Chapter 258

Noelle headed straight to United Press, Nicolas’s company headquarters.

Ever since the acquisition of the Sawyer Group, things had been chaotic. The entire company was buzzing, and as the head of it all, Nicolas was busier than ever. Paperwork stacked like mountains awaited him every day.

Standing outside the CEO’s office, Noelle took a deep breath, steadying the fluttering in her chest. Once her emotions were in check, she lifted the corners of her lips into a bright smile and pushed the door open.

“Nicolas,”

Inside, Nicolas was buried in documents, clearly on the verge of burnout. He hadn’t been this swamped in a long time, and his naturally prickly temper was showing. High-level execs had been avoiding one-on-one meetings like the plague, afraid of his mood swings.

But the moment Noelle walked in – without knocking, no less – Nicolas performed a live demonstration of world-class double standards.

His scowl disappeared instantly.

When he saw her, his whole face lit up. He dropped his pen without hesitation and opened his arms. “Noelle!”

Without missing a beat, Noelle rushed into his embrace.

Holding her close, Nicolas began, “Did everything go well…”

But before he could finish, he felt Noelle rubbing her face insistently against his chest.

Confused, he glanced down, only to find her nuzzling into him with a determined vengeance – her lips even pressing and grinding against the fabric of his shirt like she was trying to scrub away a layer of skin.

The friction was maddening.

As a healthy, fully functioning man, Nicolas’s breath began to catch. She was igniting a fire in his chest – and not the metaphorical kind.

And yet, here she was, stoking the flames with no intention of helping him put them out.

Just before things got dangerously close to combusting, Nicolas sucked in a breath and gently peeled her off him. He stared at her flushed lips, now swollen from all the rubbing, and chuckled in spite of himself.

“Sweetheart, what was that? You trying to nurse or something?” he teased.

Noelle pouted. Her lips, already red, puffed up even more.

Nicolas winced in sympathy. He gently rubbed her lips with his thumb, his tone soft and full of concern. “What’s going on? You’re acting a little off today.”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, shaking her head.

She couldn’t tell him Brandon had kissed her.

But the truth was, she felt so wronged, so upset, all she wanted was to hold onto Nicolas, breathe in his scent, and feel safe again.

So, she climbed into his lap, wrapped her arms around him, and murmured, “Just keep working. Let me stay like this a bit, and I’ll be…”

Nicolas could see something wasn’t right. She was clearly upset, but if she didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t force her. Instead, he gently patted her back and murmured, “Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here, okay?”

Noelle snuggled against his shoulder. “Okay. You work, I’ll just stay here.”

Since she clearly wasn't ready to talk, he could only let her rest.

He hated seeing her like this, but the stack of work would've taken the whole day. Nicolas persevered and pushed through in three hours.

Chapter 258

By the time he finally put down his pen, night had fallen.

He gently patted her back. “Noelle? I’m done now. Want to grab dinner?”

Silence.

She was asleep.

With her usual alertness, Noelle would’ve normally jolted awake at the slightest movement. But not today. Either she was completely drained after dealing with Brandon… or she just felt especially safe in Nicolas’s arms.

He didn’t dare move.

She’d gone home earlier to pack, insisting she didn’t need new clothes when she still hadn’t worn half the ones she already had. Nicolas had offered to buy her more, of course, but she proudly declared herself a budget-conscious homemaker.

Just thinking of her puffed-up cheeks and serious little voice made him smile.

But then she came back like this… clearly shaken. Even if she didn’t say anything, Nicolas wasn’t blind. He could see it written all over her.

The Andersons were good to her now – so what could’ve happened while she was there?

He wanted to investigate, but he didn’t want to risk upsetting her further. So instead, he stayed still, holding her while she slept. When Noelle finally stirred again, the sky outside was pitch black.

She let out a soft, sleepy sigh… and left a nice, wet patch of drool on Nicolas’s shoulder.

“Awake!” Nicolas’s low, gentle voice rumbled in her ear, warm and affectionate.

Noelle blinked, still groggy. She quickly pushed herself upright, looking at him with a dazed expression. “Did I fall asleep…?”

“You did,” he said with a smile, brushing back the strand of hair that had popped up at the top of her head. “You want to sleep a little longer?”

“I really fell asleep?” she asked, stunned.

She glanced outside and gasped. “Wait – how long was I out?”

“Five or six hours,” he replied.

“What? That long!” Her eyes widened in horror. “You mean I’ve just been sleeping here this whole time?!”

Nicolas nodded with a chuckle. “What else would you have been doing?”

To avoid waking her, he hadn’t moved an inch in hours. Now his arms were pins and needles.

But he didn’t mention any of that.

Instead, he gently wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. “Since you’re awake, let’s go get some dinner, okay…” she replied sheepishly – just as her stomach let out a loud growl.

Nicolas laughed, stood up, and helped her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you your favorite – meat!”

At the thought of food, Noelle instantly brightened. Whatever had been bothering her was, at least for now, forgotten.

She decided there was no need to tell Nicolas what happened with Brandon. There was no point dragging him into it. That incident stayed buried forever.

Having made up her mind, she wrapped her arms around Nicolas’s and beamed. “I want tomahawk steak!”

“Steak this late at night?” he raised an eyebrow. “That’s a little heavy.”

“Alright, alright. Whatever you want.” When it came to her, Nicolas never could hold out for long.

Chapter 258

Noelle cheered, tugging on his arm. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Nicolas looked down at her, smiling so softly it could melt steel. His gaze held nothing but love.

And so, the two of them walked out of the office, hand in hand, chatting and laughing as they went.

Meanwhile, Brandon had driven to the seaside.

It was winter now, and this late at night, the shoreline was empty.

He stepped out of his car, gazing at the endless black waves under the moonlight. He didn’t seem to be talking to anyone – but his voice rang out: low and casual, with a faint smile. “Well, since you’ve followed me all this way, why don’t you come out already?”