<b>Chapter </b><b>272 </b>
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<b>96 </b>
Noelle felt somefort after Eliza’s soothing words, her anxious heart starting to settle down.
But when she turned and caught Joshua still staring at her with that chilly, razor–sharp look, Noelle thought, ‘Damn, why does my heart always jump whenever he looks at me like that?‘<b>* </b>
“From what I know, Richard is brutal and never trusts anyone easily. And you’re telling me he believed you just because you said so?” Noelle couldn’t hide the skepticism in her voice as she looked at Joshua.
Noelle stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Joshua, what do you mean by that?” Noelle asked, her voice trembling.
“Those little tricks of yours might work on my mom, but don’t think you can get one past me,” Joshua shot back, his voice icy.
Eliza frowned, about to defend Noelle, but Joshua cut her off.
“I don’t care what deal you made with Richard. But if anything happens to Xylia, I’ll make sure both of you pay for it,” Joshua said, his eyes narrowing.
“Joshua…” Eliza tried to get a word in, but he didn’t give her the chance.
“Mom, I’d never put Xylia in danger. In the past, if Noelle was just pulling her little stunts, I could turn a blind eye. But this time, it’s not about money or some fleeting power–she’s after your future daughter–inw’s life. Maybe it’s time you took a good look at this daughter you’ve spoiled all these years and ask yourself who she really is,” Joshua said, voice unwavering.
Usually, Joshua went with the formal “Mrs. Garcia,” but whenever things got serious, “Mom” just slipped out without him thinking.
Eliza felt trapped–on one side were her son and daughter–inw, and on the other was the daughter she’d cherished and spoiled for years.
They were both a part of her–like choosing between her own two hands. She couldn’t bring herself to favor either side.
By the time Joshua headed upstairs, Eliza remained silent,
Noelle was still crying, and Eliza looked at her, letting out a long sigh.
“Don’t cry anymore, Noelle. Mrs. Garcia believes you. It’s just–because you’ve messed up so many times before, Joshua finds it hard to trust you. Give it time. If you really didn’t do anything, Joshua will trust you again,” Eliza said softly.
Her words didn’tfort Noelle at all.
But Noelle <b>still </b>managed to choke back her sobs and replied to Eliza, “I understand.”
<b>8:37 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
:
“Alright, go get some rest. From now on, you’ll be staying with us,” Eliza said.
<b>96 </b>
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Noelle bit her lip, hesitating. “I think maybe I should stay somewhere else… Uncle Aaron doesn’t really seem to like me…”
“Who said that? Uncle Aaron mighte off a bit strict, but he actually cares about you. You should stay here -it’s much safer than being out on your own,” Eliza reassured her.
“Okay,” Noelle replied.
She dropped her gaze, hiding the little smirk of satisfaction in her eyes.
Xylia got a message from Joshua letting her know he’d be staying home all day, so she figured she’d just grab some takeout for lunch.
It wasn’t even lunchtime yet.
While she was scrolling through delivery options, someone knocked on her office door. And almost instantly, Josie came in, bringing along a face Xylia definitely recognized.
Xylia paused, a little stunned. ‘Wait, isn’t that Richard—the guy I ran into in the parking garage two days ago?‘ she thought.
“Ms. Sadler, long time no see,” Richard said with a polite smile.
Xylia motioned for Richard to sit down and poured him a ss of water.
She asked, “So, what brings you here?”
Richard nodded. “Well, since I’m dropping by during office hours, you know it’s gotta be business.”
Xylia stayed quiet, giving Richard a look that said ‘Go on, I’m listening!
Richard took a sip of water. “So, my friend’s son has his birthdaying up next month. He’s really into fashion–always likes to look sharp. I was hoping to get him some custom casualwear. Do you think you could design something special?”
Xylia nodded thoughtfully. “Actually, we’ve got this amazing kids‘ fashion designer–let me introduce you. You two can talk the details.”
Richard fixed Xylia with a sharp, unwavering gaze.
“And the boy’s dad needs a suit too. Any chance you’d design that one yourself?” he added, looking straight at
her.
