The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)
Chapter 432

Dinner was prepared by Charles that night. Since Noelle had been very busy lately, especially after starting to learn under Brian, she found herself constantly short on time.

In contrast, Charles seemed much more relaxed, almost as if he had all the time in the world. It would make anyone who did not know better think he was just idling his days away.

Noelle worked for over an hour before glancing at the time and finally heading downstairs. Charles had just emerged from the kitchen when he saw her massaging her neck as she descended the stairs. He waved her over and said, "Come on, wash your hands and let's eat!"

"It smells so good!" Noelle exclaimed as she caught a whiff of the food.

As she got closer and saw the spread, she remarked, "This is a lot! Can the two of us even finish all this?" There was clearly enough food for several people.

However, Charles simply glanced at her and said, "You've gotten too thin, especially with how busy you've been lately."

Noelle pouted. "It's all because of the project. Mr. Parker said this might be the norm for the next few months, so all the household chores are going to be your responsibility."

Seeing her giggle, Charles reached out to touch her forehead before taking her hand and leading her into the dining room. "Let's eat quickly. I need to use the study later. Are you done using it?"

"Yes. For now, everything's in order," Noelle replied. She then paused thoughtfully before asking, "What have you been busy with lately?"

"Just some light work. Nothing you'd be interested in," Charles replied, glancing at her. "What's the matter? Want to swap jobs?"

"No way!" Noelle knew that even though Charles made it sound easy, someone in his position could never have an easy job. His calm demeanor was undoubtedly the result of years of experience, and his work efficiency was likely far superior to that of most people. "Alright, let's eat. If you're really too busy, I can ask Brian to adjust your workload or maybe send a few more people to help out," Charles suggested.

"That won't be necessary," Noelle said while raising an eyebrow. "I know you're worried about me, but I want to handle my work independently. I need to prove that I'm capable on my own."

She understood how impressive Charles was, and while she could lean on him to ease her workload, that was not what she wanted.

She aspired to stand on equal footing with Charles, even if she could not be as remarkable as he was. At the very least, she wanted to be able to hold her own and not drag him down.

In fact, Teresa had discussed this with her, and both her grandfathers had also mentioned it. He was a Hoffman, but she had not yet met the rest of the family.

If they harbored any dissatisfaction toward her, it would not bode well. The only solution was to improve herself now.

"Alright then!" Charles smiled and placed some food onto Noelle's plate. "Focus on the tasks you have at hand. As for everything else, you don't need to worry-I've got it covered." Noelle paused for a moment, then smiled. "I know."

Charles was referring to the matters with the Shaw family and Winter, and Noelte was fully aware of it. She knew that Charles was likely handling many things behind the scenes, but since he did not bring them up, she did not ask.

After dinner, Charles went to the study while Noelle chatted with Rowena and Teresa.

As they chatted, Teresa suddenly mentioned Winter, saying that she had seen Winter out with some former classmates recently. They had also visited Teresa's garden house. The conversation between

Noelle and Rowena fell silent at that

point.

Teresa seemed to realize she might have touched on a sensitive subject and quickly changed the topic. "Isn't Winter's birthday coming up soon?" With Teresa's reminder, Noelle replied, "Yes, it is."

Winter was born in the winter, and

Noelle still remembered how Winter always had grand birthday

celebrations. The Shaw family would invite nearly all their classmates to join in the festivities.

As they got older, Winter formed her own smaller social circles, and she would host one party at home and another outside.