?Chapter 200:


    Sadie hesitated, gathering herself to calm the turmoil inside and maintain aposed exterior.


    She knelt down, touching Averi’s head tenderly. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Averi,” she assured him, though her voice betrayed a hint of tension.


    Sadie deliberately avoided meeting Averi’s searching eyes, not wanting him to notice the distress on her face.


    What had Noah heard just now? What if he decided toe right over? The thought of him discovering Averi’s existence was too overwhelming for Sadie to entertain.


    “Let’s go have dinner,” she suggested, gently guiding Averi by the hand to the dining table.


    Steam rose from the dishesid out. Sadie managed a forced smile while serving Averi, but her own meal tasted nd to her.


    At Myrtlewood Estate, Noah was fixated on his phone screen where the call had just been cut off. His features hardened.


    He was convinced he’d heard a child’s voice. He was just about to leave for Sadie’s ce to seek the truth when the door quietly swung open. Isabel entered the room.


    Her outfit was understated yet sophisticated, and she moved with poise, though her eyes revealed underlying concern.


    “Noah, why are you still working at this hour?” Isabel approached him, concern evident in her tone.


    Noah looked up briefly, his voice detached. “I need to step out for a bit.”


    Isabel settled into the chair across from him with a heavy sigh. “K called earlier today.”


    A trace of annoyance crossed Noah’s face, his brow tightening slightly. Catching the shift in his expression, Isabel continued earnestly, “Noah, K has been waiting for a long time. Maybe it’s time to consider marrying her. I’m getting older, and my only wish is to see my grandchildren.”


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    Noah’s face hardened, his lips thinning into a tight line. He said, his tone sharp, “You shouldn’t meddle in my life.”


    He left without another word, his tall figure receding through the doorway, while Isabel remained in the study, her face etched with loneliness.


    Later that evening, Averi snuggled into Sadie’s arms after dinner, his breaths deep and rhythmic. Sadie caressed his hair tenderly, her face softening with affection. She got up, gently ced Averi into his bed, and snugly tucked the nkets around him.


    Right after she had finished tucking him in, a knock came at the door, simultaneously with her phone ringing. It was Pierre calling, as she saw on the caller ID.


    Sadie moved to the door and looked through the peephole, her eyebrows knitting together. Outside stood Noah.


    As she took the call and opened the door simultaneously, Noah was there in a neatly tailored ck suit that enhanced his tall frame, the dim porch light casting dramatic shadows across his chiseled features, underlining his stark, almost severe handsomeness. Yet, his deep-set eyes carried an unspoken chill.


    “What are you doing here sote?” Sadie asked.


    Without responding, Noah stepped inside, his eyes briefly meeting hers.


    Sadie, in herfortable home clothes with her hair freely draped over her shoulders, looked unusually gentle and less formal.


    At the same time, Pierre’s voice came hurried and anxious through the phone, saying, “Miss Hudson, the person who took By away is Samuel Ford.”


    Samuel Ford, a name well known as Noah’s right-hand man.


    Sadie’s hand clenched the phone a little tighter.


    It seemed Noah was involved. But what was his intention?


    A shiver of apprehension ran through her.


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