Laurence was Noelle’s whole world now.If she were to leave his side, it would be more painful than death itself.Lilian laughed. “Jane, you’re too soft-hearted. Why’d you tell Noelle so soon?”Noelle said, “Master, you almost scared me to death.”“You wouldn’t flinch even if a mountain fell on you, but the moment you heard you might be transferred away from Laurence, your face went pale. Is Laurence the only thing you care about?”Lilian gave her apprentice a look.Laurence chimed in. “Of course I’m the only thing in Noelle’s heart. She’s the only one in mine too.“Noelle, Master was only trying to scare you. I’ll never replace you, and no one could either. But from now on, if there’s danger again, you have to give me a chance to throw a few punches. You know how it feels to be itching to punch something.”“If you need to step in, that danger would have to be enormous. Do you actually want to be in that sort of danger?” Noelle responded helplessly.Laurence grinned. “I want o

“Who said anything about acting? Look at me, Noelle. Stop backing away. Let’s have an honest conversation,” said Laurence.Noelle looked at him.“Noelle, do you know why I bought this necklace? At first, it was because it belonged to my ancestors. As a descendant, it was my duty to bring it back.“But the second reason I bought it was to give it to you as a token of my love.”A token of his love?Noelle looked at him, stunned.The panic in her eyes became even more obvious.‘Oh no. Is Mr. Laurence really confessing to me?’This necklace once belonged to the wife of the head of the Longbottoms. Although she had later given it to her daughter as a wedding gift, whenever people saw the necklace, the first thing they thought of was the lady of the Longbottoms.It symbolized the position of the lady of the house.However, Laurence said he bought it back to give it to her as a love token. That meant…“S-sir, s-stop joking around. That’s not funny at all. How could I accept such a

Laurence’s finger pressed against Noelle’s lips, stopping any words of refusal. With his gentle eyes, he said tenderly, “Nothing else matters so long as we love each other. Noelle, say you’ll be mine. I promise to only love you like Ben loves Mom. It’s just you and only you in this lifetime. “Don’t worry about the Longbottoms getting in the way. They have no right to dictate what I do. Marriage is my own, and I want to be with the one I want. No one can stop us from being together,” Laurence said with absolute confidence. Jane had a point, but her words did not deter Laurence. Besides, Jane was basically suggesting he tell Noelle how he felt. “Noelle, the road ahead is full of challenges since I have just taken over the family. I don’t want our feelings to be used against us, nor do I want them to drive us apart. I can’t stand other women getting close to me. My heart belongs to you.“If you feel overwhelmed by it all, I’ll give you two days to think it over. What do you say?”

The medicinal herb garden earned its name from the wide variety of healing plants grown there.Usually, Noelle and Laurence tended to the plants themselves. No one else was allowed to mess with the herbs. The crops could be ruined by untrained hands. Lilian took the load off Noelle and Laurence. They could be at ease, with Lilian overseeing the garden. Emerging from the cabin in the garden, Lilian spotted Noelle and smiled. “Hey, Noelle. I heard the gate opening, so I came out to check it out.” Security was tight around Laurence’s residence. “Master, did I disrupt your rest?” Jane came out of the cabin too. Noelle said apologetically, “I didn’t know where to go, so I dropped by. I might have interrupted you and Mom.” “Silly girl. Why are you being so formal with us? Jane and I weren’t resting. We were just chatting. Come inside the cabin. Don’t just stand there. You look like you have a lot on your mind.“Come inside and tell me. I will help you no matter what it is.”

Picking up where Jane left off, Lilian said, "Those people are just jealous that you have Laurence’s heart. You’re the subject of envy. They are just bitter that they can’t have what you have. “Live your own life. No one else matters.”“When Ben and I were dating, didn’t people gossip about us too? I didn’t care about what they said because they were just jealous.” Jane had not found her biological parents when she first married Ben. She had no idea that she came from a powerful family. Most people believed that Jane did not deserve Ben because he was the heir of the Johnsons, the leader of FC & Co. Meanwhile, Jane was just the owner of a tiny café. Though her adoptive parents were well off, their wealth was nothing compared to that of the Johnsons, the richest family in Annenburg. “Besides, you should trust Laurence to protect you. He won’t let anyone talk badly about you. He is a nice guy, but very few can handle his wrath when he’s upset.” Laurence was patient and broad-m