The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

"Uncle Henry, you don't need to worry about these things," Sean said dismissively. Besides, none of this was really his doing.

If the Bakers wanted to seek revenge in the future, they would go after Charles. It had nothing to do with Sean.

"Alright, I'll head home. You should too. Your father has been waiting for you to go back and take over the Smith family's business for years, but look at you," Henry remarked with a sigh.

"Uncle Henry, don't lecture me. You know I'm not cut out for business. My brother's got the Smiths covered," Sean replied carelessly.

Henry narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"

He had watched Sean grow up. Although Sean had chosen to study medicine, Henry knew some of the reasons behind that decision.

With a hint of nostalgia, he added, "It's probably for the best that you don't take over the Smith. As for Liliana, that poor child-"

"Uncle Henry!" Sean interrupted abruptly. "I need to head back to the Smith residence now."

"Alright." Henry nodded, realizing he was too old to meddle in the affairs of the younger generation. However, Liliana's face often lingered in his mind.

Perhaps it was because her experience was so similar to his own daughter, Tania.

Liliana and Tania were best friends, and they both suffered similar fates. Henry often thought these two deserved happiness.

After seeing Henry off, Sean did not leave right away. Instead, he stood by his car for a long while.

He rarely smoked, but tonight, he fumbled with a pack of cigarettes. His hands trembled slightly as he pulled one out.

When he closed his eyes, all he could see was the image of a girl. First, it was the little girl from years ago. Then, it was the grown woman she had become fierce and bold in front of others but always cautious and reserved around him. He clenched his fingers, and the cigarette crumpled under his grip.

Taking a deep breath, Sean opened the car door and climbed inside. Though the heater was on, he felt an overwhelming chill.

He rolled down the window, letting the cold night air flood in. After a while, he finally dialed Charles' number.

"Janet had an episode."

Charles had just fallen asleep next to Noelle when he received Sean's call. In the dark bedroom, his cold eyes flickered with a chilling light.

Carefully lifting the blanket, Charles

slipped out of bed, making sure to tuck Noelle back in before heading to the study. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"What have you been doing today?" Sean could not help but chuckle. Resting his long fingers on the car window, he tapped it thoughtfully before continuing, "She's in my hospital now. It took two doses of sedatives to calm her down"

The moment Sean heard that Janet had been admitted, he pieced things together. "You really went all out, didn't you? To do that to a woman!"

Charles' sharp eyes remained emotionless as he slid a hand into his pocket. He gave only a cold snort in response. "You act like you don't know me by now." After all, Sean's methods were not much different from his own.

Sean took a deep breath and shivered slightly from the cold. He realized he had forgotten to bring his coat. "So, what's your plan now?" "How's she doing?"

"I don't know. I've already left the hospital. By the way, your parents are there too. They're both injured," Sean said in a teasing tone, clucking his tongue. "Your parents are something else, I tell you."

Sean had never liked Clarisse, whom he had never even met. To him, she was nothing more than a senseless woman.

His disdain for Clarisse went back to his childhood, and the story of it all began with Liliana.