free pass."

That movie was Ronald's baby. He roped in a star screenwriter and director to write the script, and after years of fine-tuning, they had crafted a masterpiece. Ronald had a hunch that Unchallenged Dominion would be a box office smash.

However, he knew better than to question Charles. Once Charles made up his mind, that was that.

"The more I hype up Winter, the

fiercer the showdown will be. It'd be perfect if we could drag the Bakers and the Shaws into the mix. Now

that's a show worth watchsly get

Charles's lips twisted into a sly grin. "Alright, let's get to work on it

tomorrow. When's the Unchallenged Dominion press conference, by the way?"

"Next month," Ronald mused,

checking the calendar. "Just over a month, and it'll be New Year's. We're

planning to roll out a press

e

conference before the holidays. As for kicking off the actual filming,

we've still got some prep to do. We're aiming to get that going after the New Year. Mr. Hoffman, will this mess with your plans?"

"Sounds like a plan! Count me in for the press conference!"