The Sway and Slide of Love by Jean Song

"It's me," Noelle said.

"I know," Hendrix replied.

"Did you handle the situation with Ebony?"

Though she phrased it as a question, her tone said otherwise.

Hendrix paused on the other end before responding with a quiet, "Yes."

"Thank you for your help, but let's end it right here. There's no need to blacklist him."

"What's the matter? Are you feeling sorry for him?" Hendrix asked, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Why would you feel sorry for a man who threw you under the bus the moment things went wrong?"

Noelle naturally understood his implication but simply replied calmly, "If he had spoken up for me back then, it would've only made things worse. Besides, we were just colleagues, so he had no obligation to defend me. And it's not like he was the only one who stood by and did nothing, right?"

momentarily

for his response and continued, "Regardless, I still appreciate what you've done. As for the rest, let's just forget about it. After all, it's my show- getting

please show some mercy? Cut us some slack, and let

you have to talk like

would you like me to talk, then? Should

Noelle finished speaking, the line

least say something, but instead, he abruptly ended the call. She stared at her darkened phone screen, understanding that his silence meant agreement.

the matter

then, the doorbell

to reach the door, but her expression froze when she saw who

bent down and pinched her nose indulgently.

and Seline. So, when Dylan pinched her nose, she immediately frowned and took a cautious

aback by her

had already walked