Laurence picked up the necklace again and walked behind Noelle, intending to fasten it around her neck.
"Mr. Laurence, no."
Noelle snapped back to her senses and hurriedly stopped him. "Sir, this necklace is far too precious. I can't accept it."
It was a necklace meant to be worn only by the wife of the head of the Longbottoms.
She was nothing more than Laurence's bodyguard. What right did she have to wear something so valuable?
Laurence gazed at her deeply. "Noelle, I bought this necklace to give to you as a token of my love. If you don't want it, then it has no meaning. I'll throw it away."
With those words, he gripped the necklace as if to toss it aside.
"Mr. Laurence!"
Noelle quickly stopped him again.
This necklace cost him tens of millions. How could he just throw it away?
"Mr. Laurence, please don't force me," she said helplessly. "We're not a good match. I'm just an orphan."
"I'm an orphan too. My family is gone. I was raised by Doc and the others. You know that. We're both orphans, so neither of us is nobler than the other.
"And stop calling me Mr. Laurence. I'm not your boss, and I never once thought of you as a servant. We're equals, Noelle. From now on, call me by my name."
Laurence's refutation left Noelle speechless.
After a long silence, she said softly, “Even if you're an orphan, you still have Master, Mom, and everyone else. You were born into a prestigious family too. You're someone destined for greatness."
"My master is your master, and my Mom is your Mom too. Everyone in the Johnson family is your family as well. Go and ask them whether they see you as one of their own. What? Are you saying you don't consider them family?
"I'm not destined for anything. I'm just a jinx. My entire family died when I was barely old enough to walk. I was hunted by my family's enemies, and the nanny and bodyguards who protected me all died. If Mom hadn't found me, who knows how many times I would've met the Grim Reaper?
“Noelle, we grew up together and are childhood sweethearts. There's no difference in status between us. In everyone else's eyes, we've always been a couple."
Laurence reached out to hold her hand, pulling her closer. "You can't tell me that you've never realized how I feel about you. I know your feelings for me are the
same.
"Can you really say that you don't love me?"
Noelle's mouth opened, but no words came out.
She did love him.
She had never been good at lying, so she could not bring herself to say that she did not love him.
She had always known how well he treated her and how deeply he cared for her. It was just that neither of them ever expressed their feelings openly, so she feigned ignorance.
She understood why he kept his feelings hidden. He feared he would die before avenging her family and did not want to make her a widow.
That was why he buried his love all these years instead of confessing.
As for her, she had always believed there was too great a gap between them. She
felt that she was not worthy of him, and that he deserved a better girl.
Laurence asked again, “Noelle, do you love me?"
Noelle met his eyes. Then she finally nodded.
"But Mr. Laurence..."