Chapter 48
Nicolas lowered his head, looking at Noelle nestled in his arms with a trace of surprise. "Impressive, Elly. How come your brain decided to work so well all of a sudden?" As he spoke, he flicked her forehead with his finger, but he was gentle, careful not to hurt his little treasure.
"Hey! What kind of remark is that? My brain's always working just fine, thank you very much." Noelle pouted, visibly dissatisfied with his choice of words. "If I weren't smart, how could I score perfect marks on my exams?"
"True." Nicolas couldn't help but lean in and plant a kiss on her soft, round cheek, murmuring with a coaxing tone, "Our Elly is the smartest. You can see right through the Sawyer family's facade." But if you're so clever, how come you haven't seen through your own family's true nature yet!" In Nicolas's opinion, the Anderson family wasn't any better. Though they weren't as outrageously vile as the Sawyer family, their blatant favoritism toward Leia and their indifference toward Noelle were enough to convince him that Noelle would be better off cutting ties with them altogether. After all, Elly was amazing; she didn't need the Anderson family to succeed.
"Why are we talking about me now?" Noelle puffed her cheeks. She shifted her position, turning around to lean her back against Nicolas's chest. With a muffled voice, she said, "Whatever the Anderson family is, good or bad, it doesn't matter to me."
"Oh! And why's that?" Nicolas encircled her slender waist with his arms, tilting his head to look at her. "Is it because they're family, so you'll accept them no matter what?"
Noelle said, "You could put it that way...merely a mission." To Noelle, the Anderson family was merely a mission. She didn't understand the purpose of the task, but in her heart, orders were absolute. Once she received the objective, she had to see it through. If the Anderson family treated her well, the mission was easier. If they treated her poorly, the mission was harder. Ultimately, they were just targets. Their initial treatment of her, good or bad, was nothing more than a measure of difficulty in her eyes.
Nicolas's gaze deepened as he watched Noelle, her lashes lowered and her eyes filled with thoughts she didn't voice. Though Elly usually seemed like a silly, straightforward girl, there were moments when he realized he couldn't see through her at all.
Later on, Noelle came to understand something else. While the Sawyer family did everything to keep Nicolas away from the core management of their empire, it turned out that Nick didn't care about the Sawyer Group at all. Thanks to the dividends from his 30% stake, he had quietly built his own business empire over the years. For example, the wildly profitable Star Club she had visited, or the iconic Cloudspire Tower in Reniam City, both belonged to Nicolas. Marshall, blissfully ignorant, had even pretended to offer Nicolas a perpetually loss-making music studio to manage, unaware that Nicolas was the founder of Radiance Media. Radiance Media, with its roster of famous artists and an impressive portfolio of legendary movies and songs, was celebrated as an industry marvel, all thanks to Nicolas's vision.
"Why is it so hard to find decent composers lately? Are their brains just mush now?" Nicolas was working at his desk, surrounded by piles of rough drafts of music scores. Meanwhile, Noelle sat next to him, legs swinging as she enjoyed the snacks Bryan had prepared for her. She glanced curiously at the scattered sheets. "Nick, what are you up to?"
Flapping through the scores, Nicolas explained, "The company has a bunch of singers—good voices, but none of them have any talent for composing. To release new songs, we have to find someone to write them. But the drafts we've gotten so far are subpar."
"Really…" Noelle leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Want me to give it a shot?"
"You?" Nicolas raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, me." Noelle blinked. "I told you before, I've written songs before. One of them even sold for 4.5 thousand dollars."
Nicolas thought for a moment. She had mentioned something like that... It was during their first meeting when he was taking her out to eat. She had said she'd written a song called "The Shadows," which had been well-received. At the time, he thought she was joking. "The Shadows" was a global phenomenon. It had become an instant classic, propelling pop diva Reyna Goodwin to stardom. Even now, its royalties were a goldmine. Claiming to have written it and sold it for just 4.5 thousand dollars! Anyone would think she was delusional.
But now, Nicolas no longer underestimated Elly. "Elly, the 'The Shadows' you mentioned—is it this one?" He pulled up the song on his phone, and the familiar melody began to play.
"Yep, that's the one." Noelle nodded.
Nicolas's gaze flickered as he studied her. "Elly, do you think you can write something like this again?"
"Of course."
"How long would it take you?" Nicolas asked.
"One day."
"Alright." Nicolas held up one finger with a playful smile. "Write me a song, and I'll pay you this much… Three thousand dollars?"
Nicolas laughed and flicked her forehead again. "Silly girl, three million dollars."
"Three million dollars for one song?" Noelle was stunned. This was more lucrative than her former profession as an assassin. Even her initial missions had earned her three million at most, only increasing to thirty million later. But a song? Just one song?
"What's there to be surprised about?" Nicolas chuckled at her wide-eyed reaction. "Your music is worth that much."
"Deal!" Noelle beamed. "If one song's worth three million, ten would be thirty million. I'll write ten!"
Nicolas didn't expect her to be such a little money-grubber. Smiling fondly, he pinched her cheek and teased, "Look at you, so eager. Once you marry me, all my money—whether it's thirty million or three hundred million—will be yours anyway."
No one had ever said something like that to Noelle before. Her heart swelled with sweetness, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she grinned.
"But you still want me to write songs, right?"
"Of course." Nicolas raised an eyebrow. "Write as many as you want. I'll take them all. And I'll even give you royalties for each one."
Overwhelmed with joy, Noelle threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Nick, you're the best! I really like you!"
"Is that all it takes to earn your affection?" Nicolas looked at her clinging to him and sighed lightly, his arms wrapping around her. His eyes were filled with so much tenderness it could spill. "Elly, you'd better brace yourself. I plan to treat you even better, and I'm not sure if your like will be enough."
"Nick…" Looking up at him, Noelle felt her heart race. She'd never felt this way before—so deeply and utterly captivated by someone. Just seeing him made her happy, and she never wanted to be apart from him. If only the mission would let her stay by Nick's side forever, it would be perfect.
The two basked in their moment of warmth until Nicolas suddenly chuckled.
"Nick, what's so funny!" Noelle, now back in his lap, looked up at him curiously.
With a sly smile, Nicolas twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "I just remembered something amusing."
"What is it?" Noelle asked.
Nicolas looked down at her, his tone slow and deliberate. "Elly, you know Charlie's in the entertainment industry, right? He's an actor and a singer."
"Yeah, I know," Noelle replied. She'd already investigated the Anderson family thoroughly before returning to them.
Nicolas said, "I remember him saying something in an interview once."
"What did he say?"
As a singer, Nicolas drawled, a playful smirk tugging at his lips, "the person he admires most is Reyna, the pop diva who created the iconic 'The Shadows.'"