Ch. 66..70: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 66-70

Chapter 66: Morning look

"Just spill, you idiot" Tristan was losing his cool when Noah didn’t utter a word for one minute.

On the other side, Noah didn’t realize it was late, and Tristan must probably be sleeping. But now that he had woken up the angry beast, he had to listen to his words.

"Hehe, it’s okay. I will call you tomorrow," Noah said in a hurry and was about to end the call when he heard Tristan’s cold voice," You think after spoiling my sleep, I will entertain you" his sharp words made Noah gulp.

Indeed he had made the biggest mistake by disturbing Tristan, and that too when he knew he must be busy with his wife. And now he didn’t know how to mend his mistake.

"I-I am sorry, Tristan-"

"...."

Tristan ended the call abruptly and walked back into the bedroom. Hoping into the duvet, he hugged Ashley only to find her awake.

"Where did you go?" she asked in her sleepy voice. Ashley woke up when she lost his warmth. He was like her personal duvet, and she liked snuggling with him in sleep.

"It’s nothing," he said, pulling her closer until they both fell asleep.

****

The following day, Noah woke up early and knocked on Alice’s door. It had now become his habit to check on her. He made sure she wouldn’t skip her food and would like to keep reminding her about her medicines.

In these few days, he became her caretaker, and he didn’t regret it because he had started to like taking care of her.

Sprung, opening the door, Alice saw Noah standing in front of her, showing his thirty-two teeth to her.

"Noah, why are you so early today" Alice brushed her eyes and turned back, allowing him to enter.

She was now getting used to his uninvited visits. After agreeing to be his friend, Alice felt like he didn’t initiate a friendship hand but rather became her mother, who kept pampering her child like nothing.

"It isn’t early, Alice. Look at the time; it’s 8," he said casually, keeping the porridge on the kitchen island before facing her.

Alice couldn’t sleep the whole night and kept tossing on the bed as she couldn’t catch sleep. She wanted to go and wake up Noah, but she stopped thinking about what he would think of her.

She remembered that night when she slept in his arm without any nightmares, and that was the most beautiful sleep she had ever had in all these years.

"What happened?" Noah’s voice broke her thought, and she looked at him standing in front of her with a frown on his forehead.

She felt her breath hitched, looking at his incredibly handsome face. Noah had taken the top spot on the list of all the men she fooled around.

"I...umm... " suddenly, her heart skipped a beat when he touched her forehead.

"Do you feel uncomfortable?" he asked with concern.

Noah had noted every word doctor told him to look after Alice was discharged, and one thing was mild fever. Since there were no significant wounds, internal bruises still would cause mild fever.

Watching him so close to her made her heart race, and she jerked his hand away, averting her eyes elsewhere.

"No, I am fine. It’s just I couldn’t sleep the whole night" she told him everything and walked towards the couch, slumping down like a dead fish.

She craved peaceful sleep but couldn’t ask Noah to sleep with her. One thing she noticed as she fell fast asleep without any struggle was when he hugged her.

There was this soothing magic in his embrace that made her doze off without any restriction. But she couldn’t say it to him.

Noah saw her tiredness due to her lack of sleep and didn’t bother her anymore. He quietly walked and sat next to her.

He knew she was an insomniac and found it hard to even sleep appropriately for three hours, and it pained to see her look all stressed and tired. He just wanted to know why wasn’t she able to sleep.

Looking at her for a while, he asked," Alice, why couldn’t you fall asleep?" his voice was soft as cotton, which made her open her eyes and turn her head only to find him tenderly looking at her.

His eyes were gentle as he stared back at her. No one had ever asked her, and only Ashley knew the reasons for her sleepless night.

She had hidden that secret in the deepest corner of her heart and didn’t want to recall it at any cost.

Noah saw her expression change. Her eyes turned cold, and she pulled herself up, getting up from the couch," I think I should take a shower" ignoring his question, she walked inside her room.

Noah was left alone as he watched her scoff at his words. Her words and eyes turned emotionless, making him ponder more on this thought.

She was hiding something, or maybe she didn’t want to tell him. But watching her turn emotionless with its mention, he was sure it had hurt her a lot.

****

The sun was already basking inside the cozy bedroom where two bodies were entangled, sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms.

Tristan still had his palm resting on her stomach when he slowly opened his eyes and looked down to see his wife sleeping soundly.

