The Cherished Wife



"Charlie!"

Clarisse staggered backward, gripping the dining table for support as she gasped. "Charlie, are you really willing to oppose the entire Hoffman family and the Bakers for the sake of this woman?

"Do you even know what you're doing? Is she worth it? You're meant to be the future head of the Hoffmans!"

"Whether she's worth it or not is my business. It has nothing to do with the Bakers," Charles replied coldly.

If he had been holding back earlier, Charles released his full authority now, his sharp gaze locking onto Clarisse's. "I suppose your brother forgot to take you with him when he left Brookville recently, Madam Baker."

"I'm the daughter-in-law of the Hoffmans, your father's wife!"

"How fortunate that you still remember you're my father's wife," Charles sneered, his smile laced with cold mockery. He was clearly unfazed by Clarisse's words.

"Your affairs with the Hoffmans are none of my concern. Likewise, my marriage and my wife are nobody's business, least of all yours. Consider this your final warning. If you come after my wife again, don't expect me to show any mercy."

Charles grabbed Noelle's hand, intending to leave. However, Clarisse called after him desperately, "Charlie! Do you even understand what you're saying or doing right now?"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Charles replied icily.

Clarisse laughed bitterly. "Fine, very well! So, you've been married to this woman all along. And that scandal with Winter-was that your doing too? Was it just a distraction to keep us occupied with her instead?"

She clenched her teeth, realizing too late that she had been manipulated by her own son. All this while, they had been mere pawns in his carefully crafted game.

Charles' expression remained unreadable, but his silence confirmed everything.

Clarisse felt a wave of disbelief

wash over her. How could she, after all her years of experience, have

been outwitted by her own child? Was she too foolish, or was her son

simply too cunning ander

"The incident with J... Was that also your doing?" Clarisse asked, her voice trembling from the sheer effort it took to say it aloud. Charles arched a brow, releasing Noelle's hand.

Noelle tensed instantly, sensing the escalating conflict and noticing Clarisse's increasingly pale face. Worried, she whispered, "Charlie, your mother..." Charles gave Noelle a reassuring shake of his head and gently patted the back of her hand. "Step aside."

Though Noelle wanted to say more, she could not find the right words. All she could do was nod, her heart racing with concern. She was desperate to understand what had been unfolding recently.

All she knew was that J had been taken away by the Bakers, but the details remained a mystery to her. Seeing the shaken expression on Clarisse's face, Noelle felt a pang of guilt.

Clarisse took a deep breath and cast a fleeting glance at Noelle, but that glance was filled with resentment. To Clarisse, Noelle's earlier words had only added fuel to the fire.

The more Clarisse thought about it,

et

the more she blamed Noelle for everything. Charles had not acted against the Bakers for three years but now, without warning, he had made his move. In her mind, it was all-Noelle's fault. The malice in Clarisse's gaze deepened as it

rested on Noelle.

Unaware of the hatred building within Clarisse, Noelle remained focused on Charles, her concern solely for him.noveldrama

Charles shifted his gaze from Noelle back to Clarisse, his expression as sharp as a knife. "The Bakers have been in decline under my uncle's leadership for years. Perhaps it's time to try a new owner."

Clarisse's face twisted in horror. "What are you planning? You can't go after the Bakers. They've done nothing wrong!"