Madeline's heart skipped a beat. As soon as Noah hung up, she stepped forward to him, intending to explain to him about Trenton and persuade him not to meddle.
Noah turned around and hugged her. He buried his face between her shoulders and took a deep breath. "I miss you so much, Maddie."
He had a brush with death several times over the past two weeks. Whenever he was in danger, Madeline's face was the first to appear in his mind.
He told himself he could not die because Madeline and Mackenzie had not forgiven him. He had to live to protect them.
The thought of Madeline gave him the strength to live on.
Madeline could sense the fragility he had hidden beneath his indifferent demeanor. She smiled and gently tapped the back of his hand. "If you don't let go, I can't let this arm stay attached to your body."
She took a step back, and Noah's other hand that had slipped beneath her shirt and hugged her bare waist was revealed.
His palms were warm, so warm that they warmed up the rest of her body.
Noah sheepishly pulled his hands away. "Won't you spare me the pleasure? I can let you touch me in return."
He grabbed her hands and placed them around his waist. Madeline hastily pulled her hands back and shoved him next to the bed. "Go to bed! Your eyebags are scary!"
"Maddie," Noah called out as Madeline left the room. He gazed into her eyes and said seriously, "Don't worry."
There was no need for questions or elaborations. They exchanged a smile and nodded slightly.
Madeline remembered what she wanted to tell Noah earlier. She wanted to let Noah know not to be caught up with Trenton, but the distraction had caused her to totally forget about it.
"Let's go, Maddie." Dylan took her hand and led her to the laboratory.
Madeline thought that all the tests were very troublesome. "Why do you sound so excited? Are you treating me like a lab rat?"
"Noah insisted that we conduct a full body checkup on you. We can also gather new data at the same time," Dylan said while helping Madeline mount the apparatus.
Madeline had been taking the new medicine they had developed, and Dylan was eager to know the results.
Half an hour later, Madeline saw Dylan, Alexander, and Andy huddled together, saying nothing as they stared at the stack of reports while frowning. She could not help but be worried.
"Whot's wrong? Are things reolly thot bod?" she osked.
Dylon brought the report close to his chest ond smiled. "It's nothing. Your condition is improving."
"Don't lie to me. Is my time running out?" Modeline reoched out to snotch the report from Dylon's honds.
Dylon tried to exploin while dodging. "Colm down, Moddie! You're reolly okoy!"
"Moddie, if you don't trust Dylon, you should trust me, right? Your results ore fine, but they're not quite like whot we expected. We hove to conduct further experiments," Alexonder exploined hostily. He did not wont Modeline to misunderstond.
Somehow, Modeline thought Alexonder wos trustworthy. She stopped chosing Dylon.
"You don't love me onymore, Moddie," Dylon soid while clutching his chest.
"Are you sure you wont me to love you?" Modeline shot o glonce upstoirs.
Dylon shook his heod. "I wouldn't dore."
Andy olso reossured Modeline thot there wos nothing wrong with her. Even though the three men told her the some thing, she still remoined uneosy.
In ony cose, ofter focing deoth once, she felt she could foce deoth more eosily thon those who hod not.
After spending the night thinking obout it, she decided thot she should spend the rest of her time with her children. Thot woy, she would not hove ony regrets on her deothbed.
However, none of her three children replied to her messoge in the chot group.
Thomos wos ot the kindergorten, Mockenzie wos ot o shoot, ond Colton wos resting. They should not be thot busy to ignore her messoge.
"My deor bobies, would onyone wont to occompony me to the omusement pork tomorrow?"
"No replies? Anyone? You bobies ore moking Mommy sod."
After sending o string of crying emojis, none of the children replied to her.
Moybe they're oll reolly busy. They grow up so fost.
After stoying dejected for some time, she received o phone coll from Albert.
"We've finished the investigotion, Ms. Modeline. Eorlier, the Honn fomily wos focing finonciol problems, ond Joseph wos the one who helped them in secret. I guess Joseph did thot to obtoin o stoke in Honn Corp ond reduce Mr. Quincy's morket shore."
