No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Xenia's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized Noelle wasn't going to let her off the hook. If it hadn't been for trying to gain favor with Frank, she wouldn't have even bothered to apologize. She hadn't expected Noelle to have the surveillance footage. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been forced into this awkward position.

Noelle continued, "Everyone knows we don't get along. I'm not going to pretend we're best friends. That's just disgusting."

Lucas couldn't hold his frustration any longer. He said, "Xenia came to apologize, and this is how you act?"

"Do you think I should just forgive her because she apologized? If apologies worked, what would we even need the police for?" Noelle retorted.

The fans in the live stream quickly sided with Noelle.

"Exactly! That bitch tried to mislead everyone this afternoon, but now the truth is out, thanks to the surveillance footage!"

"That bitch should just leave. She's not welcome here."

"She's probably just jealous of SweetNelly's fanbase and talent. How petty!"

Xenia quickly fled the scene after being bombarded with insults. As she saw her fan count drop, she panicked. Who would've thought Noelle had the video?

She rushed out of the room and went straight to Lucas. "Lucas, I really tried my best," she said.

Lucas, who had been watching Noelle's livestream, wasn't pleased. "I know this isn't your fault," he said.

Then, he turned to Frank and added, "Frank, you saw how Noelle has been ignoring us. Why are we still bothering? She's signed with Firestorm Entertainment now and clearly doesn't care about the Liddell family anymore!" Frank clutched his stomach in pain and muttered, "Noelle has the right to choose who she works with."

"She's one of the Liddells. She's turning her back on us, and I don't buy that she doesn't know about my competition with Firestorm Entertainment," Lucas replied, feeling frustrated.noveldrama

Lucas was fuming with frustration. Yesterday had been a complete humiliation for him. Everyone knew he had turned down his sister, who could land a 12-hit combo, only to let her go to a competitor.

Xenia pretended to be understanding and said, "Lucas, Noelle is just upset. She won't really go through with joining another team."

Frank glanced at her. "Xenia, why did you say that on the livestream? Didn't you realize the consequences of misleading everyone?"

Tears welled up in Xenia's eyes.

Lucas quickly came to her defense. "Frank, Xenia's apology was sincere. What more do you want from her? You can't start treating her badly just because of Noelle, can you?" Frank snapped, "Why can't you understand?"

"I understand perfectly. Noelle's spoiled, and I'm going to see how long she can keep up this attitude. Xenia, let's go," Lucas said.

Frank felt a headache coming on. For the first time, he understood the kind of mistreatment Noelle had endured in the past.

He sent a ten-thousand-dollar gift in Noelle's livestream and left a message. "The incident at the party was a misunderstanding and had nothing to do with Noelle. As your brother, I will always support your choices."

Noelle saw the flood of gifts in her stream, but she felt no emotion. She had no desire to entertain Frank's showmanship in her space. Without a second thought, she ended the livestream.

Later that day, Noelle came out of her study and noticed Cedric hadn't been around for a while. She hadn't seen him in days. Something felt off, though she couldn't quite place it. With the college entrance exam results coming out soon, Noelle felt a little nervous.

She sent Cedric a message. "Are you busy these days? Will you be able to come back when the exam results come out?"

Cedric looked at her message for a

long time before choosing not to reply. Alfred glanced at Cedric and

said, "That's from Nelly, right? You've been avoiding her these days. What's going on? Did she confess to you or something?"

Cedric quietly averted his gaze, tightening his grip on the phone. "She's too young. She doesn't understand what it means to like someone."

There was an unbridgeable gap between them. Noelle still hated the people who had killed her parents, and the drunken kiss from that night had left him trapped, avoiding her ever since. Alfred smirked. "I knew it! When you get back, just tell her you have a girlfriend. That'll probably make her give up."

Cedric's expression darkened. "Maybe you're right. It's time for me to leave."