She looked adorable with that slight pout on her lips. The entire world called her a cruel and heartless lady, but only he knew how kind and loving a person she was. It’s just a mask she wears to hide her true self.

Propping his head up, he saw her deep in sleep, and he didn’t get the heart to wake her up. Slowly releasing himself from her, Tristan stepped down and headed inside the restroom.

Ashley was sleeping when suddenly she felt a loss of warmth, and she stirred in her sleep, slowly opening her eyes and finding the space next to her empty.

She frowned, pulling herself up to sit on the bed, when she heard the door opening, and Tristan stepped out of the restroom.

"Good morning, wifey," he said, crawling on the bed and slowly pecking her lips.

Ashley smiled when he did that and saw him sit next to her." How do you feel?" she heard him ask.

"Better"

Tristan kept massaging her stomach for god knows how long; after some time passed, she felt the pain in her stomach disappear.

"What time it is?" she asked, looking around and seeing the clock.

"Oh my god, I am late, Tristan," Ashley squealed and was about to step down the bed, but Tristan stopped.

"Don’t worry, I have already informed Miley asking her to reschedule your shoot" his words stopped her, and she looked at him with surprise.

"What? You have a stomach ache, and I am not allowing you to stress with your back-to-back photoshoots" Pulling her back, he made her lay on the bed before he joined her, circling his arm around her.

"You still need to rest" he snuggled close to her neck and inhaled her scent.

She was looking damn sexy with that morning look, and he wanted to claim her like crazy but stopped because he knew he couldn’t be reckless.

Ashley was amazed by Tristan’s reflex. He was so quick that she couldn’t even react and submit to his initiation.

"I have already rested enough. Do you want me to keep accompanying you to bed the whole day" She turned her head and saw him grin?

"Not a bad idea. We can spend time cuddling the entire day" Tristan wouldn’t mind if they kept snuggling each other the whole day without doing anything.

He so wanted to skip all his work and spend every minute with her doing nothing but kissing her.

Ashley didn’t know he would agree with her just like that. She thought he would scoff at her words because he had to leave, but what she heard made her believe that he was even serious about his work.

"Tristan, don’t you have work," she said with a stern face and saw him shrug his shoulder.

"I took a leave," he said casually, making her gasp in shock.

Tristan didn’t want to leave her when he knew she wasn’t well. Even though she said she was better, he had already done the deeds, and now he didn’t want to change anything.

Sighing in defeat, Ashley lay with Tristan snuggling her to bed for more than an hour when he heard her stomach growl," Grr..."

Pulling back, he looked at Ashley, hiding her face in his chest in embarrassment.

"I think we should eat something first," he said and loosened his arm around her waist, giving her the chance to escape and climb down the bed.

"I get to freshen up first," She dashed inside the bathroom in a hurry, avoiding his gaze.

Chapter 67: Impressive husband

By the time Ashley took a shower, Tristan had gotten fresh in another room and started preparing breakfast.

"You know how to cook?" Ashley was amazed when she saw Tristan wearing her apron and preparing a simple breakfast for them.

Tristan turned and smiled, looking at her, listening to her voice before he flipped the omelet into the pan.

"There is nothing your husband can’t do" turning off the stove, he put the omelet on the plate before placing it on the dining table.

Impressed by his cooking skills, Ashley couldn’t wait to taste it. She quickly pulled a chair for herself and settled down.

"Here, drink some chamomile tea. It will help reduce the cramp" placing the cup next to her plate, Tristan joined her.

Ashley stared at Tristan with amazement. This man was so perfect that she couldn’t help but admire him. Not only did he prepare breakfast for them, but he also paid attention to what she would have.

It was just a simple breakfast, but still, Ashley couldn’t stop herself from praising him.

"Thanks for breakfast. I liked it," Ashley said, sipping her tea.

"You will have to keep thanking me henceforth wifey because your husband he going to spoil you by cooking various delicacies" Tristan had already thought about it and was willing to cook for her.

He came to find out about her eating problems from Miley and how she would only survive on coffee if the shoot longed for the entire day.

"Is that so?" she asked, lifting her brows.

"Yes, and let me warn you first. I won’t be responsible if you gain weight," Tristan said beforehand because he was great at cooking since he worked in a restaurant when he studied abroad.

Though no one knew who he was, Tristan came to live a simple life away from controversies and the paparazzi. Sometimes he still missed that life.

