The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)

"She does look a bit like her, but it's not her." Henry sighed softly. "This girl seems quite nice."

He turned to Ronald behind him and asked, "When did Charlie get married? Why didn't we know anything about it?"

"Well... Mr. Hoffman got married about five months ago. It's not just you, many people don't know about it," Ronald explained.

Since Charles had invited Henry and Nancy over today, and Noelle had openly acknowledged the marriage, Ronald assumed Charles was not planning on hiding it from Henry and Nancy, so he decided to be upfront.

Henry and Nancy were both shocked. They had not expected that Charles not only got married but had done so quite early and had kept it hidden for so long. Five months ago meant that Charles got married around the time when Robert had his incident. This kid really kept things under wraps, fooling everyone. If he had not invited them over today, they would probably still be in the dark.

"This girl..."

"Rest assured, she's very nice. You can see she really loves Mr. Hoffman, and he loves her just as much," Ronald added, sharing the conclusion he had reached after observing them for some time their relationship truly was strong.

Henry nodded, "Since they're married, there's nothing more to say. But is the reason Charlie called us over just to introduce her?"

Ronald merely smiled, not answering directly. "Mr. Henry, you'll know soon enough."

Henry nodded, then helped Nancy as they went inside.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Noelle entered the study. Charles had already known Henry and Nancy had arrived the moment their car entered Phoenix Tree Residence, so he put down his book and rubbed his forehead.

Seeing this, Noelle quickly approached him, her delicate fingers gently massaging Charles' temples. "How are you feeling? Any better?" Charles nodded. "Much better."

"If that's the case, let's head downstairs. Uncle Henry and Aunt Nancy are here."

"Did you meet them?"

Noelle nodded. "Yes, but they seemed really surprised to see me, especially when they heard we were married. Did I startle them?"

"Silly girl," Charles said, taking

Noelle's hand. "We'd have to tell

them eventually. Uncle Henry and Aunt Nancy are the most open-minded in the Hoffmans. grew up with them, and they're very important to me."

Noelle nodded in understanding. "I think I made a good impression just now."

"I trust you completely!" Charles chuckled, gently tapping Noelle's nose. "Let's go."

Charles held Noelle's hand as they walked downstairs together. Henry and Nancy had just entered the house. Seeing the two of them like this, Nancy smiled, her earlier concerns easing. "Uncle Henry, Aunt Nancy!" Charles greeted them as he descended the stairs. "Long time no see!"

"Yes, it's been quite a while," Nancy replied, studying Noelle once more before adding, "You've grown up, haven't you? Now you're even getting married without telling the family?"

Although Nancy's words were a bit

of a scolding, her tone was not serious. Charles chuckled, still holding Noelle's hand. "Well, I'm telling you now, aren't I? I promise you and Uncle Henry are the first to know about our marriage."