The Cherished Wife

Charles was a statue of contemplation, his usual chatter replaced by a heavy silence. "But that just paints a target on their backs. If the Hoffman family catches wind of my personal security boost, it'll send my father and the rest into a frenzy of overthinking." The last thing

Charles wanted was for his family's rivals to sniff out his vulnerabilities.

Peter, who usually kept his thoughts to himself, could not stay quiet. "Without protection, you're just asking for trouble. Yesterday's close call could've actually killed you!" He glanced toward Noelle, concern etched on his face. "She's out of her depth and clueless about the danger. You really think those thugs will back off if they can't get to you? They might just target her instead."

Charles let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. Have them shadow me, but they'd better blend into the background. I don't need a crowd. It'd be better to beef up Noelle's security." The memory of yesterday's scare was still fresh, and he would do anything to keep Noelle out of harm's way.

"Andrew, make it happen. Choose six men to watch over Mrs. Hoffman."

quick to respond, his head bobbing in agreement. "What about

a pair will

not enough backup. I'll choose four guys to

travel between work and home, and I head home with Mrs. Hoffman. Too many of you would make us stick out like a sore thumb." Charles

"We'll go with Charles's plan." He then turned to the rest. "The

Fischer, that's not how you treat your friends," Sean complained, but Peter was already on his feet. "Fine by me. I've got

anyway. I'm out."

Peter and Lareal took off, Sean also got the boot. That left Charles and Noelle. Once Noelle had her fill,

drama. Charles could see she was not relaxing anytime soon,