Nevertheless, he still was grateful that he came here and found Ashley, or else he would have been the same workaholic boss with not so much excitement.

Clearing the table, Tristan washed the plates before placing them back in the cabinet and joined Ashley on the couch.

"What would you like to watch?" she asked, moving closer to him.

"You," he said, kissing her cheeks.

"Eww.. stop being cheesy, Tristan. Come on. I am serious" Ashley felt like she had been overeating cheese lately because her husband was too cheesy with his words.

"Anything will do," he said, pulling her closer and making her sit between his legs before wrapping his arms around her waist.

Turning on her favorite cartoon channel, Ashley began to enjoy it. She wasn’t fond of other media as she preferred watching anime that soothed her stressed life.

As the couple was busy enjoying their alone time, Tristan’s phone began to ring.

"Let me see who is it," he said and climbed down the couch before he went to receive the call.

"What is it, Karl?" Tristan asked, walking out on the balcony when he saw it was Karl who called him.

"You need to come, boss. There is an emergency" Karl wasn’t someone who could handle the work in Tristan’s absence. He was just as bright as Tristan, but sometimes it was only his boss who could find solutions.

Tristan listened to him attentively and ended the call before heading back to the living area where Ashley was waiting for him.

"I think I’ll have to leave. There is an emergency in the office," Tristan said with a displeased face and bent down, pecking her lips.

Being the CEO, he had a lot of responsibility, and Ashley knew he couldn’t just neglect it.

It wasn’t even an hour since Tristan left, and she had already started missing him.

Ashley was so used to his presence that she doubted how fast she fell for him. He was irresistible, and even now, he wasn’t there with her; she still felt his scent all over her body.

’Ashley, you are doomed,’ her subconscious mind said, and she pulled out from the trance.

Slapping her head lightly, she smiled and resumed watching the cartoon.

****

Jane’s Apartment

Greg was sitting on the couch, but his mind kept rewinding the sight he saw." Who was that man?" he kept thinking, trying to figure out where he had seen him.

Greg had failed to see his face, but his masculine frame which he saw made him ponder on his thought to remember the man.

"I am not going to let Ashley snatch everything away from me" Jane dashed inside the room and threw her handbag on the couch angrily.

Ever since Jane had replaced her with Ashley, everyone had been looking down on her. Even her agency started prioritizing Ashley, leaving her as the second option.

Greg looked at her, bashing Ashley shook his head, and asked," What did she do now?"

"Tell me one thing, Greg. What do I lack? I am beautiful, smart, and just as famous as Ashley, then why it is her that everyone prioritizes?"

Jane and Ashley were equally famous, but Ashley would always lead ahead even after being on the same page. Jane did everything to defame Ashley, but still, she would come out clean. Why.. why did she have to be perfect?

Greg had no answer to her question because he knew Ashley was the best in every way. Even when he was dating her, she would be sweet with him showing her true nature that overshadowed her media image.

Taking a deep breath, Greg walked toward her and sat." You know no one can compete with you, Jane. You are the best," he said as he tried to calm her.

Jane was straightforward to please, and it wouldn’t take time for him to cool her anger. She was so stupid that she believed in Greg’s fake love.

"Really," she asked, looking at him in eagerness.

"Yes, you are the best, and you know how to bring yourself back to the rise again, right" Greg was sugarcoating his words so that she would keep her anger aside.

He felt like he had been coaxing a spoiled brat because sometimes it was hard for him to control Jane’s anger. After he started dating her, he realized how self-centered the woman was, and now he regretted having an affair with her.

Jane hugged Greg and heaved a sigh," Only you know my value, Greg. It’s only you who knows my worth. I don’t want anything else unless I have you by my side," she said, hiding her face in his neck.

Greg held her, but his mind couldn’t accept her words. He wasn’t in love with her but only there for sexual pleasure. She was his bed warmer, and even after spending so much time with her, he still could find himself loving her.

*****

Tristan reached the office and headed towards his cabin.

Karl was already waiting for Tristan, and when he saw him enter, he stood up and walked ahead to inform him about the meeting.

"Didn’t we already reject the proposal, then why are they still pestering us" Tristan was very attentive to the work he picked, and once he wasn’t satisfied with the presentation, he wouldn’t look another glance at it.

"I don’t know, boss. They are saying it will benefit us in the future," Karl informed the client.

Tristan looked at the file and reread it when a particular name caught his attention.

