Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Be Good and Wait for Me at Home

The villa was cold and unwelcoming.

Mrs. Miller, however, came forward to greet him, taking the coat and bag from Tristan Lawson’s hands and hanging them up.

Tristan Lawson frowned slightly.

"Where is she?"

"In her room."

Tristan’s frown deepened. "Has she eaten?"

"She said she didn’t want to eat..."

Tristan opened the bedroom door and went in. Noelle Sutton was sitting at the desk, cutting paper with a pair of scissors.

He strode over.

Noelle heard him approach but didn’t even bother to look up.

Tristan leaned against the desk, looking down at her. "Not eating, and not cooking either, is that it?"

Noelle remained focused on her paper cutting, completely ignoring him.

A fire of anger flared in Tristan’s chest.

Lately, he’d had this feeling of losing control.

"Noelle."

Tristan’s voice had grown much darker.

Only then did Noelle stop what she was doing. She put down the scissors, picked up the divorce agreement lying beside her, and handed it to Tristan.

The words "Divorce Agreement" made Tristan’s pupils constrict. He snatched it away angrily.

Irreconcilable differences, leaving with nothing...

Noelle had even signed her name.

In an instant, Tristan crumpled the agreement into a ball and threw it straight into the trash can.

He shot Noelle a sideways glance, his tone cool. "You have a perfectly good life. What on earth are you trying to do?"

Noelle began to sign. "What is a ’perfectly good life’?"

She scoffed, her hands continuing to move. "You tell me, what is a perfectly good life? Is it a husband who’s away on business trips every other day, who brings another woman to a parent-child event to act as his son’s mother, or..."

Noelle’s gaze fell on the wall where their marriage certificate photo used to hang. Her signing grew more frantic. "Or is it that you can’t even stand the sight of our marriage photo!"

Tristan followed her gaze to the wall.

He turned his head, and Noelle pulled her eyes away as well.

Their eyes met. Noelle’s expression was flat and devoid of emotion.

A faint smile suddenly touched the corners of Tristan’s lips, and his voice softened considerably. "Jealous?"

Noelle froze.

Just a moment ago, her emotions had been running high. She had expected they would argue over this and part on bad terms.

’If he got angry enough, they could discuss the divorce.’

But Noelle quickly came to her senses.

"Don’t try to change the subject," she signed.

Her gestures were a little slower than before.

Tristan thought for a moment, his cold, deep voice softening even more. "I took the photo down. Didn’t you want to take wedding photos? I’ll make the arrangements and go with you. We don’t need that old certificate picture."

Noelle’s expression completely froze.

Tristan continued, "As for the parent-child event... that day, when it was time to go, your phone was off."

Noelle’s mind went blank.

Tristan rarely spoke to her with such patience.

And he was actually explaining himself.

On the day of the parent-child event, she hadn’t realized her phone was dead until she got home.

’Was I overthinking it?’

’But the moment Sophie Hughes showed up, Old Master Lawson was clearly so on edge.’

’And what about that piece of paper covered with Sophie Hughes’s name...’

Noelle lowered her eyes, and while she was still lost in thought, her body was suddenly lifted into the air.

Tristan had picked her up. He sat down in her chair and placed her on his lap.

The action was intimate, suggestive.

Noelle’s cheeks instantly flushed hot.

Tristan wrapped his arms around her, his voice low and raspy. "Be good, hmm?"

Noelle bit her lip, her heart fluttering.

This was the kind of gentle intimacy she had longed for.

His pleasant voice was like honeyed candy.

It was rare for him to coax her like this.

His every move, every word, the warmth in his handsome eyes—it all tugged fiercely at her heartstrings.

’Was I being too suspicious? Just overthinking things?’

Just then, as if on cue, Tristan’s phone rang.

It was a call from Joshua Lawson.

Tristan answered the call.

Joshua’s anxious voice came through the receiver.

"Dad, you have to come to the hospital! Great-Grandpa and Auntie took Sophie away, and they look kind of scary."

Tristan immediately set Noelle down and said into the phone, "I’m on my way."

Tristan quickly strode away.

After just a few steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He hurried back, reached out, and placed a large hand on the back of Noelle’s neck, pulling her against his chest.

His thin lips brushed against her ear as he whispered hoarsely, "I have to go out for a bit, but I’ll be back soon. I’ll call off the bodyguards. You be good and wait for me at home."

With that, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. As he let go and turned to leave, Noelle grabbed his hand. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Tristan hugged her again, coaxing gently, "Be good. I have to take care of something. I’ll be back soon."

Her hand was holding his, so she couldn’t use it to sign.

Mute, she was unable to express the words she wanted to say.

She could only let him pull his hand free and leave without a backward glance.

Noelle stood rooted to the spot.

A bitter smile spread across her lips.

The call was from Joshua. If it had been about Joshua himself, he wouldn’t have kept her completely in the dark.

Who else but Sophie Hughes could make him so anxious and worried?

’And to think, I almost believed him...’

’He’ll coax me when he feels like it, and leave when he wants to.’

’In his heart, I’ll always be disposable.’

「Hospital.」

Old Master Lawson and Tessa Lawson were both in Sophie Hughes’s hospital room.

Joshua, worried about Sophie, was knocking on the door from the outside.

"You’re not allowed to bully Sophie..."

Old Master Lawson gave Tessa a look.

Tessa came out, picked Joshua up, and carried him back to his own room.

"Auntie, let me go."

Tessa shut the door before putting Joshua down.

"You little brat, why are you siding with an outsider? Defending that woman."

"Auntie, what are you talking about? Sophie is a good person."

Joshua pouted, glaring at Tessa unhappily.

Exasperated, Tessa plopped down on a chair. "When your dad was little, he was brilliant. Not like you. You’re so dense. That woman is here to steal your father!"

Joshua’s brows knitted together. "Auntie, I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s just staying with us for a few days. Why are you being as unreasonable as my mom?"

"You!"

Tessa was tempted to spank him, but he was her beloved nephew, after all. She held back and tried to reason with him calmly. "You’re still young, so there are some things I can’t really explain to you. But to put it simply, her presence will threaten your mother’s position. You should be on your mother’s side and figure out a way to drive that woman out!"

"No way! I want Sophie to go with me to the paper-cutting competition. Auntie, my dad likes Sophie a lot too. Can’t you be like my dad and like her too?"

Tessa shook her head in frustration.

’That Sophie Hughes really has a way with people. She just got back to the country and she’s already won over Joshua.’

’She really knows how to handle Tristan.’

’And Noelle... is just...’

’Sigh... so useless!’

Tristan rushed to the hospital. He passed by Joshua’s room without stopping and walked straight to the door of Sophie Hughes’s room.