The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

Charles pressed his lips together, frowning as he looked at the lock and blank paper. He could not figure out the meaning of these gifts either. "Forget it, let's stop thinking about it!" Noelle put the items away and then noticed two envelopes stuffed with cash tucked beneath the gift boxes.

Her eyes lit up as she pulled them out, realizing they were probably New Year's gifts from Sebastian. She could not help but laugh.

"Since when did Grandpa get into this kind of thing?" she wondered. The intricate setup did not seem like something her straightforward grandfather would do.

Charles shook his head with a smile and tucked the envelopes into Noelle's hands while gathering the gift boxes. "Let's go. If Grandpa gave them to us, there's probably a reason behind it." "Alright, let's get in the car!"

"Yes, yes, let's go!" Noelle nodded, but even after getting into the car, she continued staring at the gifts, lost in thought.

She was so preoccupied that she did not realize they had arrived home until Charles opened the door and touched her forehead with his long fingers.

"What's going on?" Noelle asked, snapping back to reality.

"We're home," Charles said, unbuckling her seatbelt and playfully tapping her nose. "Time to get out."

"Oh, but didn't we say we'd get fireworks for tonight? We haven't bought anything!" Noelle finally remembered. She glanced around, realizing they had come straight home from Sebastian's place with nothing in hand for the fireworks show. "Come on, get out." Charles held her hand as they stepped out of the car. To Noelle's surprise, she saw that the entrance to Phoenix Tree Residence was stacked with fireworks.

"This..."

"Mr. Hoffman, Mrs. Hoffman!" Ronald appeared, walking out from inside and standing respectfully before Charles. "I've taken care of everything you requested, Mr. Hoffman. What do you think?"

"Good." Charles nodded and handed the car keys to Ronald. "Well done. Happy New Year!"

Ronald quickly grabbed the keys

from Charles, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Thank you, Mr. Hoffman!" He then turned to Noelle.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hoffman a

"Me? Why are you thanking me?" Noelle asked, confused as she looked at Ronald, not understanding what was going on.

However, Charles simply tugged her hand, leading her inside. "Let's go. Ronald, you have three days off."

"Thank you, Mr. Hoffman!" Ronald's eyes sparkled with joy as he hurried off with the keys in hand.

He had been reluctant to come out and run errands for Charles on New Year's, but the reward of a car changed his mind entirely. Now, he was thrilled.

Noelle, still holding Charles' hand, followed him into Phoenix Tree Residence. Her mind was spinning.

She could not stop thinking about one thing-why was Ronald so happy even though Charles had made him work on New Year's?

"What are you thinking about?"

Charles had already changed into his slippers and handed Noelle hers, but he noticed she was still distracted. He smiled, running his fingers through the strands of hair that had fallen across her forehead. "Why are you so absent-minded?"

MS

"It's nothing!" Noelle shook her head, feeling as if she had not been herself all day "Did you really make Ronald work on New Year's? But why was he so happy?"

"Well, it's a Range Rover, hmm?" Charles chuckled. "Now, change your shoes."

Noelle blinked, suddenly understanding the situation. "No wonder he was so excited when he got the car keys earlier. You gave him a car?"

"Yes." Charles nodded, leading Noelle into the house. The floor heating in the living room was on, making the room warm and cozy.