No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

A stir rippled through the room at Noelle's words. Donovan remained calm and replied, "Noelle, claiming we stole your content is absurd! We have plenty of talent at our company. Why would we steal from a small company like yours?"

"Why is it impossible?" Noelle retorted.

Her team leader angrily added, "That's right! We worked hard to create all of this."

Donovan smirked. "So you're saying our presentation is so impressive that you had to resort to slandering us, right?"noveldrama

Noelle sneered. "Do I really need to slander you?"

"Well, if you're so confident, do you have any proof?" Donovan challenged.

Her team leader said, "We do. The content we prepared is proof."

Donovan raised an eyebrow. "That only proves that your content was copied from ours, doesn't it? Stop embarrassing yourself. If you want to win, do it with skill, not cheap tricks."

Noelle gritted her teeth. "As expected of you business war veterans, you really know how to play dirty."

Donovan felt a bit pleased when he saw the frustration on her face. "I warned you earlier. If you had just apologized and come back to me, things would've been different. You've made your choice."

The team leader looked puzzled. "What's going on here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Noelle must have some connection with Mr. Liddell and leaked our ideas to get ahead," a colleague said.

The team leader frowned. "Noelle doesn't strike me as that kind of person."

"Maybe she let something slip while spending time with Mr. Liddell," the colleague added.

Noelle turned to the colleague, who was known for spreading rumors. "Watch your mouth. I have no relationship with him."

"Then, how do you explain our ideas appearing in their presentation?" the colleague pressed.

Noelle looked over at Xenia and Lucas. "You two sure know how to fuck around."

Xenia and Lucas both avoided her gaze.

Donovan snapped, "Noelle, business is all about survival of the fittest. That's the first lesson I taught you."

One of the Maple Enterprise colleagues stood up and said to the officials, "I'm not convinced. I want to report Noelle and Mr. Liddell's illegal relationship, which led to our company's secrets being leaked!"

Donovan glared at him. "Watch your mouth. I'll sue you for defamation!"

"Isn't that the truth?" the colleague retorted.

Donovan sighed. "Although I hate to admit it, Noelle is my disowned sister. She's always been competitive and will use any means to get what she wants."

The colleague's face turned pale when he realized Noelle was really a high- society heiress. However, Noelle had never mentioned it. She didn't wear designer clothes, so no one had any idea.

The team leader looked at Noelle. "Is he really your brother?"

"I hate to admit it, but yes, he was my brother. Now, we've severed all ties. We have nothing to do with each other," Noelle responded.

"Alright, I understand now. In that case, Noelle, you'll be hearing from our lawyers for defaming our company," Donovan said. He was determined to make Noelle back down.

Noelle clapped mockingly. "That was impressive, but you're the one who will be hearing from our lawyers instead."

She turned to the official. "Sir, do you believe me now?"

The middle-aged official nodded. "I understand."

Donovan turned to the official and said, "Sir, my sister has always been a liar. She

gave up the life of a wealthy heiress just to rebel against the family."

The official adjusted his glasses. "Your sister showed me her company's ideas before the meeting started."

Donovan's smile faltered. "What?"

How could he not have known that Noelle had shown the officials their ideas in advance? He glanced at Xenia and Lucas, wondering if they were also left in the dark.

Noelle smirked. "Stop looking at them. If they knew, the little act from earlier wouldn't have worked."

She wasn't careless enough to leave her computer open and unattended, but two fools still fell for it. At that moment, Xenia realized she had been tricked.