His eyes instantly turned dark, and he looked at Karl," Tell them I’m ready to meet them."

Getting Tristan’s order, Karl immediately acted and headed out to inform the clients about the meeting.

"So now you will follow me everywhere," Tristan said with no emotion in his voice and made a call to Noah.

****

Inside his bedroom, Noah was going through the latest game he was about to launch soon when his phone buzzed.

"So now you remembered me," Noah complained to Tristan for ignoring his call the entire morning.

After Tristan abruptly ended the call, he thought he would call him in the morning, but when he did that, his call went to a voice message, which irked him a lot.

"I want to meet you, Noah, it’s urgent" Tristan’s cold voice made him sit straight, and his expression changed the next moment," What happened," he asked, and Tristan told him everything.

"I will there in ten," he said and ended the call before he got changed and reached Melanin.

Noah fell into deep thought inside Tristan’s cabin," Why is he so adamant."

"I don’t know, but him stepping his foot in this country can cause many problems to us" Tristan had a severe face, and he only kept thinking while he spoke with Noah.

"What do you want me to do then?" Noah asked.

"Alert everyone around?" he said and saw Karl entering.

"Boss, the work is done," he said, and Tristan gave him a meaningful look and nodded his head in agreement.

Chapter 68: Ice cream

Somewhere in country X, a man wearing a suit sat inside his room. Soon his assistant walked in and informed him about the work," They have agreed to meet Boss"

"Good, make all the arrangements as soon as possible. I can’t wait to meet Tristan after so long" the man informed his assistant and he left from there.

His dark green eyes looked at the screen in front of him and a smile broke on his thin lips," Finally you acknowledge me, Tristan Knight" he said looking at the picture on the screen.

****

It was late in the evening when Tristan reached Hyatt’s residency and found his wife doing some work.

"You should rest. Why are you stressing yourself" he pulled away the papers she was reading and kept them back on the table making her turn at him.

"I am not sick Tristan. It’s just my periods and nothing else, it will be fine after today" Ashley was feeling like a patient because of her overly protective husband who kept stopping her from everything that would stress her.

Tristan ignored her words and pulled her for a hug," I missed you wifey" his sweet words melted her heart and she found herself forgetting about what he did and the next second she hugged him back," Me too Husband"

His whole day went attending back-to-back meetings and he made sure to finish it up fast just so he go and see his wife. She was his better place where he let go of his stress just by looking at her face which bloomed his heart.

"How did the meeting go?" she asked pulling back and seeing him purse his lips.

Tristan didn’t want to recall what he encountered after reaching his office because he didn’t want anyone to disturb his peaceful life. He was happily married and he wished to keep every worry away from his wife who had nothing to do with it.

Stretching a smile he pinched her cheeks and answered," It was good but even though I was working my heart was still longing for you"

Ashley saw his eyes soften and she smiled. He was so good at giving her butterflies that sometimes she felt his words would start making her feel dizzy and she would end up doing things that will later embarrass her.

"You surely know how to flatter me Tristan" Ashley saw him smile at her remark and the next moment she was carried and placed on his lap.

"Then shouldn’t you reward me? " Ashley heard him say and she gasped when he moved closer to kiss her.

Ashley closed her eyes when she felt his lips on hers and she found herself softening at his touch.

The kiss was slow as Tristan kept reminding himself about her period and warned himself to be gentle with her. His little brother down was already twitching but he ignored it and paid attention to her delicious lips.

"I can’t get enough of you Ash. You are like a drug to me" he said in between the kiss while his hand went down from her neck to her chest and he pressed the tender spot that let out a moan.

Her every whim was like fuel to his fire and he wanted to rampage her like a madman until he couldn’t satisfy himself.

"Tristan... I..." she gasped when he let go of her lips and started kissing her jawline slowly moving to her neck, nibbling and sucking her tender spot.

"You what Ash," he asked moving her shirt away from her shoulder and kissing her exposed skin.

Ashley felt a weird sensation passing through her body and her hand dived into his silky hair as she felt his wet tongue licking her skin.

Her body was slowly melting in his touch as she kept craving for more. She knew this kiss was heading in another direction and she wanted him to stop. But even after being aware of it she couldn’t utter a word and let herself get absorbed into the moment.

Tristan was getting high on lust as his left palm kept kneading her bossom over the fabric while his mouth started leaving mark on her skin.

