The Cherished Wife

Charles frowned slightly. How could he not be aware of everything Noelle was saying?

He was not mad, just a bit frazzled by how Noelle was handling things. Or maybe it was not about Noelle at all, but the way things out of their control had barged in, shattering the calm between them. "Do Janet's hangouts with us bug you?" Charles asked, locking eyes with Noelle.

Surprise flickered in her eyes before she masked it with a grin, resting her chin on her hand as she mulled over his question for real.

Pretending she was not upset would be a total lie. Legally, she was Charles's wife, which should mean something. However, hardly anyone knew they were together, and Charles's mom was all about Janet, practically trying to snatch him away. Nobody would be cool with that, acting like it was all fine and dandy.

was the one who had wanted to keep her thing with Charles on the down low. She could not exactly complain about people being in the dark, especially since the person in question

on her lip before spilling her guts. She eyed Charles cautiously, but he just cracked up, leaving her

melted away at Noelle's words like an iceberg surrendering to the

blinked in surprise.

"If it bugs you,

niece, after all. If Charles