Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Two Paths, The Choice Is Yours

Noelle Sutton grabbed Wyatt Yates’s arm, gesturing for him to sit down.

She didn’t care what Tristan Lawson thought of her, but there was no need to argue with him.

Wyatt’s anger flared whenever he thought about how Tristan failed to cherish The Little Mute.

But he considered The Little Mute’s feelings and sat back down.

Tristan Lawson had never seen Noelle Sutton have physical contact with another man. The natural way she held Wyatt Yates’s arm pushed him to his limit.

’She really has no reservations about the fact that she’s a married woman.’

’In that case, there’s no reason for me to be polite either.’

Tristan Lawson wanted to end this conversation quickly.

He took out his phone and dialed Secretary Shaw.

Right in front of the three of them, Tristan said bluntly, "Secretary Shaw, get the team ready. I want a plan for a full acquisition of the Yates Group immediately. And remember, money is no object. Do whatever it takes."

Noelle immediately shot to her feet, glaring at Tristan Lawson and signing furiously. "Divorce is between us! Why are you dragging other people into this? How could you be so despicable!"

She was seething with rage.

’Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he has money?’

"The Little Mute, don’t be afraid of him," Wyatt said. "If he wants to acquire us, then let him try. The Yates Group isn’t so weak that he can buy us out whenever he feels like it."

But Noelle knew Tristan was serious.

He wasn’t just the richest man in Glenwater; he was also the youngest billionaire on the Forbes list.

Behind him stood not only the Lawson Group, built over several generations, but also his own personal business empire, which consisted almost entirely of high-tech industries.

In the business world, when he set his sights on something, he could often dismantle an entire company overnight.

During that minor incident with the Yates Group last time, even Aunt Rhodes had come to see her specifically. It was obvious the Yates family didn’t want to make an enemy of Tristan Lawson.

Although she didn’t know the specifics of the Yates Group’s situation, she had heard Tristan call him Second Young Master Yates. It was clear Wyatt had an older brother, either by blood or a cousin.

’Things are definitely not as simple as I imagined.’

"Ahem... ahem..." Hugo Sterling cleared his throat. "Tristan, the second young master of the Yates family and Noelle used to be neighbors. Don’t get the wrong idea. Of course, even if you did misunderstand something, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to be better than other men and win back your wife’s heart? Why resort to threats like this? It just makes it seem like your personal charm can’t even compete. Aren’t you ashamed?"

’My wife is about to run off with someone else. What’s there to be ashamed of?’

Tristan could tell Hugo was taking a veiled jab at him, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he lifted his gaze and stared at Noelle. "Are you coming home with me to plan the wedding, or are you going to watch the Yates Group go bankrupt? Two paths. You choose."

Noelle’s knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists, her arms trembling from the force.

"The Little Mute... don’t let him scare you. The Yates Group won’t go bankrupt that easily. If you don’t want to go back, then don’t. You really don’t have to worry about me. You finally have a chance to work again, a chance to see more hope in life. Are you really going to give that up?"

Wyatt could see the restrained pain in her eyes. Suddenly, a wave of self-reproach washed over him.

’If I hadn’t been by her side, Tristan wouldn’t be using the Yates family to threaten her.’

’She’s definitely going to worry about dragging me into this and give in to Tristan!’

She wanted so badly to treat her aphonia, to leave the marriage that had trapped her dreams. She had just barely managed to regain her confidence and get to where she was now. Tristan clearly didn’t cherish her, yet he still wanted to destroy everything.

Wyatt couldn’t take it anymore. He kicked his chair aside and, in a few quick strides, rushed in front of Tristan Lawson and threw a punch.

Tristan, however, didn’t dodge.

Wyatt had put all his strength into that punch, and it landed squarely on the side of Tristan’s face.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Tristan’s mouth.

Tristan slowly, deliberately, raised his thumb and wiped away the blood.

Since Tristan didn’t fight back, Wyatt felt like there was no point in even hitting him.

Tristan pulled a wet wipe from the table and leisurely cleaned the blood from his fingertip. He suddenly felt that the old man’s intervention had been a good move. At the very least, it let him know that Noelle cared about what happened to the Yates Group.

He slowly stood up. Wyatt wasn’t short either, standing at around six-foot-one.

At that height, even a slight difference could feel oppressive.

But Tristan, at six-foot-two, with the natural aura of someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, still had an edge over Wyatt.

"Want to hit me again?" the man’s voice was calm and deep. "Go ahead. But I, Tristan Lawson, don’t take punches for free. For that one punch, the Yates Group will pay a price of one billion."

Listening to Tristan bring up money with every other sentence, Noelle was about to explode.

She strode over, pushed Wyatt aside, and slapped Tristan across the face. Then she signed, "What about me? I slapped you. How many billions do I have to pay you? Besides using money to control people, what else can you do?"

Tristan pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. An explosive power seemed ready to burst from him.

Hugo Sterling hurried over and grabbed Tristan’s arm. "Tristan, I’m the one who convinced Noelle to let you come today. Look at you! You’ve made such a scene that I haven’t even been able to eat. The food’s cold now, and I’ve lost my appetite. You can treat me to another meal somewhere else to make it up to me."

But Tristan shoved Hugo aside, grabbed Noelle’s hand, and hissed out two words: "Go home!"

He dragged Noelle toward the exit.

Noelle had no choice but to follow him out.

She couldn’t let Wyatt be affected because of her.

"The Little Mute!" Wyatt caught up to them and grabbed Noelle’s other hand. "I won’t let you go back with him!"

He was terrified that if she went back, she would never be able to get out again.

She would have to keep struggling in that miserable marriage, with no sense of self.

When Tristan saw Wyatt clinging to Noelle’s hand, he finally lost his patience. He strode forward and gripped Wyatt’s wrist. "I’m warning you, touch her again, and I guarantee this hand will never hold a scalpel for the rest of your life!"

Noelle shook her head gently at Wyatt, her tear-filled eyes telling him not to worry about her anymore.

Tristan forcefully flung Wyatt’s hand away and dragged Noelle off.

Wyatt stood there helplessly, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He wasn’t the one in charge of the Yates Group right now; he couldn’t personally decide its fate.

And because of this, he had become a burden, holding The Little Mute back from leaving Tristan Lawson.

Hugo Sterling walked up, patted Wyatt’s shoulder, and comforted him, "Don’t be too upset. Tristan has always been more capable than his peers. At sixteen, he led a team to develop a solid-state battery. After it went public, that one tech company alone was valued in the tens of billions. But Noelle was right; he can only use his wealth to pressure people. She only went back with him because she was thinking about the Yates Group. I’m sure she’ll find another way. Don’t worry."

Noelle was taken back to Westhill Villa by Tristan Lawson.

Tristan threw her directly into the master bedroom’s bathtub, turned on the showerhead, and, ignoring the cold water that first sprayed out, aimed it straight down at her head.