The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

Charles gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. Janet's words had hit him like a punch, and he was seething.

Noelle gently took his clenched hand, her touch soothing. It was like magic. The storm inside him quieted. He was like a raging lion, teetering on the brink of an outburst, but she managed to reel him back in. Charles glanced at Noelle, her worried eyes locked on him. He sighed. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Noelle's voice was calm, and she gave a small laugh. "You shouldn't be mad either."

"I was afraid you'd be bothered by her!" He was genuinely concerned that Janet's claims would unsettle Noelle.

Noelle quirked an eyebrow. "What do you take me for? Why would I be bothered? You're mine now. She's the one who should be worried."

With a playful grin, Noelle added, "Actually, I should be thanking Janet. Who knew you cared about me so much?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean you haven't noticed everything I've done for you?"

Charles let out a slow breath of relief. As long as Noelle was okay with it, nothing else mattered. He had not worried about that stuff before because she had not been in his life. However, now that she was, he could not just stand by and let things spiral out of control. "Just give me a little time. I'll sort it out and make it right for you."

"No rush. You're the one who's pressed," Noelle said, giving Charles a look that mixed sympathy with concern. Janet was a piece of work. Noelle had not met her face-to-face, but from the little she had seen, it was clear Janet was a walking headache.

Janet was in a tricky spot. She was pampered by the Baker family and Clarisse's favor, which had clearly gone to her head. Her obsession with Charles was off the charts. No matte how obvious Charles was about not being interested, Janet just did not get it. She was constantly surprising Noelle with her level of denial.

Then there was Clarisse, Charles's mom. No matter how tough Charles talked, he could not just disrespect her.

Noelle got it. It was like her own deal with the Shaws. She knew Julian Shaw and Jade played favorites and that Winter had it out for her, but she still had to play the game and keep up appearances.

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"Don't stress about me, just do what you've got to do. I know this mess has to be cleaned up at some point, but don't beat yourself up over it."

"Yeah!" Charles nodded with a playful grin. "Noelle."

"Hmm?" Noelle looked up, puzzled. "What's up?"

"You're amazing!"

Today, they had planned to grab a bite outside, but they skipped the fancy dining spots and ended up at a down-to-earth restaurant near Vista University, a local favorite for catching a game. Charles had picked the place, so Noelle was visibly surprised as they stood at the entrance. Noticing her expression, Charles gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "What's wrong? Not your style?"

Noelle was quick to shake her head.

"No, it's not that. I'm just surprised you'd choose a place like this. Rowena, Teresa, and I used to hang out here all the time during collège. I haven't really been back since graduation." She said, leading Charles inside. "Looks like nothing's changed since those days."