Chapter 282

Noelle burst into laughter, giving Charles a playful glare. “Is that really what they say?”

“Yes!” Charles grabbed Noelle’s hand, his deep, dark eyes filled with sincerity. He gazed at her as ifhe wanted to see into her very soul.

Noelle’s heart skipped a beat. There was an indescribable feeling washing over her. Just looking athim made her heart race uncontrollably.

Coming back to her senses, she pulled her hand away from his. “I never knew you could be socheeky!” Although she spoke teasingly, she felt a sweetness in her heart.

She bowed her head and carefully tied Charles‘ tie, thinking that happiness could be so simple.Being with Charles wasn’t as hard to accept as she had once imagined.

When she finished tying the tie, Noelle released Charles‘ hand. However, he immediately pulled herclose, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes. “Now that you’re with me, you can put your trust in me.”

Noelle’s heart started to pound irregularly. She tried to look away, but Charles held her chin firmly,making her look at him. “Okay?”

Her face turned bright red as she averted her eyes, feeling awkward under Charles‘ intense gaze.Her heart was beating wildly, but Charles eventually let it go. Noelle sighed in relief and nodded,“Okay.”

By the time they left, it was already eight o’clock. Noelle was eager to find a gift for Sebastian, andas soon as they reached the city, she tugged at Charles‘ hand to start shopping. Charles sighed andheld her hand firmly. “Let’s eat first.”

“But Grandpa’s gift…” Noelle bit her lip. “It’s already late. If we wait until after dinner, the storesmight be closed.”

Charles insisted, “Dinner first. We can talk about the gift afterward.”

“But…” Noelle tried to protest but was interrupted by Charles. “If Grandpa knows we skipped dinnerfor this, he’ll scold me. Come on, if we can’t find anything tonight, we can look tomorrow.”

Noelle had no choice but to comply.

Given the late hour, Charles took Noelle to Bamboo Grove House. Upon seeing Charles, themanager immediately approached them. “Mr. Hoffman, welcome!”

Charles gave the manager a nod. “Is the room available?”

“Yes. We’ve kept it reserved for you,” the manager replied. A beat later, he added, “Mr. Lennon andMr. Smith are also here.”

Charles raised an eyebrow, prompting the manager to continue, “Would you like to join them, Mr.Hoffman? Their room is next to yours.” After saying that, he glanced at Noelle next to Charles.There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he said nothing more.

Charles frowned slightly and looked at Noelle. She looked back at him, her hand twitching slightly inhis. She was waiting for his decision.

To be honest, the day had been overwhelming for Noelle. First, her grandfather found out abouttheir marriage, and now, they might run into Peter and Sean. It had been quite a day.

Though she felt it might be too soon, she did not mind meeting them if Charles wanted to.

Charles noticed her hesitation and said, “No, another time. Please take us to our room.”