Chapter 5 Quick Thinking

• A storm had already started brewing in Noelle. Just as she was about to unleash hell, Sophia twisted her arm again.
• “You’d better not go overboard, Sharon!” Sophia stepped forward to shield Noelle.
• “Sophia...”
• “Don’t speak, Noelle!”
• Noelle fell silent before she took out her phone and hit the “play” button.
• “Kneel!”
• “What’s with the murderous glare? Don’t you want to keep your role? Well, kneel and grovel at my feet!”
• Upon hearing her own haughty and overbearing voice on the phone, Sharon’s face instantly paled. “You... Did you record it? How dare you!”
• Noelle chuckled coldly. “What do you think, Sharon? Shall I release this recording at the new drama’s press conference?”
• “You... You wouldn’t!” Sharon was terrified. She had her godfather’s support and had grown accustomed to throwing her weight around. However, while in front of others, Sharon would often put on the facade that she was a little wallflower. If this recording were to be leaked, her image would be completely shattered.
• “Try me.” Noelle toyed with her phone and flashed a taunting smile.
• “I...”
• “I think that the director is calling you, Sharon!” Not wanting to burn their bridges, Sophia intervened at the right moment to diffuse the situation.
• “Until next time!”
• Sharon may have taken off, but Noelle knew that the feud between them wasn’t going to end any time soon.
• “That was some quick thinking indeed, Noelle!” After the door was shut, Sophia sung praises at her.
• Sophia had been irked when Sharon had ordered Noelle to kneel, but she never expected that Noelle would be so quick-witted.
• Such lightning reflexes! As expected of my girl.
• “I’m heading backstage, Sophia...”
• “Wait...” Sophia stopped Noelle with a flattering smile. “My dear Noelle... Um, Mr. Pierce seems to really be courting you!”
• Noelle shuddered from her manager’s sudden change in attitude as she reached out to tap her forehead. “Sophia, wake up. I get that you’d put on a show to scare her off, but Sharon’s gone now, so quit dreaming!”
• Sophia sucked in a sharp breath, but Noelle had already left the VIP room to prepare for her next scene.
• “Still denying it? They’d even offered you money and a house, but you’re still saying that there’s nothing going on between you and Mr. Pierce? Like I’d believe that!” Sophia muttered under her breath as she stared after Noelle’s retreating figure.
• Clinton and the black-suited men, who had supposedly left, made a detour and were standing by the elevators when they suddenly came face-to-face with Sharon.
• “Mr. White, what are you still doing here?” Sharon curved her lips into a honeyed smile.
• “Are you the one who called Mr. Pierce an ugly monster and saying that he has erectile dysfunction?” Clinton had lingered outside for a while, meaning he overheard Sharon openly slandering his boss. There was no way he could tolerate this.
• “No, it wasn’t me...”
• “What a vicious woman. Men, give this lady a good cleansing!”
• After Clinton gave out his order, two men in black dragged Sharon away like she was a ragged doll. Soon, her shrieks could be heard coming from the restroom as though she was a pig being slaughtered.
• Those who heard the commotion merely exchanged glances. They were too afraid to stand up for Sharon.
• “This is my name card. Call me after you’ve come to a decision!” A business card was stuffed into Noelle’s hand. As soon as she returned to her senses, Clinton had already left with his men.
• Sophia snatched the card from Noelle’s hand. Personal Assistant to the President of Pierce Group, Clinton White.
• Ahh!
• “Mr. Pierce, Declan wanted to have some ice cream. I was only gone for less than a minute, but when I returned he’d already disappeared...” The chauffeur, Jaylen Carter, was too afraid to meet Dominic’s eyes. He was now a grown man on the verge of tears.
• “For heaven’s sake, who told you to go and buy ice cream? You’ve been reminded repeatedly to only send Declan home and ignore everything else. How could you mess up something as simple as that? If something were to happen to Declan, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!” Clinton lambasted the chauffer on Dominic’s behalf, feeling disappointed.
• “I was wrong. It’s all my fault!”
• Dominic pursed his lips but remained otherwise silent. The expression on his face was ominous, making him look like a grim reaper. Jaylen fell to his knees, looking like he was going to offer up his life as penance any second now.
• “Mr. Pierce, where are you going?” When Clinton saw Dominic putting on his coat and standing up from his chair, he hurriedly caught up to his boss.
• “Get the car! We’re going to find Declan!”
• “Yes, Sir!”
• Although the entire police force had been mobilized, searching for an intellectually disabled person was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
• Dusk fell. Dominic’s heart sank bit by bit as darkness spread across the sky.
• “Mom, you mean Declan? I’m having dinner with him now. We’ll be home soon!” Dominic uttered over the phone, feeling mentally exhausted as he dealt with his mother.
• Clinton’s phone chimed with a text message, and Dominic looked at him with a wary gaze. “Is there any news of Declan?”
• Clinton glanced at his message and was stumped for a moment. It was from Sophia, saying that she was doing her best to persuade Noelle and that she was close to succeeding.
• “It’s regarding Ms. Hooper whom I’d contacted this afternoon...”
• “Don’t talk to me about work now!”
• “Yes, Sir!” Dominic looked terrifying when he was angry, causing Clinton to clamp his mouth shut.
• By the roadside, Noelle had just bought an ice cream after she was done shooting for the day. While waiting for her change, she saw the ice-cream seller look toward the road and exclaim, “Look at that man. Is he courting death by walking in the middle of the road?” He sighed before turning to Noelle. “Here you go, Miss...” Huh? Where did she go?
• A worn-out pickup truck was driving at high speed. Declan Pierce, who was standing in the middle of the road, watched the vehicle speed toward him with wide eyes. Instead of getting out of the way, he excitedly rushed toward it.
• Only then did the driver notice a person in front of his truck. He yelled for him to get out of the way as he slammed his foot on the brake. Nevertheless, the truck still careered forward in an uncontrolled manner.
• Upon hearing the driver shouting at him, Declan’s face blanched with horror and his limbs froze abruptly. All he did was stare at the oncoming pickup truck that was about to crash into him. Suddenly, his arm was jerked sideways, causing him to stagger and fall into a warm embrace.
• “Ouch!” Declan was heavy, and most of his weight was pressing down on Noelle. She struggled to push herself out from beneath him and was panting heavily by the time she succeeded.
• “Are you crazy? If you want to die, find some other place to do it! Don’t pollute my eyes!” Noelle yelled angrily at Declan as she got up from the ground while massaging her aching waist.
• However, she blinked in surprise momentarily upon noticing that Declan was aggrieved but too timid to voice it out.
• He looked to be in his early twenties and was incredibly handsome, but his innocent, innocent eyes did not match his age. Coupled with his odd reaction when in the face of danger, Noelle instantly understood the situation.
• “What I meant was... It’s very dangerous here!”
• Remembering that both of them were still standing on the road, Noelle immediately grabbed Declan and guided him across the road. Once they were at a safe location, she released her grip on Declan.
• “I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t do it on purpose.” Seeing the sullen look on Noelle’s face, Declan thought that she was still angry as he shook her hand with a guilty expression.
• “Fine, I’ll forgive you, but you must promise me not to stand in the middle of the road again from now on, okay?”
• Declan nodded profusely in response. His serious expression made Noelle’s lips quirk into a smile. Seeing that there was some dirt on Declan’s face, she opened her bag and took out a wet wipe, carefully wiping his face clean.
• “You’re so pretty, Angel!” The wet wipe felt cool against his face. It was a nice feeling.
• Angel?  She didn’t think of herself as an angel, but it was a cute nickname, so she smiled at him. “Thank you. You’re really handsome, too.”