"Yes, I haven’t seen her. I don’t know what happened, either. She was in the study all afternoon, and I never saw her leave." Tristan Lawson scanned the study, his expression darkening.

Director Ford was still here; he couldn’t neglect his guest.

’I’ll deal with Noelle Sutton’s matter later.’

He instructed Mrs. Miller to look for her around the house and then went to invite Director Ford to dinner.

Director Ford sat down across from Tristan Lawson.

Tristan Lawson eyed the dishes on the table, his stern features darkening slightly.

He could recognize these dishes at a glance; they were from Myre River Pavilion.

"CEO Lawson, your wife isn’t home?"

Director Ford asked with concern.

Tristan Lawson looked up. "She’s usually at home. She might have gone out for a walk."

’He had people watching the house, so there’s no way she could have gone out. She’s probably in one of the rooms. Mrs. Miller will find her soon.’

"Why don’t you contact her and have her join us for dinner?"

"Okay."

Noelle Sutton had blocked Tristan Lawson’s number and hadn’t unblocked it. That afternoon, he had to use Secretary Shaw’s personal phone to send her a message.

She’d been giving him a hard time lately.

Tristan Lawson didn’t want any outsiders to know about their domestic troubles.

He made a show of dialing Noelle Sutton’s number.

"Her phone is off. She’s usually at home and rarely goes out, so she often forgets to charge her phone. Why don’t we eat first?"

"She’s the lady of the house. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate not to wait for her?"

Director Ford vaguely felt that something wasn’t quite right.

"She has her own schedule. She’ll be back later. If we wait any longer, the food will get cold."

Joshua Lawson had inherited Noelle Sutton’s special trait.

Noelle Sutton had been married for seven years. Tristan Lawson had said Joshua was six, which meant they’d had a child not long after their wedding.

This suggested there were no problems in their marriage.

The rumors all said that Tristan Lawson was very protective of his wife.

Noelle Sutton was mute. If people found out, they would undoubtedly gossip that she wasn’t worthy of Tristan Lawson.

Tristan Lawson must care for Noelle, which was why he had never made her identity public.

’I shouldn’t overthink this. Maybe Tristan just knows his wife so well, knows her routine, that he’s not in a rush to find her and have her eat with us.’

Director Ford smiled and said, "Alright then. Let’s eat while we wait for her."

Mrs. Miller searched every room in the villa but couldn’t find Noelle Sutton anywhere.

When she came downstairs, she saw Tristan Lawson having a pleasant conversation with his guest and didn’t dare to go over and interrupt.

’The Master doesn’t seem to be in any rush to find Madam right now, either.’

*Sigh...*

’In the past, whenever we had guests, the Master always had Madam make herself scarce.’

’Could it be that Madam already got the message to stay away, so she’s hiding?’

’The Master asking about her just now was probably just an act for the guest.’

Mrs. Miller felt a wave of sadness for Noelle Sutton.

’No wonder Madam has been so cold toward the Master and the Young Master lately. She must have waited all these years, but the Master is still unwilling to publicly acknowledge her. She must be heartbroken and unwilling to put up with this injustice any longer.’

Mrs. Miller went about her business. She would just tell the Master she couldn’t find her when he asked.

The meal was almost over, and Noelle Sutton still hadn’t returned.

Just as Director Ford was about to ask Tristan Lawson about it, Tristan said, "Last time, you gave Joshua a generous gift. It’s a rare occasion to have you as a guest in my home today, so I’d like to give you a gift in return. Please don’t refuse."

What Tristan Lawson had said during their previous conversation made a lot of sense.

The future and development of animation didn’t just require talent; they also needed capital for promotion.

He had exclusively funded her exhibition, and moreover, he was Noelle Sutton’s husband.

This was a matter of reciprocal courtesy.

Director Ford found it hard to refuse, so she agreed.

Tristan Lawson stood up and said, "Please, follow me."

Since Noelle Sutton couldn’t leave the villa and didn’t want to meet Tristan Lawson’s guest, she had gone to the basement floor.

The basement floor was the collection room.

Inside were all the precious collectibles Tristan Lawson had gathered.

She rarely came down here; the basement was almost dust-free.

She would usually come down during the humid season to check for dampness, but she never paid much attention to these objects.

’My heart and mind were full of Tristan Lawson; these objects were just incidental to him.’

’I didn’t need them, and I wasn’t greedy.’

’The only thing I was greedy for was Tristan Lawson’s love.’

Now, bored, she began to admire the objects.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps.

They were clearly Tristan Lawson’s.

And another set, probably his guest’s.

Noelle Sutton always avoided guests, but she had heard Mrs. Miller say that Tristan Lawson sometimes brought guests to see his collection—sometimes to sell, sometimes to give away as gifts.

Of course, some people also came to sell fine items to Tristan Lawson.

Noelle Sutton ducked into a small storage room nearby.

Tristan Lawson led Director Ford into the collection room.

When Director Ford walked in, she was stunned.

’Everyone says Tristan Lawson is a man of immense resources, but seeing this today is a true eye-opener.’

The entire hall had simple decorations, exuding a low-key luxury. All sorts of collectibles were displayed with extreme elegance and taste.

Famous paintings, antiques, gold and silver jewelry, handicrafts—it had everything.

"Director Ford, pick whatever you like."

Noelle Sutton’s eyes instantly widened.

’Tristan Lawson’s guest today is Director Ford!’

’Thank goodness I hid.’

’Otherwise... if Director Ford knew how miserable my life had become since I got married, I’d never be able to face her.’

"I’ve heard that CEO Lawson is very generous, and many people want to work with you. It seems your reputation is well-deserved."

Noelle Sutton heard Director Ford’s familiar voice.

She clenched her jaw tightly, her almond-shaped eyes shimmering with tears.

’Other than my grandmother, Director Ford is the person who has been kindest to me.’

’Now, Director Ford is standing so close, but I don’t even have the courage to go out and see her.’

Director Ford didn’t have a strong desire to possess these worldly things, but the material beauty of the antiques still captivated her.

Tristan Lawson was quite knowledgeable in this area and accompanied Director Ford, giving her detailed introductions as they viewed the items.

There were even some antiquities made with lost craftsmanship. Tristan Lawson took the opportunity to say, "Director Ford, if some things lose their heritage, they will disappear in the future. Of course, without innovation, they will also be phased out."

Director Ford chuckled lightly. "CEO Lawson, there seems to be a hidden meaning in your words."

"Director Ford is a perceptive and straightforward person, so I won’t beat around the bush. Sophie Hughes has been studying animation since she was a child and has been pursuing advanced studies abroad these past few years..."

Hearing these words, Noelle Sutton’s heart went completely cold.

’Tristan Lawson really has gone to great lengths for Sophie Hughes.’

’He came for me last night, brought me back, and locked me in the house, all so he could host Director Ford and convince her to take Sophie Hughes on as her protégé.’

’I didn’t know my mentor was coming. If I had, I would have put my heart into cooking for her and hosting her properly.’

’But Tristan Lawson’s reason for wanting me to do all that was for Sophie Hughes.’

Tristan Lawson went on, singing Sophie Hughes’s praises.

Finally, he said, "International animation production is many years ahead of what we have domestically. At the same time, domestic animation has also achieved considerable success. I believe that the fusion of the international techniques Sophie Hughes has mastered with domestic skills will create a unique spark. What do you think, Director Ford?"