[Was she seriously ill or something?]


    Noe raised an eyebrow as she read the two messages in quick session.


    Just as she opened the chat with Horatio, she was bombarded with a flurry of texts full of his


    grievances.


    [She’s nuts. She really is nuts.]


    [She actually said… said I’m quite a looker!]


    Horatio, though an odd monk, was a genuinely profound spiritual figure. Legend had it that Horatio


    was the reincarnation of a high-ranking monk, born with a natural affinity for spirituality, carrying


    endless merits from his previous lives. Right from birth, he was sent to the Dragon Monastery.


    In all these years, he had never encountered a woman so… disrespectful!


    Noe could almost picture the expression on Horatio’s face as he texted.


    She quickly replied: [It’s probably just the pressure of her research making her tease you as a way


    to unwind. Who doesn’t go a bit crazy at work? Just bear with it. Think of it as part of your spiritual


    practice.]


    Spiritual practice?


    Horatio felt like crying.


    Never before in his life had he encountered such a method of spiritual practice! Especially since


    ra didn’t justpliment him verbally for being handsome; she got handsy!


    While eating, Noe texted back.


    [Look at your ancestor. Didn’t you say he always remained calm in the face of female benefactors?


    Horatio, you still have a long way to go on your path to enlightenment.]


    Upon sensing the schadenfreude in the message, Horatio closed his phone in dismay. He knew he


    shouldn’t have vented to Noe!


    Seeing the smile on Noe’s face, Palmer asked, “What''s up?”


    “The monk says my sister is harassing him.”


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As she spoke, Noe dialed ra to get the full story.


    ra, while fiddling with a beaker and observing a sample, answered. “Oh, that? I wasn’t harassing


    him. I just said his skin looks so good, and asked what skincare product he uses. I did it to de-


    stress. After all,plimenting other menes with risks. Noe, you wouldn’t believe it. I once


    asked a male colleague how his project was going, and he thought I had a crush on him! He even


    posted online, saying he felt insecure because of my position!”


    Recalling the experience, ra wanted to roll her eyes endlessly.


    “Thank goodness Jasper saw that post and figured out the guy was talking about me. I was so


    disgusted! Since then, I’ve learned it’s best to not speak to men. But Horatio’s different. He surely


    won’t take it to heart, so there’s no risk.”


    In ra’s mind, Horatio was hardly considered a regr guy.


    After a moment’s thought, she found a more fitting description. “Noe! Horatio is like a sister to me!


    That’s his payback for refusing my request for him to predict if I’d ever meet my idol!”


    Resigned, Noe rubbed her forehead. “Horatio is a monk, not a fortune teller.”


    “I don’t care. If he’s such a high-ranking monk, he should find a way! There’s this amazing bakery


    near ourb. I’ll bring you something after work!”


    To ra, Noe was the baby of the family, deserving of all the pampering. Whenever she tasted


    something delicious, ra always remembered to bring some back for Noe too!


    Sienna had invited Malvina Gruber to dine with the Schnabel family that evening, making a point to


    have everyone present, including Palmer.


    It was going to be a family dinner!


    Sienna started nning the menu days in advance, and Noe worried the grand setup might


    intimidate Malvina.


    After agreeing with ra, Noe sent Horatio a message, telling him not to worry.


    Noe sighed as she put away her phone.


    Palmer chuckled lightly. “Horatio is profound in his own way, probably just shocked by ra. But I’m


    more curious, how did you and Horatio meet?”


    “We met in the mountains. Horatio encountered a bear, and I happened to drive by and save him. A


    few years back, during an earthquake in Char Vige, Horatio called me, and I led a team there.”


    Through these interactions, Horatio and Noe became friends.


    “I remember Char Vige is quite a distance from Dragon Monastery.”


    “Yes, he was passing through during his travels and happened to be there during the earthquake.


    He called me hoping I could help. When I arrived, his hands were nearly incapacitated.”


    Noe remembered vividly the sight of Horatio’s hands, covered in blood, his usually serene face


    streaked with tears, clutching at her sleeves, begging her to save the people below.


    His eyes were bloodshot, repeating over and over. “I can’t dig them out. I can’t save them…”


    How could one possibly move concrete and steel bare-handed.


    “He was young then, not yet able to see life and death with detachment. The family there hosted


    him for a few days. The child’s mother kept calling for help, and when we finally got them out, both


    mother and child had already passed away.”


    Noe shook her head. “The mother’s phone was open to a note that read, ‘Baby, Mommy will


    always love you.’ The monk meditated atop the ruins for days, and after conducting a ceremony, he


    seemed to find peace.”


    That experience deepened Horatio’s spiritual understanding. After the rescue, they held a


    ceremony, and then Horatio left with Noe.


    “He apanied me on border activities for a while, teaching the children there whenever possible,


    but they always ended up stealing his wallet and phone.”


    Children who survived on the border weren’t exactly ordinary kids. They grew up among poppies


    and sin, their eyes filled with a bloody red. Yet Horatio remained undeterred, insisting he was doing


    what he wanted, regardless of whether it saved anyone.


    Spreading his faith didn’t hinge on having believers. Even if he preached to a rock, Horatio could


    persist for days and nights. nting a seed that might never sprout still held the potential for


    growth!


    Palmer now understood why Horatio considered Noe a friend. They were fundamentally the


    same, at heart pure and transparent, with their own principles and kindness, always steadfast in


    following the path they believed in!


    "It''s destiny, and a blessing, that you and Horatio have crossed paths," Palmer said.


    Hearing Palmer''s words, Noe’s eyes crinkled with a joyful smile.


    "Mr. Pock, you''re on the same journey as me. Don''t underestimate yourself."


    "My pleasure."


    ...


    At Serene Haven, in the grand Phoenix Tower, within the walls of the Schnabel Manor, the


    atmosphere was somewhat tense and awkward.


    An elderly woman in a wheelchair squinted, surveying everyone in the room.


    Marcel looked at her, his displeasure evident in his voice. “You’re not wee here. What are you


    doing here?”


    Ashlyn coughed twice, her voice filled with anger. “After all, I’ve spent a lifetime with you! Since


    ra is not a Schnabel, I demand she be thrown out! She brings bad luck to the Schnabel family, a


    curse upon us!”


    At the doorway, ra stood frozen, holding a box of pastries. The box slipped from her hands,


    hitting the floor with a thud, upon hearing those words.