Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Helping an Outsider Deceive Her

"Ma’am."

Mrs. Miller blocked the television, smiling. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Her actions only made Noelle Sutton more suspicious.

She pulled Mrs. Miller aside and saw the TV screen. The camera was focused on Tristan Lawson for a moment before cutting away.

Then, it panned back to the news anchor, who began introducing another story.

Tristan Lawson didn’t appear on the screen again.

Noelle Sutton checked the program title. It was the morning news.

Tristan Lawson was on the news first thing in the morning.

Mrs. Miller let out a sigh of relief, while Noelle took out her phone and started typing into an app.

"Mrs. Miller, were you blocking the TV because you saw Sir with someone else?"

A pleasant female voice emanated from the device. Mrs. Miller was too flustered to even figure out where the sound was coming from before she immediately denied it. "N-No!"

Noelle just stared at her skeptically.

Mrs. Miller quickly changed the subject. "Ma’am, where did that voice come from just now?"

Noelle pointed to the ring on her hand.

Mrs. Miller recognized it at a glance. It was the ring Ma’am had returned to Sir.

Mrs. Miller knew about the ring and smiled. "Ma’am, I never would’ve thought this ring could produce sounds! With this, it’ll be so much more convenient for you to communicate with us. I heard from the young master that Sir specifically bought it for you at a charity auction in Crestfall. He’s so thoughtful."

"Mrs. Miller, don’t change the subject. What exactly was on TV just now?"

The pleasant female voice spoke from the ring again.

"Ma’am, it was really nothing, don’t overthink it. Look at how well Sir treats you. The young master was even afraid Sir would be angry if you returned his gift, so he asked me to help hide it from him. Now the ring is back on your hand, which must mean the young master told Sir about it, and Sir wasn’t angry. He still gave it back to you. Both Sir and the young master care about you, so you really mustn’t let your imagination run wild."

Noelle’s mind was in turmoil.

The piece of paper covered with Sophie Hughes’s name.

Sophie Hughes taking her place at the parent-child event.

The strong reactions of Old Master Lawson and Tessa Lawson toward Sophie Hughes.

With all these things, Noelle couldn’t convince herself not to be suspicious.

’Am I really just overthinking things?’

Noelle knew Mrs. Miller wouldn’t tell her anything, which meant she could only ask Tristan Lawson.

She asked Mrs. Miller to lend her her phone; she was going to call Tristan Lawson.

With two phones, she could use her own to produce the voice for Tristan to hear.

She felt it would be too difficult to communicate just by texting.

Noelle returned to the master bedroom, sat down in the sitting area, and used Mrs. Miller’s phone to dial Tristan’s number.

The call connected quickly.

Noelle placed the phone on the table, turned on the speaker, and was about to type into the app on her own phone when...

Sophie Hughes’s voice came from the other end of the line.

"Mrs. Miller, do you need something from Tristan? He’s still sleeping."

Noelle’s phone fell to the floor. Her mind went completely blank.

Hearing the noise, Sophie Hughes called out, "Mrs. Miller, what’s wrong? Did something happen at home?"

Noelle frantically hung up the phone.

’Sophie Hughes is staying with Tristan Lawson...’

Tristan had always been self-disciplined and usually woke up very early. The only times he slept in were when he had been with her... when they’d gone on for too long.

Noelle bit her lower lip hard.

This morning, Joshua Lawson had told the nurse that his mom and dad had gone on a business trip together.

She had even asked Joshua about it, but he’d claimed he didn’t know and had just said it randomly to the nurse.

’Her own dear son was starting to help outsiders deceive her...’

And yet, a tiny bit of tenderness from Tristan had been enough for her to dismiss all her own suspicions.

She had even fantasized about hearing his explanation, about him making things clear.

He took Sophie Hughes on a business trip and they were staying together. What kind of explanation did she still need?

’I’m so pathetic.’

Unable to withstand even the slightest gentleness from Tristan.

If Tristan really wanted to treat her well, why did he wait seven whole years to even think of celebrating her birthday?

’Love really does blind you...’

Noelle picked up her phone from the floor, came out of the room, and returned Mrs. Miller’s phone.

Seeing how pale Noelle was, Mrs. Miller was terribly worried. She wanted to ask if Ma’am had fought with Sir, but she didn’t dare say too much.

Ever since that Sophie Hughes appeared, the whole house had become a minefield.

Noelle took out her phone and typed a line of text.

"Mrs. Miller, I’m craving the crystal dumplings from the Felicity Tower. I’m going out for a bit."

"Please be careful, Ma’am."

Noelle took off the ring and placed it on her vanity.

She didn’t take anything else, just slung her small handbag over her shoulder and left.

Noelle stood by the side of the road, waiting for a car.

Suddenly, a familiar car pulled up beside her. The window rolled halfway down, and Wyatt Yates leaned his head out.

"The Little Mute, where are you headed?"

Noelle signed, "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by. Come on, get in. Wherever you’re going, I’ll give you a ride."

Wyatt Yates got out and opened the passenger door. After a moment’s hesitation, Noelle got into his car.

After the car started moving, Wyatt asked, "The Little Mute, you still haven’t told me where you’re going."

Noelle began to sign. "Take me to the station. I want to go back to my hometown."

In the morning, she’d been so worried about Joshua being hungry that she’d rushed back to the hospital right after buying breakfast, leaving no time for herself to eat.

Joshua had angered her so much she’d coughed up blood, and then she’d come home to *that*.

It felt as if all her energy and spirit had been drained away in an instant.

Her gestures were limp, lacking any strength.

Wyatt Yates noticed something was off. She seemed to be in a very bad state, and he didn’t feel comfortable letting her travel alone.

"I don’t have anything important to do today. Let me drive you."

Noelle signed, "It’s a two or three-hour drive."

Wyatt smiled. "What, you don’t trust my driving?"

Noelle pressed her lips together and continued to sign, "No, it’s not that. I’m just afraid of taking up your time."

"I just got back to the country, so I don’t have anything particularly important to do. The last time I went back to my hometown was a quick trip, and there are still some relatives and friends I didn’t get to visit. This is a good opportunity to go see them, so it’s not entirely just to give you a ride."

Since he put it that way, Noelle didn’t argue any further.

After a while, Wyatt spoke again. "That day... Tessa Lawson didn’t do anything to you, did she?"

Noelle shook her head.

She was already used to Tessa Lawson’s temper.

Even so, Wyatt couldn’t help but worry.

But there were some things he felt too awkward to ask about directly.

After all, it was Noelle’s family business.

He had a faint feeling that Noelle’s marriage might not be a happy one.

A happy woman wouldn’t have that look in her eyes.

Wyatt was trying to figure out how to subtly probe for more information when he glanced over and saw that Noelle had fallen asleep.

’She’s this exhausted?’

’How long has she even been in the car?’

Wyatt frowned and slowed the car down.

What was supposed to be a two or three-hour journey, he stretched into five.

They were almost at Noelle’s home, and she still hadn’t woken up.

Wyatt’s heart ached for her.

’What kind of life has she been living?’

’When she wakes up, I have to ask her.’