The Cherished Wife

Noelle understood. That explained the stuffy feel of Mr. Fischer's place last time. It had felt like the walls were closing in.

"I'll skip the tour of Charles's turf. He can show you around himself next time. But I do want to show you my amazing room." Sean's smile was confident, like a vendor hyping up his fruit at the market. "Trust me, you guys are gonna love it." Noelle, Teresa, and Rowena just stared, speechless.

Sean was not concerned with how they looked. The doors slid open as the elevator dinged at the eleventh floor, and Sean was the first to stride out. He propped the door with his hand, a perfect gentleman, and said, "After you, ladies!" The room Sean had booked was tucked away at the end of the hallway. They passed by a group of burly bodyguards, who made the place feel more like a fortress than a party spot.

As they pushed open the door to the room, everyone inside took a brief pause. Charles was the quickest to snap out of it. Spotting Noelle, he beckoned with a grin. "Over here!"

Noelle could not help but light up, leaving Sean and her two pals in the dust as she dashed over to Charles. "Charles!"

Noelle into a tight bear

the weight of everyone's stares. She glanced down, her cheeks tinged pink. "Oh, it's nothing. I've just been outside for a bit too long." She wriggled her fingers free from Charles's grip. "With everyone watching..." As she tried to stand up, Noelle found Charles's arm firmly around her waist, holding her in place. He challenged the

the smiles. It was Peter who

it!" Charles shot back with his

and teased, "Ditching your pals for each other, huh? You two are

with the high and mighty, yet they were face-to-face with the fabled Four Young

got to meet the legend in the flesh. As