"Um... Tristan... I think we... Should stop... " Ashley was breathing heavily and her small tuck on his hair stopped him.

Soon the realization stuck him and he pulled back only to find her staring at him in a daze.

’Damn... Why does she have to look so tempting’ he thought.

Ashley didn’t know how she easily got swayed by his moves but now when he stopped, she craved more.

Resting their forehead together, Tristan tried to calm himself.

"You are irresistible Ash," Tristan said it true.

After meeting her, he found himself losing control over his self-esteem. He wasn’t like that before but her arrival made him do things that he never thought of doing in his life.

Calming their urging desire both pulled back and Tristan got up clearing his throat, "Ahem...I think I should get changed" he said and turned heading straight inside the bedroom.

Ashley who had her head lowered looked up when she heard the door shutting down. She heaved out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding for too long.

"This man will make me go crazy someday," she said calming her pounding heart and getting up, heading towards the kitchen.

*****

Karl was about to leave when his eyes looked at Gwen’s desk and he frown. Looking at the watch in his hand he muttered," Why didn’t she leave yet"

There was no one around since everyone had already vacated the place. Even her brother had left earlier than usual but, she was still there doing some work.

Gwen was finishing the pending work and it took more of her time. She didn’t realize that everyone had left and it was only her who was working.

"Ahem... Miss Gwen don’t you have to go home" Karl asked standing in front of her desk and saw her lift her eyes.

"Huh! Sir when did you come" she asked instead of answering him.

"Just now, but why haven’t to left yet," he asked and looked at the screen.

She had been working on the latest project which they signed the day before yesterday and just remembering that day his mood turned sour. He still could erase the thought of that man smiling at Gwen.

’But wait why wasn’t it even bothering him’

"Just a final review and I will leave sir," Gwen said professionally.

Gwen very well knew how to balance her life. Yes she liked Karl but she know inside the company he was her boss and she was assisting him. Remembering their professional relationship, she kept her words limited.

Karl nod his head and stood there until she finished her work. After whatever happened between them Karl started to effortlessly get attracted to Gwen and in that he even found himself getting jealous at times.

After almost fifteen minutes Gwen closed her laptop and picked her back and they walked out of the building.

Gwen was about to hail a cab when Karl offered the ride. Since she was his responsibility, he made sure he was present when she needed him, and driving her home was one of his duty.

****

Inside the car

After that day Karl and Gwen didn’t talk much. Gwen who was the talkative one felt a loss of words whenever they meet eyes. It felt like everything went back to day one and they turned out to be strangers.

She looked at Karl and then turned her head to the other side and she squeal in excitement," Ice cream"

Listening to her scream Karl stopped the car and look at her in surprise. As soon as the car stopped Gwen unlock the seatbelt and stepped out of the car running to the ice cream parlor on the other side of the road.

She was so eager to reach there that she forgot to see around when a car speeded and she felt her body pulled back with a jerk.

"Gwen..."

Karl stepped out of the car after her and saw her run without looking at the car that was approaching her. He felt his breath stop and he ran pulling her back before the car passed by them.

"Why can’t you be attentive" Karl lost his cool and lashed at Gwen.

He was so scared that he felt his heart stop for a second. If he didn’t act that instant, the car would have hit her.

Gwen was shocked by his rage and found her eyes tearing up. This was the first time she had seen Karl so much angry and she couldn’t blame him because she was at fault.

Karl saw her eyes well up and the next second he found his anger subside." Miss Gwen, I am sorry please don’t cry"

Gwen wasn’t going to tear up but when she heard his words she burst and this time she pounced on him," I was so scared..." she cried hugging him.

She didn’t know what she was scared of. Was it for getting hit by the car or because he scolded her?

Chapter 69: Nervous Noah

Karl stood like a pole while she kept hugging and complaining to him. Even though she had made a mistake, he could still remain angry with her.

Just the thought of her getting hurt made his heart clench in pain. What would have happened if that car had hit her? No... he didn’t want to think.

He was so scared even to imagine that he didn’t realize when his hand wrapped around her shoulder and he found himself hugging her back.

People who saw then thought Karl was consoling her but little did they know it was him who was calmed by her.

Caressing her back, he felt her relax in his embrace.

Gwen pulled back and wiped her leftover tears, and looked at Karl in guilt. She knew how childish her act was earlier, and it would have cost her life if he didn’t save her the correct time.

"Are you okay?" she heard him say, raising her eyes to look at his concerned-filled eyes.

