Chapter 13 A Tight Hug

• “Stand right there!” Jojo threw forth anxiously. To her utter dismay, the pair walked away as they paid no heed to her pleas.
• “Who cares if you’re Mr. Pierce? Ha! You’re just a nobody to me. You should resume your role as Noelle’s young, kept man for the rest of your life! You’re crazy!” Upset, Jojo delivered a signal to her assistant, Ceci, who was waiting by the door.
• Just as Noelle was approaching the door, Ceci momentarily extended her leg.
• Noelle was inches away from the stairs; thus, if she slipped, she would immediately topple down. This was especially apparent, seeing that the man was taking large strides while holding her hand.
• Stumbling, Noelle was truly about to topple over when she fell into a warm embrace.
• “Are you okay?” Dominic inquired in concern. His arm was still wrapped around her waist as his body was pressed up against hers. He could feel her soft breasts brushing against his chest.
• Shaking her head, Noelle grabbed Dominic’s shirt hastily as she clung to him, unable to wrap her mind around the commotion.
• Surprisingly, the man smelled rather pleasant. Beneath his white shirt, his muscular chest was heaving slightly, his tanned muscles on display for all to see.
• It was an intimate embrace. Flushing slightly, Noelle stepped backward.
• Meanwhile, Ceci was over two meters away from them on the ground. She was clutching her waist while groaning in pain.
• This is strange. I nearly succeeded in tripping her, but someone delivered me a kick. It was far too quick for me to catch. I don’t even know who kicked me! Was it Noelle or that male model?
• Anyway, I was kicked out of the way when Noelle landed in his embrace.
• “Ceci, what’s wrong? Did you fall? Did Noelle push you?” As Ceci didn’t manage to trip Noelle, Jojo had to put on an act as she shifted the blame to Noelle. As they were about to leave, she hurriedly stopped them, yelling, “Stand right there. You are not leaving after you’ve bullied my assistant!”
• “Yes, they were the ones who pushed me. Jojo, my waist hurts. Is it broken?” Ceci immediately chimed in.
• “Hear that? Ceci is saying that you’ve done this to her!”
• It was Ceci who tried to push me. She ended up getting hurt all on her own! Furious, Noelle was about to retort, but Dominic squeezed her hand gently. He uttered coolly, “If you’re accusing us of such, please show us your evidence. Otherwise, this is defamation!”
• “Evidence? Yes, we have that. Ceci is our witness!”
• “Okay, we shall see you in court then!”
• “Hey! W-Why are you leaving?”
• Even after they left the studio, Dominic and Noelle were still holding hands tightly. He showed no signs of releasing her.
• “Hey,” Noelle called out as she held their intertwined hands up high.
• Dominic flashed her an apologetic smile before he released his grip on her.
• “How did Ceci fall? Did you...” Noelle trailed off hesitantly. I wonder what happened earlier.
• I don’t think that Ceci was acting. She wouldn’t have pretended to fall so badly just to frame me, right?
• “It wasn’t you?” Dominic seemed rather confused.
• “Me? Of course not!” Noelle was puzzled. Did Ceci fall to shift the blame to me?
• I can’t believe that she would go to the extent of injuring herself!
• “Don’t bother. She deserved it,” Noelle replied casually as she didn’t want Dominic to worry.
• All of a sudden, Dominic’s phone rang with a call from Clinton. He gave her an apologetic nod as he turned to answer his phone.
• “Mr. Pierce, the auction dinner is about to begin. Should I pick you up?”
• “There’s no need for that!”
• “You need to give the opening speech. If you’re late—”
• “Let them wait!”
• “Oh, okay then.”
• “Are you busy?” Dominic’s tone was so decisive that Noelle couldn’t help but grow curious about his conversation.
• “Not really.”
• Noelle knew that he was merely being polite. Seeing as such, she glanced around at the newly developed neighborhood. There was no bus station here, but a subway station was at a distance away. She came here by bus and on the subway.
• “How are you going home?” she asked shyly. “I’m sorry that you didn’t get to shoot the commercial because of me.”
• “What about you?” Dominic grinned. I didn’t plan on shooting the commercial, anyway.
• “I’ll take the subway, of course. It’s environmentally friendly. If you’re in a rush, you can take a cab. I’ll pay for your fare to make it up to you,” offered Noelle as she unzipped her bag.
• She was trying to save her pride. After all, in an interview a few days ago, she mentioned Dominic Pierce’s name as she managed to catch everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, after Dominic put a halt to the news, her popularity went down the charts. Her commercial had also been taken away right in front of her friend. It was rather humiliating.
• “That sounds great. Let’s go.” Dominic headed toward the subway station.
• Is he taking the subway with me? Noelle froze in her tracks. It took her some time to regain her composure before she finally caught up to him.
• “I’m really sorry. Jojo has always been my rival. She must have schemed to get that commercial from me. Don’t pay her any heed. I’ll recommend you other jobs.”
• Other jobs? Dominic’s lips twitched as he replied, “Sure.”
• He isn’t blaming me? Noelle was surprised. Jojo had only just exposed me in public! Any man who discovered that she had cheated on her fiancé and became a homewrecker would despise her, even if that wasn’t the truth. In addition to that, her naked photos were also exposed.
• She thought that he would stay there to shoot the commercial with Jojo or leave her here alone.
• Nevertheless, the man was unfazed by her terrible past. He even accompanied her to take the subway. As they strolled along the path, Noelle felt a sense of warmth surging within her at his good manners.
• “Thank you,” muttered Noelle as they waited for the subway to arrive.
• “What for?” The man stared at her quizzically, his gaze clear and radiant.
• “You found out about my scandal, but you still willingly accompanied me here. Dom, thank you for being such a gentleman.”
• Noelle let out a bitter chuckle. Dominic immediately realized what she meant. He felt sorry for her as he reached out instinctively to touch the corner of her lip. His arm dropped halfway as he was afraid that he would scare her.
• “We have eyes, but not everyone can differentiate right from wrong. Ms. Hooper, they might have failed to recognize a valuable jewel as they were blind and ignorant. Am I right?”