The Cherished Wife

However, something nagged at Noelle. She recalled Charles mentioning that Colossus Group had been giving Lennon Group the cold shoulder because of some issue with Peter. What changed, then?

"Is something the matter? Is there something that's not making sense?"

"Nope, all good. I'll keep on reading!"

Brian and Noelle had been so wrapped up in work that the afternoon crept up on them. Brian, ever the workhorse, often worked through meals and barely noticed his surroundings once he was in the zone. It was not until he closed his notebook that he spotted Noelle in the car, nibbling on something from an insulated lunch box.

"Whoa, I totally forgot about lunch," Brian said, approaching her with an apologetic grin.

"Want some?" Noelle offered, popping open the lid of her lunch box.

Charles had packed comfort food, the kind that still tasted good even if it was not piping hot. Brian chuckled at the sight of the lunch box on the seat, a mix of amusement and self-reproach in his eyes. "You're really hungry, huh?"

at the lunch box in Noelle's hands and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I'm not exactly

no biggie. I've

"Did you make this?"

"Nope, Charles did."

of the boardroom, whipping

the puzzled look on Brian's face. "Not

If Mr. Hoffman whipped this up for you, I can't just dig in. I was actually thinking of

on her face and let

took her a moment to force a smile. "You sure you don't want any,

her point, Brian stopped refusing and took a few bites. To his surprise, the flavors were still delicious despite the dish being served at room temperature. Noelle saw the look of approval on his face and beamed. "Charles really

feeling of being a third wheel. "Yeah, he's

you ever tried