Noelle stood in front of Sabrina, not in any hurry to leave. Instead, she looked down at her, the slight curl of her lips nearly enough to send Sabrina into a fit.
Sabrina brought this on herself, and now she was paying the price Time and again, she kept coming at Joelle with harsh words, never once stopping to think whether she could handle the blowback.
Noelle arched a brow without saying a word, then turned and followed Conner to the garage.
Conner placed the painting in the back seat, then courteously opened the front passenger door for Noelle. He even thoughtfully reached over to fasten her seatbelt for her, but she stopped him before he could.
I can do it myself,” she said.
As soon as she finished speaking, she buckled it herself without giving him time to react.
The moment they left the Ashford residence, Conner asked eagerly, “Noelle, do you really think I’m kind?”
Noelle thought it was a good thing she hadn’t eaten much that night. Otherwise, she might have thrown up from the sheer disgust.
The more she thought about it, the less worth it it seemed. Sure, she had struck back at Sabrina, but now
she had to deal with double the disgust from Conner.
At that moment, Noelle could only force herself to reply, “Yes, you are indeed very kind.”
A satisfied smile spread across Conner’s face, and he started making small talk. “Noelle, you really
helped the Novara Corporation out this time. I have to thank you properly. When you are free, let me take
you out for dinner.”
Noelle turned him down politely. “Mr. Ashford, given our current relationship, it’s not really appropriate for
us to have dinner together. People might start gossiping.”
Conner looked at her warmly. “What if our relationship were different?”
Noelle was almost certain Conner was about to blow his own cover in the very next second.
The less trouble the better. She had no interest in getting tangled up with him, so she came up with a reason he couldn’t argue with.
“Mr. Ashford, as for now, the Cole Group has only given Novara a verbal promise. The contract isn’t signed yet. If any rumors about us end up jeopardizing the project, it really wouldn’t be worth it,” she said.
Conner looked at her with both admiration and gratitude. “You’re really thoughtful. You’re so unlike Sabrina, who only ever thinks about her own feelings like a child.”
His words were laced with clear dissatisfaction toward Sabrina.
Noelle couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “You’re the one who chose her.”
Chapter 82
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Conner didn’t catch what she said. “What did you say, Noelle? I didn’t hear you just now.”
She dropped the sarcasm and forced a smile. “Nothing. I’m a little tired. I’ll rest for a bit.”
She closed her eyes and pretended to nap, unwilling to say another word to him.
The man she had once thought perfect now carried every flaw she had ever seen in men. To her, men always chased after what they didn’t have and placed it on a pedestal, while what they had was taken for
granted.
Noelle blinked drowsily as the car pulled up to the Spencer residence, but Conner made no move to wake
her.
Instead, he sneakily pulled an unmarked bottle of perfume from the center console and sprayed it toward
her face.
A strange scent drifted through the passenger side.
Noelle frowned as she opened her eyes, only to find her vision starting to blur.
Layers of shadows overlapped as an intoxicating fragrance clung to her nose. The driver leaned in closer and closer, but Noelle still couldn’t make out who the face belonged to.
Chapter 83
Chapter 83