Gwen was astonished at how can she see a man express so many emotions in his eyes. She could see the worry, fear, anger, and relief in his orbs that stopped her heart for a second.

His words went through her mind, and she kept looking at him like a fool.

Karl, who saw her turn silent, panicked, wondering if she was somehow hurt. He quickly pulled her back and started examining her body, but even after checking thoroughly, he could see any wound or bruise.

"Gwen, are you hurt somewhere? Tell me.... please," his pleading voice broke her trance, and she saw him panic.

"I am fine. Nothing happened," Gwen said, making him calm a bit.

Karl relaxed, listening to her words, and frowned, looking at her," Then why didn’t you answer me?"

Even after asking her twice, she still didn’t answer him, which alarmed him to the point where he thought of taking her to the hospital.

"You scolded me," she said with a cute pout, making him chuckle.

Gwen frowned when she saw him laugh at her. What was she supposed to do when always cute and shy Karl shouts at her? She wasn’t used to his anger yet.

"You shouldn’t laugh at me, Mr. Assistant" she crossed her hands and looked at him with a deep frown.

She knew she was at fault, but she didn’t think he would laugh at her fear.

’Then what did you think her subconscious mind poked?

Karl stopped laughing at her and patted her head as if she was a pet. He couldn’t ever be upset with her. She was too cute to hold any anger against her.

"Okay, I am sorry... I won’t ever raise my voice on you but promise you wouldn’t act recklessly next time," Karl assured her, even asking her to promise him.

Gwen watched him forward his hand, and without hesitation, she held it," I promise I won’t."

She was stupid to act recklessly without looking around and promised she wouldn’t do it again.

A smile appeared on Karl’s lips, and he held her hand before they started crossing the road.

"Tell me what you want to eat?" Karl took her like a kid, and she felt frustrated because she felt he was her father and was coaxing his child with food.

Entering the ice cream parlor, Gwen looked at the flavors and picked the one she liked the most," Chocolate chip cookie," she said, pointing to the glass.

Karl asked the man to give him two of them, and then they stepped out with their ice cream in their hands.

*****

Alice’s apartment

"How can you be so careless, Alice" Xavier found out about Alice’s accident from Ashley, and he immediately rushed to meet his sister.

Xavier was three years older than her and pampered his only sister to the extent that he even went to beat on the guys who had tried to approach her.

"Relax, Xavier... look at me. I am fine, and these bruises will go in a day or two"

Alice purposely didn’t want to inform Xavier about her accident because she knew this man would have let her stay there until there wasn’t any scar on her body.

Xavier gawked at her chilled face and averted his eye, looking at the small apartment. Even her old bedroom was more significant than this.

"Your taste changed a lot after you moved, Alice" Xavier was impressed with how Alice kept her room clean. There were many pictures she clicked by herself and hung on the walls in the living room. You would have found the entire place upside down if she were the old Alice.

"People change when they grow, Xavier" getting up, she walked into the kitchen to make him some coffee. It was some time for them to have dinner, so she thought, why not drink coffee first?

"Here have this" she passed the cup and sat next to him.

Xavier was shocked to see how calm and mature Alice had turned, and he also knew the reason behind her change.

If only he had been present then, he wouldn’t have let her face hardship.

"Don’t be sorry for me, Xavier. I am happy with my life. At least I don’t have anyone to who would control me or force me into something which I don’t want."

Alice had already seen her parent’s actual color when they asked her to marry a man who didn’t even give importance to the concept of marriage. It was purely business, but for her, it was life long commitment to a man who didn’t love her back.

Xavier felt terrible about how things turned out, but he was glad Alice took the most significant decision of her life and stepped out of that hell where no one valued her.

As the sibling began to spend some time talking and asking about their lives, her doorbell rang.

Alice was about to get up when Xavier stopped her, and instead, he went to see who had come.

As soon as the door opened, Noah, with the food bag in his hand, gulped and pursed his lips when he saw Xavier standing before him.

Xavier’s cold face made him fake a smile, and he greeted him," Hello Sir, I am Noah. I am Alice’s friend," he said politely and watched him arch his brow.

Xavier was about to say something when Alice’s voice came from behind," Whose there?" she said, appearing from behind, and saw Noah standing with food bags in his hand.

"You know him?" Xavier turned and asked.

