At last, Noah and Stuart managed to get both Eliana and Bailey into the SUV. The women were swaying on their feet, their unexplainable laughter and mood swings, as well as their slurred words making it clear that the alcohol had hit them hard. Noah placed both his hands on his waist, his gaze shifting between the two women who were now sprawled on the back seat while resting their heads against each other. “Uncle Stuart,” Noah began, his voice firm but tinged with worry. “You should sit in the front with the driver. I’ll sit with Eliana in the back, just in case her health gets upset during the ride.”Stuart nodded absentmindedly, as his mind was preoccupied with an entirely concern. Ever since he had heard about Jensen's intentions about spiking the drinks, a cold fear had settled in his gut. But the thought of mentioning it in front of Noah, who was already stressed, made him hesitate. Could he even bring it up? He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew they needed to get the wome
Once Stuart had left to drop Bailey off at her place, Noah walked over to his own car and opened the door, settling into the cool leather seat. The interior was dimly lit by the overhead LED, casting shadows across Eliana’s face as she leaned against the window. She stirred at the sound of the door closing, and as soon as she sensed him nearby, she swung her head toward him, almost crashing onto his shoulder.Noah reacted quickly, cushioning the fall with his palm. “Easy there…” he murmured softly as he gently guided her head to rest on his shoulder. Eliana’s breathing evened out almost immediately, and within seconds, she was asleep again. The car started with a low purr as they began the drive.Eliana’s soft snores filled the backseat of the car, acting like a gentle background noise that allowed Noah’s mind to drift into his thoughts again. His focus shifted back to the events of the day, settling on a nagging suspicion that he had been ignoring till now. Although he had met h
Eliana gave Noah a small, reassuring smile. "Yeah, of course."They both stepped out of the car, and as Eliana followed Noah into the living room of the house which was supposedly her own, she was still not used to it.She immediately noticed the older man dressed in a sharp, striped three- piece suit, and sitting on the couch. One of his legs was crossed over the other, and his polished boots were practically shining under the lights.Despite his age, which Eliana guessed to be somewhere in his late seventies, there was an undeniable sharpness to his gaze. His skin was wrinkled, his face bearing the signs of time, but his posture was still upright.His hair was a silvery- white, neatly combed back; but what intrigued Eliana the most was his eyes, which were quite keen and observant. As they entered, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, softening the stern expression on his face to some extent. Meanwhile, Warner's watchful eyes also fell on Noah as soon as he entered, wi
The automatic double doors of the apartment slid open once again once it had verified the identity of the visitor, and Stuart walked in.Noah, who was standing by the kitchen counter, nodded toward him as he dropped the conversation with his grandfather in the middle.“You must be tired. Please, have a seat, Uncle Stuart," he said, his voice steady."I’ll get you some water."Stuart took a seat at the couch in the living room, glancing briefly and bowing towards Warner, who sat across from him, his posture as straight as the lines on his perfectly pressed suit. As Noah returned with a glass of cold water, he sensed something in Warner’s eyes— something like disapproval. But he couldn't figure out, for the life of him, what that was all about. He shrugged off the thought and placed the tray in front of Stuart, who gave him a small nod of thanks. “Thank you, Young Master. But you really didn’t have to–”"Come on, uncle Stuart! It was no problem at all.”Stuart replied and gulped the
The statement almost made Noah laugh, but he managed to control himself, and only reacted by giving a quiet nod. Warner, however, didn't notice to his grandson's reaction and continued, “While you were gone this afternoon, I took the liberty to assess your apartment. And I must say, I am dissatisfied with quite a lot of things, which I’m going to fix by tomorrow.”Noah watched as his grandfather paced, his steps slow but deliberate, a sign that he was deep in thought. He raised an eyebrow, feeling curious now. “First of all, I really don’t like the furniture that has been placed here. I don’t know why Stuart would commit such a faux pas, knowing the kind of taste I prefer.”Stuart, who had been silently observing the exchange, suddenly became the focus of Warner’s icy glare. His shoulders tensed, and he bowed his head, showing an appropriate level of embarrassment. Warner continued,“I will also send the interior designers with him tomorrow, so you can tell them your preferences f
Once Warner and Stuart had left, Noah realized that it was indeed time for dinner, and he hadn't even woken Eliana yet.Also, he didn't have any idea about what he was going to tell her when she woke up and saw the army of servants, who had infiltrated their house at his grandpa’s command. Right now, they were roaming from one place to another, doing something that was completely useless in his eyes. Not just that, the crowd of chefs had already made themselves familiar with the kitchen, and were busy whipping up a buffet that would be enough to feed the entire village, for only two people. He would have dealt with this matter easily, if these were the only problems of his life. But there were already three huge problems standing in front of him, which had been piled on his plate by Warner, and now he had to explain it to Eliana… while he was completely unaware of the problems that were waiting for him in the future.And the funniest part was that he didn't even have the time to thi
Noah looked at Eliana, his brows knitting into a frown as he looked at her with confusion and concern, while his eyes were filled with surprise. Her eyes, usually so guarded, were wide and vulnerable as she continued, her voice trembling slightly, “I’m sorry, Noah… I really am. I wasn't able to give you anything in our marriage– not even the companionship you deserved from the sacred bond called marriage. I haven't ever been able to take a stand for you, not even at my own house, where my own family treated you so horribly… like you were a second class human. But you… I don't know what you are made of, that you never let it faze you. I know that you must have been frustrated and angry, but forget about taking it out on me, you never even complained out loud. In fact, all you have ever done is protect me, shield me from everyone in this world… including my own family.”Her voice cracked, and she looked down, her hands wringing together nervously. “But I promise you… I promise you th
Noah couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Eliana was saying everything he had always dreamt of saying to her, everything he had longed to ask for, but had never dared to utter. The fear of offending her, pushing her away and scaring her off had always held him back and stopped him from opening his mouth where he felt like already, he was barely being tolerated.But now, here she was, speaking the very words he had kept locked in his heart, words he had wanted to shout from the rooftops, in the hope of hearing a "yes" from Eliana, in return.And yet, he stood there, speechless, struggling to believe whether this was his reality or the most beautiful dream of his life.Eliana’s hesitant voice cut through his thoughts, as she spoke up after he had been silent for almost two minutes straight. “It’s totally okay, Noah, if you don’t want the same. I can understand if you don’t. After all, it won't be easy to accept my proposal. You might have the doubt that I’m only saying all this becau