Chapter 269
With his hands still secured, Ethan requested that Noelle answer and activate the speaker function.
She maintained diplomatic silence while accepting the call.
The connection crackled to life, releasing a voice like warm honey—soft, refined, and unmistakably feminine.
“Ethan, happy birthday. I intended to call hours ago, factoring in our time difference, but work dragged on endlessly. It must be well past midnight there by now?”
Ethan’s response carried the easy comfort of long familiarity, as though addressing someone woven into the fabric of his history. “Time doesn’t matter.” The casual intimacy in his tone drew Noelle’s sharp attention.
The woman’s laughter rippled through the speaker like silver bells. “I’ve arranged a little something for you—should arrive within the next few days.”
𝘋𝗂𝗌𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 h𝘪𝖽𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗴е𝘮𝘴 on 𝘨a𝗅𝗻𝘰𝘷е𝗹ѕ.𝘤o𝘮
“Understood.” Ethan’s gaze found Noelle as he spoke, but she had already turned away.
Her focus had shifted to the small, imperfect cake sitting on the table.
The woman continued chatting with practiced ease before concluding with musical warmth, “I shouldn’t monopolize your birthday any longer. Sweet dreams.”
“Thanks. Talk again another day.” Ethan’s farewell held the same comfortable familiarity.
The call dissolved into silence.
The interruption thoroughly deflated Noelle’s playful mood. She began working at the rope binding his wrists with mechanical efficiency, her earlier mischief extinguished.
Ethan studied her transformed expression. Recognizing her apparent indifference, he released an almost inaudible sigh before offering an explanation. “Debby is Farrell’s older sister—my cousin. She’s working overseas currently.”
Understanding crashed over Noelle like a wave. The shared surname suddenly made perfect sense.
Just as she finished loosening the final knot, she promptly retied it with renewed determination.
Ethan’s confusion was written across his features.
Noelle blinked with deliberate innocence, her smile dancing with mischief. “Think you can escape on your own?”
He lifted his gaze to meet hers, fingers testing the bonds with subtle movement. His long, elegant digits performed a series of practiced maneuvers, and the rope fell away as though it had never existed.
Noelle stared in absolute defeat.
Her elaborate binding had been utterly pointless.
After several nights of sleep deprivation while crafting Ethan’s birthday surprise, Noelle finally surrendered to proper rest. She didn’t surface until the morning sun had climbed high overhead.
Following her usual morning routine, she descended to the ground floor, only to discover that her catastrophic cake had vanished completely—he had actually consumed every last crumb.
Her attention shifted to Ethan, who was sitting relaxed on the sofa, wearing the white shirt she had designed specifically for him.
Noelle had approached casually, but the moment her eyes truly focused on him, she became a statue of pure appreciation.
His natural proportions had always been flawless. During the design process, she had fantasized about how the garment might complement his frame.
Reality surpassed even her most optimistic imagination.
From the elegant curve of his Adam’s apple to the sharp definition of his collarbone, every detail commanded attention. The rolled sleeves revealed forearms traced with subtle blue veins, while his lean torso suggested controlled power beneath the fabric. He radiated magnetic appeal without conscious effort.
.
.