The Sway and Slide of Love

When Hendrix returned, Noelle was still engrossed in the files on her computer- so much so she didn't even notice he had come back.

"What are you looking at?" Hendrix whispered into her ear.

Startled, she instinctively moved to block the screen before turning to ask, "How do you walk without making any sound?"

Hendrix glanced at her computer screen. There was nothing scandalous-just some of her past work, things he had already seen.

He had even bought all of her published works. For a while, anyone entering his office would spot, amid stacks of documents, a few brightly colored comic books on his desk.

The covers featured intimate poses between a man and a woman. Normally, this wouldn't be noteworthy, but paired with Hendrix's image, the contrast was jarring.

He knew what people whispered behind his back, but he simply ignored them.

Now, with just one look at her screen, he could pinpoint exactly where the story had progressed. Oh, the male lead was about to kneel in the rain to beg for forgiveness.

In all honesty, Hendrix didn't fully grasp the logic or tropes of her comic. To him, the characters seemed unhinged.

However, he read the comments about her work online, and it seemed like people really loved it. And during the years she was away from him, this series had afforded her a comfortable life.

Thus, Hendrix understood that some things in this world exist for a reason. This was her profession, and he shouldn't question it.noveldrama

He almost asked why she felt the need to hide it. After all, her work was public and was even adapted into other media. So, what was the point of covering it now?

But when his gaze landed on her face, his expression vanished. His hand shot up, gripping her chin.

"What-"

Noelle moved to swat his hand away, but Hendrix was staring fixedly at her cheek. "What happened to your face?"

His voice was icy, and he tightened his grip on her chin slightly.

Only then did it dawn on Noelle what was happening. But that shouldn't be possible.

To prevent him from noticing, she had applied a warm compress earlier and carefully put on some foundation. She couldn't even tell there was anything wrong with her

cheek when she looked in the mirror, So how did he know?

།

While she was still puzzling over it, Hendrix had already released her He then turned to interrogate the household staff outside. "Who came today?"

"Well..." The household staff hesitated, her eyes darting toward Noelle.

Hendrix's expression darkened further. "I'm the one asking you, so why are you looking at her?"

"I"

"I told them not to tell you." Noelle stepped in smoothly.

Hendrix furrowed his brows at her.

She walked up to him and pulled him back. "It's nothing serious. There's no need

to make a fuss."

Her voice was soft, her hand lightly holding his.

In the

his

But now, his face

First this might have diffused remained stormy. "Answer meal.ne

first-were you hit?"

He stared fixedly at her, leaving her no room for evasion.

After a pause, Noelle could only nod.