The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)
Chapter 425

"That's a relief! I was worried you might be stretched too thin. Oh, and your mom mentioned she's set up a marriage for you. You..."

"I'll make up my own mind about that. The girl's alright, but the Shaw family aren't exactly ideal in-laws."

Harrison nodded, understanding. "As long as you've got it figured out. Your mom... She's just worried about you." "I get it."

Jade hung up the phone, seething with bitterness. She had not expected Noelle to be so stubborn and Bob to be such a tough nut to crack. She had hoped he would cut her some slack for old times' sake with Yitty, but the kid had a bigger backbone than she had anticipated.

Jade was used to calling the shots in the Shaw household, and this was the first time she had been so openly disregarded. It left her feeling more than a little sour.

Winter had just come home today. With Xavier chatting with her dad Julian in the study, Winter slipped into Jade's room and noticed her mom looked upset. "Mom? What's up?"

"It's that darn Noelle!" Jade could not lash out at Bob, but Noelle was her daughter, and she was an easy target for her frustration.

Winter then remembered that today was supposed to be Noelle's meeting with Bob. "Noelle's not cooperating? What's her deal? She should take a long hard look at herself. Bob's a catch, yet she had the nerve to defy him?"

"Noelle just won't listen, and Bob's a tough nut to crack. I only mentioned their marriage today, and can you believe it? He totally snubbed me His mom, Yitty, is so polite and chatty with me. But he doesn't show me a shred of respect."

"Mom, are you saying Bob won't marry Noelle?" Winter's brow furrowed in concern. "What do we do now? You have no idea. Xavier's been out of sorts all day because he found out you wanted Noelle to meet Bob, and then he even..." Winter's voice rose with frustration. She had clearly told Xavier they were supposed to come back together in the afternoon, but he did not show up until eight at night and had only just arrived.

Jade, hearing this, balled her hands

into fists. "We can't drag this out. We need to wrap this up quickly before it gets messier." As long as Noelle was single, neither Jade nor Winter could relax. "If Bob's not the one, we'll replace someone else. There's got to be a way."

"Actually, Mom, I've got an idea!" A sly sparkle lit up Winter's eyes. "Remember Simon?" "Simon? Why bring him up?" Jade was not fond of Simon. He was just as weird and hard to manage.

"You know Simon's reputation in Brookville. If we could just..." Winter leaned in and whispered her plan to Jade. "Look, Mom, I don't care what it takes. As long as Noelle's not married, Xavier won't back off. I won't let her mess up the happiness I've worked so hard for!"