Chapter 436 Let's Get a Room
"Alright, I'll drop it," Jade said, rising to her feet. "Since you're not budging on the divorce, I should get back to Solstice and break the news to the family. Let's hope they don't use this as ammunition against us."
"You're leaving already?" Noah stood up, unable to hide his disappointment.
"I barely squeezed this visit in. There's a mountain of work waiting for me back at headquarters." Jade sighed. "This position doesn't come with much freedom, Noah. Remember what I said—you need to become stronger. Only then can you help your father out of the corner he's been backed into."
"I will," Noah promised.
"And you, Lisa." Jade shifted her gaze.
Lisa tensed like a deer in headlights.
"Since Noah's determined to keep you, I suppose I'll consider you my daughter-in-law." A hint of playfulness crept into Jade's expression. "So what should you call me?"
Lisa's face lit up. Was this acceptance?
"Mom," she managed, gathering her courage.
"Good. Apart from your background, you've got character, integrity, and smarts. Don't stress too much about being with Noah." Jade smiled. "Our Anderson family is just a modest operation. Think of us as having some minor influence abroad—roughly equivalent to controlling a city like Oceanbridge."
Lisa's mind reeled. A family controlling an entire city? To someone from her ordinary background, that was practically royalty.
'Oceanbridge has those untouchable powerful families—the Bensons, the Edwards, the Winchesters,' she thought, suddenly feeling like she was drowning. 'My husband's family must be on that level.' How could she not feel overwhelmed?
Noticing Lisa's panicked expression, Jade looked slightly puzzled.
Noah suppressed a smile. He knew his mother had deliberately downplayed their family's influence to ease Lisa's anxiety. What she didn't realize was that even controlling a single city seemed enormous to Lisa—she'd actually made things worse.
If Lisa knew the truth—that the Anderson family influenced the global economy and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions—Noah couldn't imagine her reaction.
"That's enough for now. You two should go. I'm heading back to Solstice soon," Jade said, waving them off.
"Mom..." Noah began reluctantly. After fifteen years apart, their reunion had lasted less than half an hour.
"Get going already. It's not like we'll never see each other again! You're a grown man acting like a clingy kid." Jade shooed them away with mock impatience.
Noah wanted to protest but finally said, "Take care of yourself, Mom."
With that, he took Lisa's hand and left.
The moment the door closed behind them, Jade's carefully maintained composure crumbled. Tears she'd been fighting back streamed down her face in the silent room.
Two full minutes passed before she pulled herself together. She wiped away her tears and fixed her makeup, transforming back into the stone-faced executive everyone knew.
"Xavier," she called softly.
Xavier entered, leaning on his dragon-headed cane. He noticed the tear tracks on her face but pretended not to see them.
"Mrs. Anderson, your son has left," he reported.
"Good. Let's pack up and fly back." Her voice regained its edge. "Also, tell Mayor Carl that as long as Noah stays in Silverlight City, his safety is non-negotiable. If anything happens to my son, someone else can have Carl's job."
"Yes, ma'am," Xavier nodded.
"Noah's grown up now. The family has kept him sidelined for over fifteen years. It's time he stepped into the spotlight." Jade tapped her fingers thoughtfully. "The Asia-Pacific Economic Summit is coming up. I want Noah to attend. Thoughts?"
"I believe he's ready," Xavier replied after brief consideration.
"Whatever difficulties Dane is facing right now, Noah's position is clear. He is the future leader of this family—that's also non-negotiable. Having him participate in major decisions isn't just his right, it's necessary training."
"Good. We'll set it up when we get back. Let's hope those people keep their mouths shut," Jade said.
...
Back in the car, Noah and Lisa sat quietly. Lisa hadn't spoken, still processing everything. Yesterday she'd been devastated over their impending divorce, and today... problem solved? Just like that?
"Hey," Noah broke the silence, his eyes soft with affection. "You're my wife. I love you. In this lifetime, you're it for me. I don't ever want to hear about divorce again, okay?"
"I love you too," Lisa said, tears spilling down her cheeks as she leaned over to hug him.
Noah wrapped his arms around her. "Next time something's eating at you, just tell me, alright? Don't keep it bottled up. If I hadn't figured things out, I might have actually believed you wanted out!"
"I promise," Lisa nodded, then pulled back with a sudden thought. "By the way, who was that girl you went to the hotel with last night? From Luxury Bar?"
Noah froze, surprised she knew about that. He recovered with a smile. "Just an employee. Nothing happened between us, I swear."
Lisa looked relieved—she trusted him. "Good. I was worried you might have... you know."
"Come on," Noah teased, tapping her nose. "If I'm checking into a hotel with anyone, it's going to be you."
Lisa's face turned scarlet as she shot him a mock glare. "Behave yourself!"
"Let's go get a room," Noah grinned.
"A room..." Lisa whispered, her blush deepening as she bit her lip in agreement.
"Anything you say..."
Noah started the car and pulled away from the guesthouse.
...
Meanwhile, in the mayor's office across town:
"Yes! Absolutely! I'll arrange security to protect him discreetly!"
"Rest assured, as long as he remains in Silverlight City, his safety is my personal guarantee!"
The mayor's voice was practically trembling with urgency.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
