No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Hearing the silence on the other end of the line, Noelle chuckled. "I thought that if you were willing to take all the blame yourself, I might owe you an apology. But clearly, you're not giving me that chance. What a shame." Her tone dripped with

sarcasm.noveldrama

Donovan snapped, "Noelle, why are you trying to sow discord between us siblings? What could you possibly gain from this?"

"I'm doing it for your own good," Noelle smirked. "Or maybe you three can all go to prison together-one big happy family, united by blood."

"In your dreams," Donovan shot back.

"Exactly, Mr. Liddell," Noelle said, her voice taking on an exaggeratedly earnest one. "That's why I suggested one of you step up and take responsibility. Can't you see how kind I'm being?"

"If Lucas goes to jail, his career will be ruined. Can you live with that?" Donovan countered.

"That's because you're selfish. Shouldn't you step up for your younger brother? You're always talking about family bonds and love, yet when trouble arises, you expect your brother to take the fall. How selfish of you," Noelle quipped, covering her chuckles with a hand.

Cedric watched her with amusement. She looked like a sly little fox.

Donovan's anger flared. "Don't get cocky, Noelle. Even if Lucas takes the blame, without a lawyer, you'll lose the case anyway. Just wait and see!"

"Is that all you called to say?" Noelle asked calmly.

"Exactly. Face it, Noelle. Withdraw the lawsuit now before you embarrass yourself."

"See you in court, then!" Noelle hung up decisively. "See? I was right. He was never going to take responsibility."

"So, Lucas is the scapegoat?" Cedric asked. "Even though he was involved, he wasn't the one who took the photos."

"Nelly, those two should pay the price as well-especially that vicious bitch Xenia," Alfred said.

Noelle smiled. "I want to tear apart their facade of 'family love' piece by piece, ensuring Xenia loses everything. Eventually, the Liddell family will be dragged down with her and end up bankrupt."

She couldn't wait for that moment to arrive to see if their so-called "family bonds" would survive. Only then would it feel like justice for all the suffering she had endured in her previous life.

Alfred clapped with amusement. "Nicely played, Noelle. I'm starting to look forward to seeing the expressions on your ungrateful brothers' faces when they finally realize Xenia's true colors."

Noelle turned to him and said, "Don't forget, we still have a lawsuit to win first."

"Don't worry, Nelly. The lawyer I've hired is someone I trust. We'll be fine, so rest assured," Alfred replied confidently.

Feeling reassured, Noelle stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

As she walked past Cedric, her eyes instinctively drifted toward the phone he had placed on the table. In that instant, Cedric swiftly covered the phone with his hand, his gaze locking with hers.

Noelle scoffed lightly at Cedric's vigilance, cleared her throat, and left without hesitation. Cedric raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of her intention to sneak a peek at his phone.

After Noelle left, Cedric's expression turned cold. He said to Alfred, "Was your cousin. Justin, the one behind the issue with the lawyers?"

"I'll look into it right away. If it's really him, I'll break his legs and teach him a lesson!" Alfred said, sharing Cedric's suspicion.

Cedric's phone buzzed. After glancing at it, he stood up and instructed Alfred,

"Make sure this is dealt with properly."

"Where are you going?" Alfred asked.

"The gym," Cedric said as he walked away.

Alfred sighed, phone in hand, thinking, "Am I his nanny or what?"

After returning to school, Noelle headed straight to the gym. She changed into her workout clothes and went to the equipment area, determined to build some muscle strength. Her trainer, Zachary, always told her that her physical condition was poor and that she needed more exercise.

While she was figuring out how to use one of the machines, a young man approached her. "Hi, I'm Mark Baker. Is this your first time here? Let me show you how it works."

After watching Mark's demonstration, Noelle replied politely, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. You look pretty young-are you a student at Yole University?" Mark asked.

"Uh-huh," Noelle answered, her tone indifferent.

"Wow, a top student, huh?" Mark's eyes lit up. "I've always admired people like you!"

Nolle didn't bother responding.