The Cherished Wife



Arya went on critiquing Xavier, but when she noticed that Noelle keeping silent, she raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You two aren't... in that kind of relationship, are you?"

"No!" Noelle pursed her lips. "He's my sister's husband and was my former boss."

"Oh, right. He mentioned Frotconn earlier, and you used to work at Frotconn too, so your relationship..."

"Isn't good. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left for Collosus Group." Noelle clearly did not want to continue discussing Xavier. "He probably came by to ask why Frotconn wasn't chosen as a collaborator for the project with Collosus Group."

Noelle was merely guessing, but she was pretty confident she was right.

Arya shrugged. "I mean, come on, we're partnering with Lennon Group this time. What's Frotconn compared to Lennon Group? Nothing!" Arya chuckled as they crossed the street to the restaurant. She quickly found a seat and settled in. "Today's my treat, so don't hold back-eat whatever you like!"

"Alright!"

Meanwhile, unable to catch Charles at Collosus Group, Xavier relayed what little information he had gathered to Joseph.

To his surprise, Joseph took matters into his own hands and personally visited the Hoffman residence with a group of people in tow.

The Hoffmans were all gathered there that day. Mateo and his wife, Henry and his wife, and even Maxwell were present.

Joseph arrived with a load of gifts, and despite the butler's attempts to stop him, he insisted on having everything brought inside.

Meanwhile, Maxwell was upstairs playing chess with Mateo while Henry and his wife stayed in their room.

Downstairs, Clarisse was enjoying her tea when she heard the commotion outside. "James, you don't need to trouble yourself. Leave these heavy tasks to the household staff!" she heard someone say.

"Come on. Bring in all these supplements. It's been a while since I visited the old man. I hope he's been doing well lately!"

Clarisse paused mid-sip, watching a middle-aged man enter. He seemed quite familiar with his surroundings.

Clarisse, who often stayed away from Brookville, did not recognize Joseph nor was she aware of his connection to the Hoffmans.

l

She noticed him giving orders to James-the butler who rarely even listened to her. At that moment, James' face clearly showed his displeasure. "Mr. Harris, I'm afraid Sir Hoffman isn't seeing visitors today!"

"Oh, but how could I be considered a visitor? After all, my wife bears the Hoffman name too. We share the same ancestry. Our ancestors were family, so we're relatives.

"I haven't been able to visit Sir Hoffman in a while, and I finally got some time today to come see him."

"Oh, we have a guest, do we?"

Joseph's gaze fell on Clarisse, moving upward until he saw her face. His eyes flashed with a hint of admiration. "You say Sir Hoffman isn't seeing guests, yet isn't this a quest right here?"

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"Hmph!" Clarisse let out a cold snort,

immediately disliking the

middle-aged man in front of her.

"James, who's this? It seems you've become increasingly careless Kately, letting just any riffraff wander into the house!"