The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)
Chapter 438

Noelle arrived alone at the party.

Winter had not invited Rowena or Teresa this time, so Noelle had already guessed that Winter had something special planned for her. It was likely to embarrass her in front of everyone.

She figured that would be the extent of Winter's little gift as it was probably the most someone like Winter could come up with.

When Noelle arrived at Winter's birthday party, most of the guests were already there.

Winter spotted Noelle from a distance. She was dressed in a camel-colored coat over a light-colored dress, looking quite striking.

Winter's eyes darkened with envy, but she reminded herself that Noelle would be crying soon enough, and that thought brightened her mood. She walked over, taking Noelle's hand in a show of sisterly affection. "Noelle, you're finally here! I thought you weren't going to come today." "How could I not?" Noelle calmly pulled her hand away from Winter's with a serene expression.

She reached into her bag and took out a gift box, handing it to Winter. "Today is your birthday, so as your sister, I wanted to get you something. This necklace is worth one month of my salary. I hope you like it." Winter raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that Noelle's monthly salary could not be much. What kind of low-quality necklace could a small sum like that even buy? It was probably some low-end brand. Since Noelle had handed her the opportunity to embarrass her, Winter was ready to take full advantage.

Winter opened the box, prepared to feign surprise. However, what she saw genuinely shocked her. "This is..." Winter's voice trembled as she stared at the sapphire blue necklace inside. "Noelle, this is..."

"The Heart of the Ocean," Noelle said with a smile as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Isn't it beautiful? When I first saw it, I thought it would suit you perfectly. So, I saved up for a few months and decided to buy it as a gift for you."

Noelle's face held a kind smile as she reached into the box. "Let me help you put it on."

"Don't touch me!" Winter suddenly shouted, losing her composure. Her voice was loud enough that the entire room fell silent, and all eyes turned to the two sisters.

Winter froze. As she stared at Noelle's hurt expression, she realized she had overreacted.

She gritted her teeth, cursing Noelle

in her mind before looking at her with feigned remorse. "I'm sorry,

Noelle. I didn't mean to yell at youet

It's just that this necklace is so valuable that I was overwhelmed. I'm really touched that you saved

up

for months just to give me this gift."

Winter's tone was full of emotion, but inside, she was fuming. Others might not know, but Winter certainly did-she knew exactly where that necklace came from.

Back when Noelle was dating Xavier, he had given her this very necklace, the Heart of the Ocean, as a birthday gift.

At the time, Winter had already set

her sights on Xavier and was madly infatuated with him. It was human nature to desire what one could not have, and the more unattainable Xavier seemed, the more obsessed Winter became.

Seeing Noelle receive the Heart of the Ocean from Xavier had nearly consumed Winter with jealousy and rage. From that moment on, Winter swore she would take Xavier away from Noelle, no matter what it took. Eventually, she got what she wanted. Xavier agreed to their engagement and marriage. Everything seemed to go according to her plan.

However, Winter could never fully let go of the fact that Xavier still had feelings for Noelle and that he had once given Noelle the Heart of the Ocean.