Noah’s eyes brightened looking at her, and he smiled when he heard her," Yes, he is my neighbor" her words dropped his heart, and his smile vanished.

’Neighbor? Am I only her neighbor’ he was upset with what she introduced him

"And also a friend" her following words bloom his face again, and his smile stretched even more.

Xavier nodded his head and stepped back, letting Noah step inside.

The three settled on the couch, with Noah passing the food bag to Alice," It’s from your favorite restaurant" Noah smiled like a shy girl when his eyes fell on Xavier, who gave him a sharp look and smiled.

"Ahem," clearing his throat, he diverted his eyes from her brother and sat on the couch quietly.

Noah had been very considerate about Alice’s health, and he ensured she had her meals on time. He even went on asking Ashley what food she preferred to eat. He wanted to make sure she was healing properly.

Taking the bag from Noah, Alice went inside the kitchen, leaving Noah and Xavier alone.

Outside in the living room, there was a pin drop of silence. Noah was tapping his feet in nervousness as Xavier’s eyes were constantly gawking at him.

Noah didn’t look his way because he was ashamed to even talk to him after he misunderstood their relationship. She still wanted to beat himself for doubting them when he didn’t even know anything.

"So Noah, for how long you both have been friends?" Xavier cleared the tension between the two as he could see Noah completely ignoring his presence.

Xavier had been keeping tabs on Alice for a while now, and Noah never came into the picture until today when Alice introduced him as her friend.

Noah looked at Xavier, who leaned back, crossed his legs, and looked at him lazily.

"It had been a month since I moved in here, and Alice helped me shift my stuff."

Xavier nodded in agreement and looked back at Noah, but his eyes narrowed," And how long you are following her? I don’t think neighbors do pick and drop service and that too in such a short time."

Noah was taken aback by Xavier’s words, and his eyes fluttered as his heart began to beat vividly.

’How did he know so much’ Noah fell into deep thought, watching Xavier suspiciously but soon composed thinking about his motives behind this interrogation.

Chapter 70: What will you do

Xavier wanted to scare Noah because he could see why he was so good with her. For him, Alice’s happiness came first, and being her brother. He wanted to know Noah’s true intentions.

"What will you do if I tell you I like her" Noah’s words shocked Xavier.

Noah could see through Xavier’s motive behind interrogating him. But he wasn’t that easy to scare. He was only being kind till now because he was Alice’s brother, but that didn’t mean he would doubt his intention towards her.

Xavier let out a chuckle making him frown. He knew it from the beginning when his investigator told him about Noah and how he was always following his sister like a secret protector.

First, he was very angry with Noah’s actions toward his sister, But when he kept learning more about him, his actions didn’t turn out to be suspicious.

All he found was Noah following her to her studio and then following her back to her apartment where he lived.

Noah was surprised by his reaction and found him weird. He was expecting him to warn and ask him to keep his distance from his sister, but what he heard shocked him even more," I could tell that you like my sister, or else you wouldn’t have taken care of her all this while."

Noah looked at him in confusion and heard," I would’ve warned you if you would’ve done wrong with her, but you didn’t, and that was enough proof for me to trust you."

Noah felt like he had been praised for his good doing when he never once did, and now he felt like a proud man who liked listening to good words for himself.

’It feels like I have cleansed my character from a playboy to a glorified soul’ his chest puffed with pride, and he smiled.

He was about to talk when Alice called," Enough of talking. Come let’s have dinner" her cheerful voice caught their attention, and they got up walking to the dining table.

The trio ate dinner with Alice talking with Xavier and simultaneously looked at Noah, asking him to eat more.

"Okay then, I will take my leave," Xavier said and stepped out of the house, followed by Noah, who was going to leave.

****

Outside

Xavier turned to leave but stopped and called Noah," My sister isn’t that simple person to deal with, Noah. And if you like her, then make sure she is healed from her past wounds" Xavier smiled, patted his shoulder, and entered the elevator.

Noah, who heard him, found himself falling into thoughts,’ Heal, wounds’

"What did he mean?" he frowned, pondering on his words but soon understood the meaning behind his words and smiled before entering his apartment.

****

Karl stopped the car in front of the Knight mansion and turned to see Gwen with a content smile.

He was surprised at how she finished the cup without leaving a single stain behind. Thankfully the ice cream did make her happy, and she forgot about the incident.

Gwen unlocked the seatbelt and turned to face Karl, who was deep in thought,"

Why don’t you come inside" her words broke his thought, and he looked at her in a daze.

