The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles) novel Chapter 408

The day flew by in a blur of busyness and satisfaction. Noelle liked the atmosphere at Collosus Group. It was no wonder they were a top dog in Brookville. Frotconn could not hold a candle to them.

After tidying up the paperwork Brian had handed off, Noelle was ready to head home when her phone buzzed. It was Charles. "Done for the day?"

She was just slipping her stuff into her bag and nodded at the phone. "Yep."

"Meet you in the parking lot!" Charles sounded like he was also wrapping up. "How about dinner out and maybe a movie?"

"Sure thing!" Noelle grinned. "I'll head down and wait for you!" She ended the call just as Arya strolled by, catching the tail end of Noelle's cheerful chat. Curiosity piqued, Arya sidled up. "Was that your boyfriend?"

The smile slipped from Noelle's face as she squinted slightly. "Just a friend."

Arya's lips quirked in a half-smile. "You're no fun, Noelle. We're all on the same team here. It’s just a little friendly curiosity. No need to be so secretive!"

"Arya, like you said, we're just colleagues. My private life is just that—private. I don't see why I should broadcast my relationship to everyone," Noelle retorted, her patience wearing thin. She had not expected Arya to be such a pest.

She had joined Collosus Group to work, not to get tangled in office politics. Arya seemed to have gotten the wrong idea, her words laced with sarcasm.