The Cherished Wife (Noelle and Charles) novel Chapter 605

However, this year was different. Janet was in the picture, and Becky had a feeling that if she were to dance with Charles as usual, Janet might not take it well—to put it mildly. More importantly, Becky had a nagging feeling that Charles had changed. She could not tell if it was just her imagination, but she was pretty sure that Charles had someone else in mind for this year's opening dance.

Charles's mood had been pretty downcast, but Becky's words were like a switch flipping on a light. His eyebrow quirked up, and he shot her a look of approval. "What do you think?"

"I think we need to shake things up this year. Mr. Hoffman, you and I dance every year. It's kind of become predictable." Becky let out a small laugh, and when she noticed Charles did not seem upset, she relaxed and went on. "Do you have anyone in mind, Mr. Hoffman?"

He looked at her, signaling her to continue. Becky inhaled deeply. "Mr. Hoffman, you're a catch. Lots of women at the company think so. What if we did a lucky draw? It could be a fun way to mix things up for the employees. What do you say?"

Charles squinted playfully. "Ms. Malls, are you trying to auction off my dance moves?"

"Oh no, Mr. Hoffman, that's not it at all. It's just that you might be getting a little bored with my same old face every year. We've got a lot of other amazing women working here." Becky gathered her courage and locked eyes with Charles. "Take Noelle from the project department, Ms. Shaw. She's gorgeous, smart, and super friendly."

Becky chatted away, all the while keeping an eye on Charles's face. She watched as the stormy look he usually wore started to melt into something gentler, especially when she brought up Noelle. She saw a real spark of change flicker across his features.

Feeling confident in her hunch, Becky pressed on. "Noelle's great. Collosus Group could really use someone as positive and energetic as her."

Charles gave her a dismissive wave. "Off you go!"

Once Becky had left, Charles pulled out the annual meeting plan from his desk drawer. He did not usually bother with that stuff, but this year was different. With new faces and new factors around, he had to strategize to get what he wanted without breaking a sweat.

His fingers drummed on the desk, a sign he had hit on an idea. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Uncle's looking for some alone time with Aunt today, so how about we grab dinner outside?"

Noelle was halfway through her report when she caught wind of the special occasion and stopped short. "Uncle and Aunt? What's the occasion?"