Chapter 242
Bennett pulled the car over to the side of the road. Then he turned to look at Noelle with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “So what are you saying, Noelle? That in your eyes, I was never a good guy to begin with!”
“Nope,” Noelle answered truthfully, without hesitation. She blinked at him and shot back, “When have you ever acted like one?”
Bennett’s eye twitched.
Noelle continued listing his sins matter-of-factly. “You manipulated Lela, watched Dad land in the hospital without lifting a finger, and you even scratched my hand on purpose to secretly test my blood. Every time you show up, it’s because you’re up to something. Look at everything you’ve stirred up just in the few days since you came back—and you call that being a good guy?”
For once, Bennett, the silver-tongued master of deflection, was left speechless. He’d always known he wasn’t a “good” person—sarcastic, scheming, and constantly putting on a polite front just for his own amusement. Still, he was used to everyone buying into the persona.
But Noelle? She had just torn the mask right off.
And oddly enough, it felt kind of refreshing.
Even so, Bennett’s ironclad composure remained intact. He leaned forward, resting his hands and head on the steering wheel, then tilted his face to the side, giving Noelle a playful, half-pouting look.
“Noelle,” he said, voice laced with mock hurt, “Admit I’m not a good guy… my feelings for you are genuine.”
“Oh yeah!” Noelle gave him a skeptical look.
“Yep, totally,” Bennett nodded with a sunny smile. “Tell you what—how about I treat you a little better from now on? Sound good?”
“Sounds great,” Noelle responded cheerfully, flashing him a bright grin. “If you’re really turning over a new leaf, then welcome to Team Good.”
Bennett raised an eyebrow, surprised by how easily she accepted it. His gaze swept over her, studying her reactions—the expression, her tone, her body language.
She was being totally sincere. Not faking it.
So she knew he wasn’t a good person… but the moment he said he’d try to be better, she believed him?
Her heart’s way too soft, Bennett thought to himself. She doesn’t hold grudges. As long as someone treats her with sincerity, she’ll give it back without hesitation. She’s… kinda dumb, honestly.
But still, despite that, he didn’t dislike her for it.
In fact, he found it oddly charming.
With a more genuine smile curling at the corners of his lips, Bennett said, “You really are something else, Noelle.”
“Really?” Noelle tilted her head, unsure if he was being sincere.
Then again, she thought she was pretty interesting—full of charm, fun to be around. Everyone said so.
With that thought, she grinned and said proudly, “I think I’m super interesting, too! Nicolas always says I’m fun to be around. He says he never gets bored when he’s with me!”
Bennett’s smile stiffened slightly at the mention of that name. He’d heard that Noelle had been smitten with Nicolas from day one. It didn’t seem like something that developed over time—it felt more like instant obsession.
But Nicolas didn’t exactly have the best reputation.
So Bennett asked directly. “Noelle, do you really like Nicolas?”
“Mhm, I do,” she nodded sweetly.
“And what exactly do you like about him?” Bennett pressed.
Without hesitation, Noelle answered, “He’s so handsome! I’ve never seen anyone that good-looking before!”
So she’s just a shameless face-enthusiast, Bennett thought, amused.
He chuckled. “So you like Nicolas just for his face?!”
“Well, yeah… but not just for his face,” Noelle frowned, meeting him earnestly.
She then launched into a passionate explanation. “He’s a really good person. Nicolas is super nice to me and helps me figure things out. Like when I first came to the Anderson family, I didn’t know how to act around everyone, so he explained your personalities and taught me how to get along with you all.
“And then there’s Lela. She always tries to pick on me, and sometimes she really gets under my skin, but Nicolas taught me how to fight back. He said she’s a poser, and to deal with a poser, you have to outdo them with their own tricks. And it totally works!”
Bennett listened to her go on, slightly dumbfounded. So that’s where she got those sassy comebacks from. I wondered why sometimes she was weirdly cunning—and now I know why. She has Nicolas coaching her behind the scenes.
More importantly, he realized just how deeply Noelle liked Nicolas. Every time she talked about him, her whole being lit up.
Bennett’s gaze narrowed slightly.
Noelle was an experimental subject from Ataraxia Newdow Laboratory. Someone as rare and valuable as her probably wasn’t even allowed to be in a relationship. And yet, no one from the lab seemed to be stopping it.
It all smelled a little off.
While he was still lost in thought, Noelle suddenly gasped beside him.
Bennett’s attention snapped back. “What’s wrong?”
Noelle was clutching her phone, her expression panicked. She shoved the screen toward him.
“Bennett, look! It says Nicolas’s shares might be getting taken back by the Sawyer family!”
“What?” Bennett took the phone, scrolling through the news article.
Sure enough, the headline read: Are Nicolas Sawyer’s Shares Being Reclaimed?
“What’s going on? Why would they try to take his shares?” Noelle huffed, visibly furious. “Bennett, his family’s awful. They smeared his mom’s name, called her a homewrecker, and after she left him the shares, they even hired an assassin to kill him! Now they want to take everything back? They’re monsters!”
She looked ready to storm the Sawyer estate and start throwing punches.
Bennett held her by the shoulders, trying not to laugh. “Calm down. Nicolas isn’t the type to let people walk all over him. For all we know, he allowed this story to leak.”
“Oh… right. Nicolas is amazing,” Noelle relaxed again.
In her mind, Nicolas was practically untouchable—a flawless, all-powerful force of nature.
Seeing how confident she was in him, Bennett couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, now that this is out in the open, why not give Nicolas a call and…”
“Great idea!” Noelle practically immediately called Nicolas.