"Come and have dinner with us," she offered so that she could compensate him for saving her life. She had barely skipped getting thrown by the car, or her corpse would have returned home today.

Ignoring the incident, she waited for Karl to answer," Maybe next time, Miss Gwen" Karl looked at the watch and said.

Gwen dropped down her shoulder when he rejected her offer politely. She wanted to treat him, but he didn’t even agree with her.

Karl would only enter the mansion when he had any work with Tristan, or he had to sign any document. Apart from that, he never once spend time with them.

Noticing her sad look, Karl felt terrible, and he said," How about we have lunch tomorrow" his words brightened her mood, and she nodded her head like a kid.

"Sure," she said with a smile and stepped out of the car, and the car soon left.

"Isn’t he Karl" Gavin’s voice beamed from behind that startled Gwen?

Placing her hand on her chest, she sighed," Gavin will you stop scaring me" she said with a stern face.

"Oh come on, you don’t get scared of me," he said, scoffing at her remark and saw her roll her eyes.

"I didn’t know Karl even knew how to smile. He seems so different" Gavin, who always admired Karl for sticking to his brother even though he knew how Tristan was. He praised his patience level.

"Why would you say that? Haven’t you seen him smile before." ignoring him, she entered the house.

"I wish I had because he is just like our brother who lack emotions" Gavin followed his sister to her room and slumped down on the bed.

It had been a few weeks since he started to prepare for his exams. He joined the gym to pay special attention to his physic, but now he feared how long he would hide it from his mother.

Grace had been questioning him about his sudden schedule change. Her always carefree son had suddenly changed and was paying attention to his health and studying.

"When is his brother going to talk with mom? She seems to be doubtful about me"

Gavin had been trying his best to avoid his mother, but she was so brilliant that she barged into his room and started checking the books he read.

"Don’t tell me you can’t even lie to her" Gwen knew her brother was a genius at fooling their mother, and now when she saw the anxious look on his face, she doubted whether he was the same, Gavin. They lied to their mother about attending extra classes when he would skip the class.

"I tried but she seems suspicious about me," he said in defeat.

"I don’t want to face her wrath and want brother to handle her. I doubt if she will even let me enlist in the military."

Grace still treated her children as kids who pampered them like anything. She was sometimes stern with them, but she cared for them beyond anyone’s expectation. For her, Gwen and Gavin were still babies.

Gwen, too agreed with him because she knew how worried she would become even if they caught the flu, and her younger son was heading to fight battles.

"I just wish brother handles talk her politely" Gwen could only console him because it was all in Tristan’s hand to tackle their mother’s emotions.

*****

Ashley’s apartment

Tristan stood by the balcony, looking at the view of him. As he watched them from the most significant height, the city lights sparkled like stars.

"It looks like you like the view here" Ashley walked with two cups of coffee in her hands and passed one to Tristan.

After eating dinner, Tristan suddenly craved drinking a coffee and asked Ashley to make one for them while he walked onto the balcony and started looking at the view outside.

His eyes looked at where he used to park his car and stalked Ashley from behind without letting her know. He had lost his mind when he did that.

They say once you taste the essence of love, you start acting out of your character, which started happening with him. He would follow her until she reached her apartment safely and then ask Karl to drive him home.

Just reminiscing about his past action made his lips curl up, which caught Ashley’s attention," What’s with that smile" she asked curiously and saw him shake his head.

"Nothing just remembered something," he said casually and saw her narrow her eyes.

"Or someone. I hope you are not missing any of your exes," Ashley asked, clearly not pleased with what popped into her mind.

She wasn’t a jealous type but him remembering his past lover made her heart squeeze.

Tristan raised his brow when he saw her getting jealous, and he found her cute, so he decided to play more.

"What if I am" he grinned and saw her face turn dark.

Ashley pulled him by his collar until their faces were an inch apart and warned,"

Then erase everyone because now I won’t allow anyone to invade your thoughts" her words were very damn serious and made him smile in satisfaction.

"You look so sexy when you are jealous, wifey" his sly smile broke her glare, and she let go of his collar and took a step back. Averting her gaze from him, she looked elsewhere. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, making her suffocate.

She couldn’t handle it when she heard him. He was her husband, and she didn’t like him thinking about anyone else except her.

"You are the first woman in my life Ash. There was no one before you, and there won’t be anyone after you."