The Sway and Slide of Love

Noelle looked earnest, like what she said wasn't a joke, but Maxwell laughed.

"Come on. I brought back a pastry chef from abroad. I think you'll like his cakes," he said as he led Noelle forward.

He was the star of the party, so most people at the party had their eyes on him.

Maxwell seemed unaffected. He led Noelle to the buffet table and handed her a mini cake. He looked like a little kid, showing his friends his favorite dessert

He did not mind the stares, but Noelle couldn't ignore them. She stared at the cake for a moment before taking it." You're being too obvious," she said.

Maxwell raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"You're trying to use me as a shield, aren't you?" Noelle sail, taking a small mouthful of the cake.

It had been some time since she last had cake. They had personal chefs at Nivis Villa, but they never baked cakes.

Cakes weren't a popular dessert amongst the upper class. The confectionery was just something for specific occasions, more for the sense of ritual than actual enjoyment. No one ate the cakes, and no one cared how they tasted

For Noelle, who only had her first taste of cake at the age of 13, cake was the tastiest in the world. The cream on the cake melted in her mouth, sweet-tasting with a hint of fruitiness. It lifted her spirits. Maxwell saw her brows unfurrow slightly. His smile deepened. "You haven't changed."

"So what? You're bribing me with cake?" Noelle asked, swallowing the cake.

Maxwell sighed. "As expected, I can't keep anything from you."

Noelle glanced over at Ruth, who was staring at her with clenched teeth. Ignoring Ruth, she looked back

at Maxwell. "The Quinlans are trying to set you up with Ruth?"

"Yeah. She's one of the candidates."

Noelle focused back on her cake. "She seems interested in you."

"How so?"

"Our fight made the headlines today. I'm definitely not the only one being gossiped about. The fact that she was willing to come here despite that shows that she's clearly interested in you," Noelle said calmly. Maxwell laughed. "Is that so? Then, what about you? Why are you here today?"

"My friend invited me," Noelle answered, putting emphasis on the word "friend".

Maxwell knew what she was implying. He handed her a different flavor of cake.

"I know you're already married," he said. "If you're happy, I'll be glad to give you my blessing. But Noelle, you're not happy."

His last sentence was firm.

With that, he tore away all the pretenses Noelle had put up to hide herself. She didn't know what to say. Just then, Maxwell glanced over her shoulder. "Your husband is here."noveldrama

Noelle's expression changed. She whipped around.

Maxwell was right. Hendrix was here with Sandra on his arm.

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