The Sway and Slide of Love

The banquet continued.

Once the crowd confirmed the man before them was indeed Hendrix, they swarmed him with questions and concern.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Why was there no news of you at all?"noveldrama

"I knew those reporters were unreliable! But it's such a relief you're safe."

"What are your plans now, Mr. Freeman?"

In reality, Amity Group's current situation wasn't optimistic. But some people were simply born with a presence-no matter what circumstances they were in or what challenges they faced, they remained composed. And in doing so, they inspired confidence in everyone around them.

Dylan stood there, watching him coldly. Then, something occurred to him. He turned away and dialed a number.

"When did Hendrix return? And did he come back alone?"

If Hendrix was back, what about Noelle? Something about Hendrix's demeanor felt off to Dylan. Before his disappearance, Hendrix had been outright hostile toward him. Yet tonight, he'd greeted him willingly, and he hadn't mentioned Noelle at all.

Could it be...

"Mr. Pritchett, we just confirmed-Hendrix did return alone."

Dylan frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Uh, that's what we've found so far. But if he deliberately covered his tracks, then we might="

"You bunch of useless fools!" Dylan snapped without hesitation. "Figures. If you were any more competent, you would've known that Hendrix had returned to Coppersville in the first place."

"Keep digging. I need to know if Noelle is dead or alive. Even if she's just a corpse now, dig it up!"

Dylan wasn't afraid of going up against Hendrix. Especially not now, when the odds weren't necessarily against him.

But there was one exception. If Hendrix had really found Noelle...

The mere thought of it made Dylan clench his jaw even tighter.

Just then, someone approached him. "Mr. Pritchett, I—"

"Get lost!" Dylan snapped without thinking.

The abrupt outburst stunned everyone. All eyes turned toward him.

Only then did Dylan realize his misstep and quickly compose himself before apologizing to the person in front of him.

The man before him had initially

looked offended, but then he

seemed to remember Dylan's

current status. Thus, he sun red

his displeasure and said with a faint smile, "It's fine."

Given the situation, no matter how frustrated Dylan was, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. Yet, the moment he finally extricated himself from the conversation and turned around, Hendrix was gone.

He whipped his head back to scan the room. After confirming Hendrix was nowhere to be seen, he marched straight to Anton. "Where's Mr. Freeman?"

"Oh, him? He left in a hurry after a phone call."

Left in a hurry? What could've happened?

Dylan hadn't even made a move yet. Unless it wasn't about business?

He frowned, his expression turning grim.

"Mr. Pritchett, are you alright? You look pale."

"I'm fine." Dylan shut his eyes briefly, wrestling his emotions under control before stepping aside to make another call.

His fingers trembled slightly. Only

when the line connected did he force himself to calm down. "Mr. Swift, there's something you should know. Hendrix is back."