Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 45

Ines took off her shoes and laid down quietly with Ethan. She explained, "Ethan, don't overthink it. I have a good friend who's single, and I think Noel is quite a catch, so I wanted to introduce them. That's why I was staring at him. Besides, he's your friend, so naturally, I want to get along with him and fit into your life sooner."

"I wasn't overthinking it, I just don't like it when you give too much attention to other men. Even if that person is my friend, it still bothers me." Ethan said.

"You're so domineering," Ines muttered softly, but remembering his recent confession of irresistible affection, she couldn't help but chuckle. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

She figured she felt the same way about him, unconsciously getting used to his presence.

"Aren't young girls nowadays into domineering CEOs?" Ethan ruffled his hair.

"You said it yourself, young girls. I'm 27 already, not a young girl anymore." Ines rolled her eyes at Ethan.

Ethan laughed, "I beg to differ."

He noticed her spacing out while looking at him several times – he felt lucky to have handsome looks for the first time.

Ines said, "Of course, I want to marry someone easy on the eyes. If I don't even have the urge to hold hands, how am I supposed to spend the rest of my life with them?"

At that, Ethan rolled over, covering Ines with his body, propping himself up on his elbow, "Izzy, are you telling me you have urges for me?"

Ines pushed him away, glancing nervously at the door, "Stop taking things out of context! Get off, what would people think if they saw us?"

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm just being affectionate with my wife," Ethan smirked like a rascal.

She pushed him again, and this time, he let her, holding her tightly from behind.

At first, Ines found such hugs tiring, waking up sore the next day, but now she found them comforting.

"By the way, what's Noel like? How does he handle relationships?" Ines asked.

"His family is great, but he's had quite a few women around him over the years. However, I know he's not the type to be unfaithful in a relationship. If he falls in love, he'll treat that girl well." Ethan said.

Little did Ines know, as she was investigating Noel's character, he had already encountered her friend outside the elevator.

As Noel stepped out of the elevator, someone bumped into his chin. He felt a sudden pain and looked up to see a woman with a guilty expression who then bolted away.

His eyes flickered, as if recalling a distant memory. He laughed and immediately chased after her.

Phoebe regretted running only a few steps later, berating herself for being foolish. With her current appearance, even her parents might not recognize her, let alone him. There was no reason to run upon seeing him.

Realizing this, she stopped and found another elevator, intending to visit Ethan.

The thought of being up close and personal with the CEO of the Meyer Group made her giddy with excitement.

The elevator stopped on the first floor, and as she was about to step in, a large hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned to see Noel looking at her with an amused expression, "Why aren't you running anymore?"

Startled, Phoebe asked, "Sir, who are you?"

Noel laughed, "You're running from me, and you don't even know who I am?"

"Boring," Phoebe muttered under her breath.

Noel's eyes narrowed, "Repeat what you just said."

Phoebe cleared her throat, her smile sweet and innocent, "I said sir, you're being way too sensitive. I'm just timid and ran when I saw a big bad wolf behind me."

"You." Noel choked, realizing she was referring to him. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on her shoulder, "I never thought you'd become so good at insulting people after all these years." Phoebe was about to retort when she realized what he meant. So he hadn't recognized her from their blind date yesterday, but rather from years ago? Why didn't she remember meeting him before?

Phoebe asked, "Who are you?"

"I have a name, Noel." Noel said.

Phoebe nodded, "Noel, huh? I'm pretty sure I've never met you before. Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else?"

"Of course not. I could never forget someone who kissed me out of the blue and cried her eyes out in the men's restroom after a breakup." Noel said.

The reason he remembered so vividly was that she had taken his first kiss. Back then, he was stunned and didn't react in time, and by the time he did, she had already disappeared.

Later, he found out that a group of college students in a private room were playing a game, and he had unwittingly become the target of her dare. "You." Phoebe was furious. She would never forget the things that happened with that person, let alone the miserable days that followed his silent departure. But hearing it from someone else now made her feel weak, as scenes from the past flashed through her mind.

Noel looked at her, feeling inexplicably annoyed. His eyes gleamed, "Now that I've jogged your memory, do you remember?"

Noel's deep voice brought Phoebe back to her senses. She looked at him with disdain, "You're acting like you were hurt. It seems like I was the one getting the shorten end of the stick, not you." Wasn’t he still holding a grudge after all these years? Although she had drunk a lot that night, she was sober and knew what she had done. As for crying in the men's restroom, that was the most foolish thing she had ever done in her life. She never thought she'd bump into the same person, let alone that her blind date yesterday was him. She was speechless at her own "luck."