The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

Noelle glanced up, a bit taken aback. "Sure. Just a minute!"

She hung up and stepped outside, spotting Ronald with a breakfast bag in hand. She raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Wells, did you need something?"

"Madam, this is the breakfast Mr. Hoffman sent me to deliver to you!" Ronald tried to hand it over, but Noelle did not take it. "Mr. Wells, you've been told to call me Noelle at work. And don't you know most places have a policy that you can't eat during work hours? Please take it back. I'm not interested."

"Madam sorry, Ms. Shaw!-you're putting me in a tough spot here!" Ronald's face was the picture of despair. "Mr. Hoffman made it crystal clear this morning that I had to get you breakfast. But when I got here, I found him pacing the sidewalk, and you were nowhere. He was livid and threatened to cut my bonus. If I don't make sure you get this breakfast, he's going to slash my year-end bonus too. Ms. Shaw, I'm begging you! Have a heart. I've got my folks and kids counting on me..."

Noelle massaged her forehead, a clear sign of her dilemma. "But if I grab breakfast now, I'll get caught by Mr. Parker, and he'll cut my pay. It's still my first day. I'm sure you wouldn't want me to start off on the wrong foot with my boss, right?" Ronald was at a loss for words.

"So, what do I do?"

"Let Mr. Wells have it. I've got to run. I can't talk!" With that, Noelle spun on her heel and strode off, leaving Ronald with a sinking feeling in his gut. He reached out, wanting to stop her, but all he could do was watch her walk away. It hit him then-neither Mr. Hoffman nor his wife were the forgiving type.

Back at the office, Noelle bumped

into Arya again, who eyed her curiously. Noelle gave a slight nod and had barely settled into her seat when Arya sidled up. "Spill it, Noelle. What's the deal with you and Mr. Wells? Are you two an item?"

Noelle arched an eyebrow. "Nope!"

"Don't play coy with me. It's obvious," Arya pressed her disbelief written all over her face. "Mr. Wells personally escorts you here on day one, then hand-delivers your breakfast? Along with that, Mr. Parker's letting you handle his prized projects. You've got to be involved with Mr Wells. Come on, is he your boyfriend or what?"

"He's really not!" Noelle's lips tightened just a tad-her face was calm, but inside, she was anything but pleased. Arya's stock with her had just plummeted.

Yesterday, Noelle had thought Arya

was pretty cool, but today, Arya's

true colors same shining through. "We know each other. My folks knew he worked at Collosus Group, so they asked him to keep an eye on me But getting into Collosus Group? That was all me, and it really didn't have much to do with him!"

"Is that so?" Arya's mouth twisted into a doubtful smirk as she gave Noelle a sideways glance, obviously not buying her story.

Noelle just shrugged. "That's the truth!" She really was not tight with Ronald, but she could not help what others thought. Still, it felt a bit rough using him as a scapegoat. "What's all this chit-chat during work hours?" Brian emerged, spotting Arya and Noelle in conversation. His brow creased in disapproval. "Shouldn't you be at your desk?"