"Of oll the componies, Honn Corp?" Modeline excloimed. She wos not underestimoting Honn Corp, but the Quinton Corporotion wos so mossive thot ony single compony in Imperio could not toke him down.
"What's wrong? Are things really that bad?" she asked.
Dylan brought the report close to his chest and smiled. "It's nothing. Your condition is improving."
"Don't lie to me. Is my time running out?" Madeline reached out to snatch the report from Dylan's hands.
Dylan tried to explain while dodging. "Calm down, Maddie! You're really okay!"
"Maddie, if you don't trust Dylan, you should trust me, right? Your results are fine, but they're not quite like what we expected. We have to conduct further experiments," Alexander explained hastily. He did not want Madeline to misunderstand.
Somehow, Madeline thought Alexander was trustworthy. She stopped chasing Dylan.
"You don't love me anymore, Maddie," Dylan said while clutching his chest.
"Are you sure you want me to love you?" Madeline shot a glance upstairs.
Dylan shook his head. "I wouldn't dare."
Andy also reassured Madeline that there was nothing wrong with her. Even though the three men told her the same thing, she still remained uneasy.
In any case, after facing death once, she felt she could face death more easily than those who had not.
After spending the night thinking about it, she decided that she should spend the rest of her time with her children. That way, she would not have any regrets on her deathbed.
However, none of her three children replied to her message in the chat group.
Thomas was at the kindergarten, Mackenzie was at a shoot, and Colton was resting. They should not be that busy to ignore her message.
"My dear babies, would anyone want to accompany me to the amusement park tomorrow?"
"No replies? Anyone? You babies are making Mommy sad."
After sending a string of crying emojis, none of the children replied to her.
Maybe they're all really busy. They grow up so fast.
After staying dejected for some time, she received a phone call from Albert.
"We've finished the investigation, Ms. Madeline. Earlier, the Hann family was facing financial problems, and Joseph was the one who helped them in secret. I guess Joseph did that to obtain a stake in Hann Corp and reduce Mr. Quincy's market share."
"Of all the companies, Hann Corp?" Madeline exclaimed. She was not underestimating Hann Corp, but the Quinton Corporation was so massive that any single company in Imperia could not take him down.
"It's not only Hann Corp. Joseph also financed seven other similar corporations. They're only waiting for the right opportunity to bite off a piece of the Quincy Corporation's pie."
"Money makes the world go round, I guess." After Madeline ended the call, she drove her car to James and Suzette's apartment.
At the apartment, she saw Suzette following James. James occasionally yelled at her and beat her, but she did not make a sound of protest.
Madeline wondered when Suzette had become so meek.
"Ms. Madeline, James went to abduct Brian Hann's wife yesterday night. Should we take action?" Albert asked for Madeline's opinion.
Madeline nodded. "We can't just sit back and let an innocent person die, right?"
After Albert received Madeline's order, he brought some subordinates and rescued Brian's wife.
After Suzette found that James had been drinking and let Brian's wife escape, she shed her disguise and started to beat James.
While quarreling, they inadvertently spilled the beans on their conspiracy.
It turned out that Suzette was pregnant. They wanted to kill Brian's wife so that Brian would marry Suzette and strengthen the business relationship between the two families.
Brian's wife, Nancy Trench, returned to consciousness in Madeline's car. She huddled in a corner after she woke up. "Where am I? Help!"
"Don't worry, Mrs. Hann. You're safe now."
Nancy lifted her head toward the feminine voice. Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw that it was Madeline.
"Ms. Grant, did you save me?"
"Yes, I did. What do you want to do now?" Madeline leaned back in her chair and looked at the pathetic Nancy.
Nancy gritted her teeth. "I want the police involved! That b*tch and her conniving husband will pay for what they did!"
"And?" Madeline reminded her.
"I also want to show Brian and his parents that b*tch's true colors!"
Brian had once spoken up for Suzette. Nancy wanted him to see the dark side of the woman he was going to marry.
"Mrs. Hann, you've been missing for more than 24 hours, but Brian hasn't made a police report," Madeline said while handing Nancy a bottle of water.
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