Xylia thought to herself, ‘Business handed to me on a silver tter<b>–</b>no way I’m letting this slip through my fingers!‘
She quickly ran through her schedule in her head and figured she could squeeze it in.
<b>96 </b>
So, she nodded and replied, “Yeah, I can take care of that personally.”
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Richard’s smile eased, and he started discussing the design requirements with Xylia, giving her the measurements for both the child and the father.
When Xylia saw the measurements for the suit, she froze for a moment.
She knew those numbers all too well–they were Connor’s.
Back when she was with Connor, she used to handle all his clothes, even coordinating with designers for his custom suits for those fancy events.
So, yeah, she knew his measurements like the back of her hand.
But Xylia quickly brushed that strange thought aside.
‘Why am I overthinking this? It’s not like I’m designing a suit for Connor,‘ she muttered to herself.
Richard handed over the deposit and headed out.
Xylia didn’t think much of it.
Chase had already messaged her, saying he’d finished the rmendation letter and she should go ahead and apply right away.
Xylia thanked him.
The next second, Chase’s call popped up on her phone.
“So, Ms. Sadler, how do you n on thanking me?” Chase teased.
Hearing the teasing in his voice, Xylia let out a softugh.
She suddenly remembered the way Chase used to look at her back then, with that not–so–subtle ‘you must’ve gotten in through connections‘ re—he just couldn’t hide his annoyance.
“How about this–when I head to thepetition, you get to be my local guide and take me out for some fun.
pay for everything, whatever we do. Sound good?” Xylia grinned,
I’ll
“Damn, Ms. Sadler, you sure know how to spoil people,” Chaseughed.
Chase was probably just feeling a bit bored, so he called Xylia up for some casual chatting and everyday gossip.
They were more than just colleagues–they were mentor and buddy both. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in a while, their bond didn’t fade–instead, every time they bounced design ideas back and forth, their friendship grew even deeper.
Xylia wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to designing menswear.
Apart from that one coat she did for Joshua and the Tang suit for George, that was pretty much all she had
under her belt.
She figured she should reach out to Chase for some advice.
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Taking advantage of the call, Xylia told Chase about what just happened and suggested they team up for the design project, splitting the profits fifty–fifty.
“Wait, I’m only doing part of the design and you wanna split it fifty–fifty? Man, I’d be making out like a bandit,” Chase said,ughing.
Xyliaughed. “Hey, after everything you’ve done for me, giving you more would be totally fair.”
Chase agreed to join in on the coboration.
After hanging up, Xylia felt like she was walking on air.
She skipped the takeout and joined Josie downstairs for lunch.
Downstairs from their office was a little cafeteria. The prices were lower than most ces, and there were tons of dishes to pick from. Josie and pretty much everyone at work liked eating here.
It was pretty crowded.
Xylia and Josie picked out their food, grabbed their trays, and as soon as they spotted a free table, hurried over before anyone else could grab it.
“Ms. Sadler, what a coincidence,” a familiar voice said as soon as they sat down. It was Richard.
He was almost done eating, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. When he saw Xylia, his eyes crinkled with a warm smile, making him look even more charming than usual.
“Yeah, funny running into you. You here on your own?” Xylia asked.
Richard nodded. “My coworkers all went for hot pot at the mall next door, but I’m not big on greasy lunches, so I figured I’de here instead.”
As he spoke, Richard tidied up his tray, all polite and poised as he said his goodbye to Xylia.
“Enjoy your meal. I’ll free up the seat for someone who needs it,” he added with a courteous smile.
“Sure,” Xylia replied.
Xylia actually had a pretty good impression of Richard.
He was polite, knew how to keep just the right amount of distance, and had that refined, almost vintage elegance–like one of those gentlemen straight out of an old novel.
She set her tray down and was just about to pick up her chopsticks when Richard’s voice suddenly cut in, sharper than before.
“Watch out!” Richard called out.
8:37 Thu, Sep 25
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Before Xylia could react, he yanked her toward him, and shended right in his arms, surrounded by the unmistakable scent of ssic cologne.
In the next instant, her ears were filled with shouting and screams all around.