No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle furrowed her brows. What could Laura possibly want to discuss with her?

After some pondering, Noelle stood up and went to the office.

She poured a glass of water for Laura. "My house is quite lackluster. I don't have much to offer you, Ms. Merlock."

Laura shook her head. "You're too formal. Just call me Laura. And you don't have to be so on edge. I'm here to offer you a collaboration."

"A collaboration?" Noelle remained wary. She found it hard to believe Laura wasn't aware of the situation between her and the Merlock family.

Moreover, rumors were circulating that the engagement between the Greene and Merlock families had fallen through. Samantha had also been keeping a low profile recently.

"Yes. The Merlock family has been sponsoring the Yole University gaming team for years and has maintained a partnership with them. You've probably seen the investment returns, so I'd like to invite you to join in." Laura hummed.noveldrama

Investment? The previous team captain had partnered with the Merlock family for some investment. But in reality, it was just money laundering for them.

Noelle shook her head. "I'm not interested and will have to decline."

Laura smiled. "Don't be so quick to refuse. I heard you have a charity foundation under your name. The collaboration I'm proposing is related to that. Your last event didn't go well, and rumors are circulating that your foundation is just a money-grabbing scheme."

Noelle was angered. "My parents established the foundation. It is not a scam."

Laura nodded. "I know, but public perception is hard to control. I'm organizing a charity event focused on sponsorships for underprivileged girls. If you participate, it could benefit your foundation's reputation."

Noelle thought for a moment. "Why me?"

Laura shrugged. "Because the Yole University gaming team has always participated in charity donation events, and I've always been in charge."

Noelle understood now. "Alright, I'll do it."

Laura beamed. "Great. I'll host a meeting to finalize the details, and I hope you'll attend."

With that, Laura left. After exiting the base, she glanced back and smirked. "Is everything set?"

The man nodded. "Everything is ready, Ms. Merlock. We'll expose her true colors when the time comes."

Laura felt pleased. There was no way she was giving up on Cedric. After all, how long could a man's affection really last? A beneficial marriage between families was what truly mattered.

Once Laura left, Noelle called the people at her charity foundation and instructed them to start preparing for the event.

They needed to purchase many supplies; the most important was sanitary pads.

Many girls who grew up in poverty couldn't afford proper hygiene products, resorting to using scraps of paper or low-quality sanitary pads from @nregulated manufacturers, which led to severe gynecological health issues.

After hearing this, the person in charge asked, "Should we get Ms. Quigley's approval first? She needs to sign off on the funds before they can be disbursed."

"Sure." Noelle figured that Xenia would be preoccupied in the coming days. After all, it took effort to embezzle funds from the foundation's accounts.

That night, Noelle returned to her dorm. She saw a bouquet of roses on the table.

Grace exclaimed, "Wow, Micah! Did your boyfriend send these?"

Mia glanced at the roses with pursed lips before nodding. "I guess so."

Noelle glanced at the bouquet, already guessing that it was from Donovan.

Grace turned to Noelle. "Are you really letting that fake bitch interfere with the charity event? She cozied up to Mrs. Parham and made things difficult for you at the charity sale the other day. And then your brother even defended her! I swear,

even

wouldn't be surprised if they had

something going on!"

"Stop it." Noelle shot a look at Mia. It was best not to say too much now that she

knew about Donovan's relationship with her new roommate.

Grace continued, "I'm not wrong, though! That bitch causes trouble, and your brother still blames you for it. I've never seen anyone so biased. They aren't even blood-related, so I wouldn't be surprised if something was going on between them."