The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

"Why would it not count? You're considered a bride every minute you're with me!" Charles said as he gently tapped Noelle's nose and handed the box to her. "Can you put this on for me?"

"You have one, too?" Noelle asked, surprised. She gave her ring a satisfied glance before looking at the complete set of jewelry within the box and crying out in surprise. "When did you start preparing these?" How did she not have a single clue? "That's a secret!" Charles said as he retrieved the male pair of her ring and handed it to Noelle. "Help me put it on!"

Noelle took the ring and compared it to the one on her finger. Both rings were minimalistic and had a simple design. Their shapes made them special, as they were not traditional circles.

Noelle continued holding the ring and staring at it rather than slipping it onto Charles' finger. She held it up against the light for the longest time before crying out. "You got it engraved?"

Noelle just realized her and Charles' initials were engraved on his ring. She immediately took off her ring and saw it was engraved too. However, the initials were inscribed the other way around on her ring.

"Are these... our names?" The engraving on her ring read C&N, while Charles' ring read N&C. Noelle laughed. "Are you... publicizing our relationship?"

Upon seeing a rare smile appear on Noelle's face, Charles nodded. "You can think of it that way!" Then, he added, "You can't simply take the ring off in the future, got it?" As he spoke, he took the ring and slipped it onto Noelle's finger once more. Noelle chuckled as she slipped Charles' ring onto his finger too. "Charlie, I love these rings!"

"Great!" He had guessed she would appreciate the rings, which was why he had decided to purchase them. "All of Janice's designs are one of a kind!"

"Really?" Noelle said as she turned to look where Janice was standing. When she noticed Janice's gaze had been looking at them all this while, a wave of embarrassment immediately washed over her. She had nearly forgotten they were in public. Everyone must have seen her and Charles's intimate conversation!

"Don't worry. No one knows we're

here today!" Charles said as he took Noelle's hand in his. Their hands overlapped with each other's, making the plain-looking rings seem extremely eye-catching. Noelle's gloomy mood was immediately alleviated, and she felt immense joy as she gazed at their connected hands.

Charles tapped Noelle's shoulder. "Check out the necklace and bracelet. Do you like them?"

"Yes, I do. I like the entire set!" After saying that, Noelle turned to Janice and nodded. "These are wonderful designs, Ms. Janice. I love them!"

"It's an honor to get to serve you two, Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman. Besides, Mr. Hoffman has done me a great favor in the past!" As Janice spoke, she beckoned for her assistant to hand another square-shaped box fo Charles. "When Mr. Hoffman dropped by a few days ago to get these wedding rings customized, I was curious about what his wife would be like, given his high status within society. My questions have been answered after meeting you today, Mrs. Hoffman. This is a wedding gift from me-it's not particularly valuable, but I put a lot of thought into it!"

Charles nodded slightly as he glanced at Noelle, signaling her to accept the box.

Noelle heard that it was a wedding gift, and seeing how Charles was civil to Janice, it seemed that he was appreciative of her talents. Thus, she accepted the gift, opened it, and was greeted by the sight of a brooch. It had a simple, minimalistic design like the rings. Its shape, which résembled a phoenix, was the unique thing about it. The diamonds glimmering on it made it seem even more lifelike. "T-this is such an amazing gift!"