The Sway and Slide of Love

There was no answer.

Irene immediately sensed something was wrong. She quickly removed the shovel propped against the door and swung it open, only to find no one inside the room.

"Mr. Freeman, rest assured, we will take care of this matter for you."

Jerry's head was pounding. Ever since Hendrix had arrived in their jurisdiction, trouble had followed relentlessly. Yet, despite all this, he maintained a polite smile as he addressed Hendrix.

"What are you going to do with him?" Hendrix asked in return.

Jerry hesitated for a moment before responding, "We've already looked into the matter. Rest assured, we will deal with him severely."

"And what exactly do you mean by 'severely'?" Hendrix pressed, his gaze sharp enough to make sweat prickle at Jerry's temples.

"Well, given his attempted assault, under criminal law—"

"Assault?" Hendrix let out a low chuckle. "You seem to be mistaken. He was attempting rape and possibly even murder."

"Murder?"

"Yes. Murder."

Hendrix lifted his eyes, the last trace of a smile vanishing from his lips.

That look alone made Jerry understand exactly what he meant. He frowned and said, "Mr. Freeman, Sid is already hospitalized. If we pursue sentencing as you suggest, it seems-"

"If I hadn't arrived in time, he would have succeeded. Could you bear the consequences of that?"

"That's-"

"But don't worry. I won't make things difficult for you. My lawyers will take over from here." With that, Hendrix stood, delivering his final verdict. "Scum like him doesn't deserve to exist in this world."

The words sent an involuntary tingle across Jerry's scalp. However, he didn't dare to argue. When Hendrix glanced at him, he could only nod hastily in agreement. "Y-Yes,

course, Mr. Freeman. You're absolutely right."

Hendrix said nothing more and strode out. He had been brought to the station by the police. When Jerry offered to drive him back, Hendrix turned him down, opting to take a taxi instead.

"Mr. Freeman, wait!" Jerry called out to him again.

Hendrix lifted his eyes, impatience flickering in his gaze.

"Is that your wife?" Jerry was nearsighted, and with the dim streetlights, he had to squint to make out the figure in the distance.

Hendrix immediately looked up. Unlike Jerry, he didn't need to struggle to see clearly. Even with just a blurry glimpse of Noelle's silhouette, he recognized her right away.

He swiftly shut the car door he had just opened and bolted forward. For a moment, he thought something had happened to her again. After all, Joanna wasn't someone to be taken lightly.

With Sid lying in the hospital, she

would undoubtedly try to cause trouble for Noelle. And in a rural place like this, family ties ran deep. If she gathered a few people and

came knocking, could Irene really protect Noelle?

The thought made Hendrix's expression grow even more serious. His grip on Noelle tightened as he asked, "Why are you here? Are you hurt? Did something happen?"

Noelle had originally come to check on him. She hadn't expected Hendrix to bombard her with questions the moment he saw her.

Stunned, she stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'm fine. I was just worried about you, so I thought I'd come to see you."noveldrama