The Cherished Wife



Noelle quirked an eyebrow and blinked innocently. "Lunch is over, so what's up? Why did you call me here?" She asked the question but was already on her feet, heading over to Charles's desk. It was covered in a mountain of papers and data-stuff she had crunched numbers on earlier with Arya and Brian. "Whoa, you got through this pile already?"

Charles just chuckled and pointed to a couple of spots on a page. "Are these calculations yours?"

Leaning in, Noelle's curious gaze scanned the page. "Yep, that's my work. Is something off?"

He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "No major issues. You've done a solid job. But, you know, if we trim down here and tweak the method a bit, it might just turn out even better."

Grabbing a pencil, Charles beckoned Noelle to his side. She watched, fascinated, as he started sketching and scribbling notes on the paper. She had seen Charles in work mode before he was always so precise and focused-but never from this up-close. Standing there, next to him, Noelle felt a sudden wave of humility wash over her. His mind was like a laser, cutting straight to the heart of any problem.

"Are you getting all this?" Charles glanced up, catching Noelle's gaze locked on him. Her eyes were a bit glazed, lost in thought.

He stopped writing and just looked at her, his eyes twinkling with unspoken words and a gentle amusement.

Noelle caught the feeling of being watched and, with a jolt, found herself locked in Charles's gaze. She quickly looked away, her cheeks warming as she touched her nose. "Um, are you hungry?"

Charles chuckled. "Time to eat!" He set aside his pen, reached over to give Noelle's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "We'll talk more about this later, after dinner."All rights © NôvelDrama.Org.

"Sure!" Noelle's smile was bright, but she felt her face heat up even more. They might be married, but she could not shake the worry that he might find her occasional fangirl moments a bit too much.

Biting her lip, Noelle tidied up the papers and hurried to keep up with Charles. "Charles, I made barbecued pork ribs, grilled salmon, and mashed potatoes today. The flavors might be a bit strong, so I hope

that's okay with you!"

Charles, a few steps ahead, listened to Noelle's bubbly chatter and felt a warm sense of belonging.

He caught his thoughts. Belonging?

His smile wavered for a moment, but seeing Noelle's grin as he turned back, his smile returned full force. "I love everything you make!"

"Charles, has anyone ever told you you're a real sweet-talker? It's as if your words were dipped in honey." Noelle closed the gap between them, slipping her hand into his.

Charles arched an eyebrow at her words, but his fingers danced into a new position, locking with hers in a tight embrace. "Did that make your heart flutter?"

"Totally, it's sickeningly sweet!" Noelle's smile spread wide, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "Enough already."

"What can I do? I just want to keep giving you sweetness, forever and ever!" Charles teased, lifting his hand to gently coax Noelle's chin upward as they paused at the stairway landing.

Noelle's eyes sparkled with rosy bubbles of joy, her cheeks blushing as she bashfully looked down, only to be met by Charles's lifting touch. Their eyes met, and Noelle blinked, unable to contain her smile. "Charles, knock it off. It's time to eat!"