Chapter 80: Chapter 80: No Wonder She Dares to Defy Him

It was Wyatt Yates.

Noelle had fainted and Tristan had taken her away, but his attitude had been far from pleasant.

Worried, he had followed them.

He never imagined that Tristan would actually leave Noelle behind all by herself, taking his son and Sophie Hughes with him.

Wyatt Yates got out of his car.

"The Little Mute."

Noelle forced a smile, signing, "What are you doing here?"

Wyatt took a few deep breaths and pursed his lips. Then, with a raised brow, he said, "Don’t smile if you don’t want to. It really doesn’t look good on you."

He knew she was forcing it.

So he had seen everything.

Her pretense shattered, Noelle looked embarrassed and tried to explain, signing, "It’s not what you think. I... He..."

Noelle’s hands wavered, unable to form a single convincing excuse for Tristan.

"The Little Mute."

Wyatt called out to her, interrupting her messy, frantic signing. "You don’t need to explain. I know he doesn’t treat you well."

Wyatt ground his teeth. "You really don’t have to put yourself through this. I can help you find a lawyer..."

Noelle immediately held up a hand, signaling for him to stop.

Then, she steeled herself, her lovely features hardening into a serious expression as she continued to sign. "Wyatt, I was just being impulsive about the divorce. Tristan and I are just having a small disagreement. He’s very good to me. If you keep seeking me out, it will only make our marriage worse. I love him. I don’t really want to divorce him. When I asked you to find a lawyer, I was just trying to stir up some drama to get his attention. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you."

Wyatt’s lips parted to speak, but Noelle, afraid of what he might say, quickly continued signing. "Please, don’t come looking for me anymore. He’s seen us together a few times, and he gets very angry. He left me here just now because he was mad. It was my fault for being so thoughtless. I’ve inconvenienced you and created an awful situation for myself. I am so, so sorry. I hope you’re not angry with me. Goodbye."

With that, Noelle turned and walked away without a backward glance.

Wyatt reached out, his hand freezing in mid-air.

The name he was about to shout—"The Little Mute"—died in his throat.

His arm fell to his side, his trembling fingers curling into a tight fist.

He and Noelle had known each other since they were children. How could he not know she was lying?

’She’s afraid of dragging me into this.’

’Tristan Lawson is a man powerful enough to blot out the sky. She has no family, no one to rely on. If she pushes me away too, how will she ever survive on her own?’

Wyatt’s lips thinned into a firm line. ’No matter the cost,’ he thought, ’I won’t abandon her.’

Noelle hailed a taxi, though she had no idea where to go.

But wherever she ended up, she refused to go back to Westhill Villa.

As for the divorce, if no lawyer dared to take her case, she would just have to file with the court herself.

She planned to go to the courthouse to learn about the filing process, but it was Saturday, so it was closed.

She would have to wait until Monday.

So she told the taxi driver to take her to a hotel.

「That night.」

Tristan Lawson, Sophie Hughes, and Joshua Lawson were having dinner together at the dining table.

Mrs. Miller had worn a grim expression all afternoon.

Mr. Lawson had left with his wife this morning, but she hadn’t come back.

’And now here they were, the three of them, looking for all the world like a happy family. And that thoughtless Young Master, laughing and joking with Sophie Hughes, as if he’d completely forgotten his own mother wasn’t even home.’

Mrs. Miller was ladling soup beside them, unable to stomach the scene any longer. She finally asked, "Sir, why isn’t Madam back yet? She mentioned she was going to teach me how to make her fragrant rice porridge."

Mrs. Miller had deliberately invented an excuse, afraid Mr. Lawson would scold her for being nosy.

At the mention of fragrant rice porridge, Tristan realized he hadn’t had it in a long time.

Noelle hadn’t cooked a single meal since the day of the parent-child event.

Of course, Joshua hadn’t eaten it in a long time either.

The last time he’d had it, Mrs. Miller had made it, and it wasn’t good at all.

He kind of missed the way his mom made it.

So he piped up, "Dad, can you call Mom and ask her to come back? I want fragrant rice porridge for breakfast tomorrow."

Then he looked up at Sophie and added, "Sophie, my mom’s fragrant rice porridge is the best! When she gets back, I’ll ask her to make extra tomorrow morning so you can try some too. It’s really, really good. All her other food is delicious too. From now on, you’ll get to eat well with me."

Mrs. Miller’s stomach churned as she listened.

’What on earth was the Young Master saying? Asking the Madam to come home and cook for the other woman?’

’Did he want the other woman to stay here forever?’

Sophie happily patted Joshua’s head. "Thank you for letting me bask in your glory," she said with a smile.

Joshua clearly enjoyed Sophie’s affectionate gesture. He turned back to his father. "Dad, why haven’t you called Mom yet? I remember you really like her fragrant rice porridge too. Don’t you want her to come back and make it for us?"

’He was busy with work and traveled often. When he was on the road, he frequently found himself missing Noelle’s cooking.’

’It tasted like home.’

’Only at home could he eat a truly satisfying meal.’

’Tonight’s dinner was made by Mrs. Miller. It looked fine—she had probably learned a few things from Noelle—but it was still somewhat lacking.’

Tristan set down his chopsticks. His features were nearly devoid of expression, making his emotions impossible to read. "Joshua, have you forgotten? She stormed out of the car in a fit of anger today. Do you really think she’ll be back so soon?"

Joshua’s eyelids fluttered. "Why not? If you call her, Dad, I’m sure she’ll come right back."

"Can’t we go without the fragrant rice porridge?"

Remembering Noelle’s attitude, Tristan had no desire to call her.

’I have to let her suffer out there for a few days. Let her realize just how blissful her life is in this family.’

’A husband who earns a fortune, a clever and adorable son.’

’Living in such a huge villa, with so many servants to command.’

’Otherwise, seven years of a lavish life as a wealthy family’s matriarch were about to make her forget that he was the sole source of her audacity.’

’What right did she have to defy him?’

’He would wait for her to come crawling back in tears.’

Seeing her chance, Sophie said, "Tristan, really. You don’t even have a chef in the house and you’re letting Noelle do the cooking? That’s just unreasonable. Joshua loves the food from Myre River Pavilion. Why not just hire one of their chefs to work here? It would save Noelle the trouble."

Mrs. Miller was about to explode with anger.

’Her goal had been to get Mr. Lawson to call his wife home.’

Tristan’s gaze darkened as he looked at Joshua. "I think Sophie has a point. I’ll hire a chef to come here and make you delicious food, how about that?"

"Since it’s Sophie’s idea, I guess I’ll agree. When Mom comes back, I’ll just have her make me something good to eat."

Joshua had changed his mind so quickly because a thought suddenly occurred to him: ’Mom doesn’t seem to like Sophie very much. If she comes back, she’ll definitely try to make her leave.’

’So maybe it’s better if she doesn’t come back for a while. A lifetime is a long time. There will be plenty of other chances to eat Mom’s cooking.’

"I’m finished. You two carry on."

Tristan stood up, went into the master bedroom, and opened the safe.

The bank card for household expenses was sitting inside.

But the card he always gave Noelle—the one he loaded with two million for her shopping trips—was gone.

’Over the past seven years, that must have added up to tens of millions.’

’She’s quite frugal, so she probably hasn’t spent it all.’

’No wonder she had the guts to challenge him.’

’He was the one who’d allowed her temper to grow.’

He pulled out his phone and dialed Secretary Shaw.