The Sway and Slide of Love

"You must be wondering why I'm telling you all this, right?" Jean chuckled softly. "To be honest, I still hate you. Or maybe it's more accurate to say I'm jealous of you. Because you have so many things I wanted but could never have.

"Just look at your face. With that alone, you can easily get whatever you want. Thinking about it makes me seethe with envy and drives me mad."

"Ms. Fisher, you once had plenty of things yourself," Noelle said.

Jean paused, caught off guard by the response. Then, she nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, you're right. But what does that matter now? I've already lost everything. Well, not everything. I still have some connections my father left me, along with a few assets abroad."

She slowly shifted her gaze back to Noelle. "So, do you understand now what my advice to you really means?"

Noelle frowned.

"Dylan must have told you he's going on a business trip abroad soon, right?" Jean continued, her lips curling into a sly smile. "To be frank, he's going with me. I know his company is in trouble, so I'm planning to give him my father's overseas assets in exchange for... Well, I'm sure you can guess what I want."

As Jean spoke, Noelle's expression shifted, but she quickly regained her composure. "That's impossible."

"What's impossible?"

"Dylan already made the mistake once. He wouldn't-"

Before Noelle could finish, Jean pulled out her phone and showed her a photo of her and Dylan. The white bedsheets made it clear they were in a hotel. Dylan was already asleep in the photo, while Jean-her shoulder bare—smiled at the

camera.

Every word Noelle wanted to say vanished in an instant.

Jean continued, "Noelle, you don't understand how tempting power is for a man. Dylan probably told you that Hendrix is after him because of you, right? That you're the reason he's in this mess.

"But what if I told you that's a lie? His company's financial troubles started long before you ever came into the picture.

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"The industry has been struggling for years, yet somehow, his company managed to expand so rapidly in such a short time. Don't you find that suspicious? And now that someone finally caught on, he had no choice but to back down, leading him to the position he is in as we speak.

"But instead of taking responsibility, he's pinned everything on you. Not only does he come out looking like some hero, but he also ensured you'd spend the rest of your life feeling guilty for him. Quite the clever move, don't you think?"

Jean was speaking calmly, but each sentence shattered Noelle's understanding of the situation.

Noelle unconsciously took a few steps back. Then, she said, "That's impossible. I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me, of course," Jean replied with a smile. "I've said what I needed to say. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you. And let's be honest. That photo alone should tell you

everything you need to

Noelle fell silent, her face pale.

know."

Jean didn't say anything more as she turned to leave.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Noelle suddenly asked. Jean stopped in her tracks.