Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Isn’t It a Bad Idea to Use My Phone to Call Noelle?

Wyatt Yates was so thoughtful, even preparing an extra phone for her, that it made her even more hesitant to accept his gift.

After all, they were just neighbors and friends from their younger days.

Plus, he was a man and she was a woman, and the necklace was so valuable.

Noelle Sutton thought for a moment, then signed, "Wyatt, thank you. Tristan Lawson bought me a ring that’s also voice-enabled. I already have one, so I don’t need this. But thank you, anyway."

Noelle had found an excuse to decline.

Wyatt Yates’s gaze faltered.

He had been worried that Noelle was having a hard time with the Lawson family and was about to ask her about it.

But he hadn’t expected Tristan Lawson to be so considerate, buying her a voice-enabled ring.

’Maybe I’m just overthinking things.’

’With a family background like Tristan Lawson’s, he probably wouldn’t have married Noelle if it wasn’t for love.’

’Even if Tristan had agreed to it, his family surely would have objected.’

’Judging by Tessa Lawson’s attitude, she doesn’t seem to like Noelle very much.’

’It seems Tristan himself wanted to marry her.’

’A man wouldn’t treat the woman he chose to marry so poorly.’

Wyatt Yates dismissed the thought of questioning Noelle.

As for the gift...

He took it back.

They were both adults. Some things were better left unsaid; a mutual understanding was enough.

After dinner, Wyatt Yates drove Noelle to her doorstep.

Noelle invited him in, but he made an excuse about having something to do and left.

’Noelle has a family. I shouldn’t get too close to her.’

’My behavior was too obvious, and she noticed.’

’This isn’t good. It might make her afraid to see me again. I should keep a proper distance from her.’

Noelle had slept for a few hours in the car but was still exhausted, so she lay down to sleep some more.

An hour later, Noelle was startled awake by the urgent ringing of her phone.

Her eyes still heavy with sleep, she picked up her phone. It was Mrs. Miller.

’Mrs. Miller must be calling because I haven’t been back for so long.’

She didn’t answer.

She had no intention of going back.

After a moment, the call disconnected.

Noelle rolled over, ready to go back to sleep, when her phone chimed several times with WeChat notifications.

She took out her phone.

They were messages from Mrs. Miller.

"Ma’am, even though Mr. Lawson is away on business, he didn’t forget to buy you a new phone."

"Secretary Shaw just delivered it."

"It’s the latest Huawei tri-fold phone."

Mrs. Miller had also sent a photo of the new phone, still sealed in its box.

"Ma’am, you should come back and try out your new phone."

Noelle’s gaze remained fixed on the phone screen.

’Why would Tristan buy me a new phone?’

’Is this what men do when they have a guilty conscience? Buy their wives gifts to placate them?’

In the past, a gift from him would have made her ecstatic.

But she no longer had any need for such empty gestures.

Noelle set her phone to silent, hoping to get some more sleep, but she just tossed and turned, unable to drift off.

She got out of bed, cleaned the entire house, and covered the furniture with dust cloths.

’This isn’t a place I can stay for long, either.’

Once she finished, she grabbed a small suitcase, but she had no idea where to go.

She had no family, and no way to contact her best friend.

As she was wondering where to go, a push notification popped up on her phone.

Director Ford’s next exhibition was in Cygnus, and the date was the day after tomorrow.

’The Director is holding exhibitions so frequently. She must be using them as a way for more animation enthusiasts to find her. She wants to find a successor.’

’Sophie Hughes probably has a good chance.’

’Last time, the Director seemed like she was about to give in when she was talking to Tristan.’

But no matter who the Director chose as her successor, as long as it was a student she approved of, Noelle would be happy for her.

After all, the Director wouldn’t choose carelessly. Her choice would definitely be someone who could contribute to the future of animation.

Tristan and Sophie were in Cygnus, so she was reluctant to go. But with nowhere else to turn, she found she still wanted to see the Director.

The Director had come all the way to Westhill Villa that day, but she hadn’t found the courage to come out and meet her.

People always want to be close to those they care about.

After a moment’s hesitation, Noelle booked a flight to Cygnus.

After having lunch with Sophie Hughes, Tristan Lawson went back to his room to pack.

"Tristan, are you leaving?"

"Yes. I promised Noelle I’d make it up to her for her birthday."

Sophie’s heart sank.

"Since you’re just making it up to her, being a day or two late won’t matter, right? I just saw that Director Ford has an exhibition in Cygnus the day after tomorrow. Can you go with me before you head back?"

Tristan had forgotten about that.

He was the one sponsoring Director Ford’s exhibition, and he knew this leg of it was in Cygnus.

He stopped what he was doing.

"Alright."

Sophie Hughes was working on the animated version of *A Renaissance Cityscape Painting*.

’Last time at Westhill Villa, Director Ford had seemed willing to consider her. All they needed was one final push to bring things to a boil.’

’And that final push was the *Renaissance Cityscape Painting* Sophie was creating.’

’Sophie had been studying animation since she was a child, and Tristan had full confidence in her skills.’

’The student Director Ford had praised might have been inspired and talented, but she had abandoned her career for love and marriage.’

’Someone like that lacked ambition; it would be difficult for them to have a future in the industry.’

’Sophie, on the other hand, was different. Even after losing her voice for years because of that fire, even after being in and out of the hospital for multiple vocal cord surgeries, she never gave up. During her most difficult times, she endured the psychological pressure of possibly never speaking again, along with the pain of the operations.’

’She even kept working while she was in the hospital.’

’Someone so resilient for the sake of animation—she was the one who deserved to be Director Ford’s personally-trained successor.’

"Thanks, Tristan. By the way, did you promise Noelle you’d be back today? If you did, maybe you should give her a call or send a text to let her know you’ll be back a couple of days later."

"I didn’t give her a definite time."

He had only said the business trip would take two or three days.

Today was the second day.

’Going back after the exhibition the day after tomorrow would only add a little more than half a day. There was no need to report such a minor thing to Noelle.’

"Even if you didn’t give her a definite time, you should still call and let her know. Joshua is in the hospital, and it must be hard for her to take care of him alone. As her husband, you should be more considerate of her struggles."

At Sophie’s urging, Tristan felt that he had indeed been neglecting Noelle.

He remembered how exhausting it had been to look after Joshua for just one night.

The only problem was that Noelle still hadn’t unblocked his number.

He had no choice but to borrow Sophie’s phone.

Sophie didn’t know why he wanted to use her phone. "Wouldn’t it be weird to call from my phone?" she said.

"It’s fine."

Tristan had no intention of telling anyone that Noelle had blocked him.

Of course, Sophie was willing to let Tristan use her phone, and she handed it to him.

Tristan dialed Noelle’s number.

Noelle was in the departure lounge waiting for her flight. When she saw an unfamiliar number, she didn’t answer, immediately rejecting the call.

Noelle rarely answered calls from unknown numbers. Since she had rejected the call, it meant she had her phone with her. So, Tristan sent a text.