The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles)
Chapter 710

Winter handed the bottle back to Suzy in a flash. "Heading over."

Pethorn was a stickler for perfection, and by the time the shoot wrapped up, Winter was tired from working since dawn to late afternoon. However, she pulled through, and that's what counted in showbiz. Winter was running on fumes, but she proved she had what it takes when it came to her acting chops.

It was not until Winter settled into the backseat of the cozy van that she finally let out a sigh of relief. "I'm exhausted. Who knew Pethorn could be such a grouch?" She took a sip of water and glanced over at Suzy. "What's got your attention?"

"Oh, it's nothing big, Winter. Did you see that all that nasty buzz about you online is gone now? Everyone's just talking about your latest gigs now!"

"What?" Winter's eyes widened in surprise. "Let me see that phone!"

She grabbed Suzy's phone and skimmed through it. Sure enough, the old, mean-spirited headlines were nowhere to be found. Instead, her feed was flooded with fresh news-her snagging the second lead in 'Unchallenged Dominion' and her dazzling appearance as the face of Saint Di in the Sino Nation. Winter felt a lump in her throat, her eyes glistening. "Is this for real?"

"Looks like the bigwigs finally made a move," Suzy said with a knowing smile. "Seems like you're in the clear now."

Winter nodded, her heart swelling with gratitude. "I always believed those baseless rumors would blow over. Suzy, I can't thank you enough for sticking by me through all this!" She squeezed Suzy's hand. "When times get tough, you are my rock."

Suzy waved off the thanks. "Come on, we're besties, aren't we? And hey, now that the storm's passed, you can't keep crashing at the Shaws'. You need your own space, or the paparazzi will be on our tails again."

Suzy had a point, and Winter knew it.

"You're right. can't just keep

crashing at my parents' place now

that I'm married. This whole mess has finally blown over, and if the

paparazzi get even a whiff of scandal from me again, they have a fjeld day. I'm moving back today," Winter declared, though a part of her

was less than thrilled.

It stung to think about how Xavier had not trusted her when she needed him most and how the Hoffman seniors had shown zero faith in her.

The image of Charles flashed

l.ne

through Winter's mind, and she felt a twinge of discomfort remembering how close she came to being blacklisted by him. However, ske remembered his eventual support...

"Winter, earth to Winter!" Suzy's hand fluttered in front of Winter's face.

"Charles!"

"What?" Suzy's voice was laced with astonishment. "What about Mr. Hoffman?"

Winter snapped out of her daze, blinked, and gave Suzy a puzzled look. "What's up?"

"I've been trying to get your attention forever. Why didn't you respond? Suzy examined Winter closely. "You look a bit off. You just blurted out a Mr. Hoffman's name. Is something up with him?"

"No, it's nothing!" Winter shook her head, her cheeks tinged with pink. "I was just trying to piece together this whole situation with Mr. Hoffman and figure out who's behind it." Winter tried to play it cool, but her heart was racing. She could not wrap her head around the fact that she was actually falling for Charles.