No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle walked out of the hospital, and her mind was completely blank. She wandered the streets alone without thinking about anything. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember anything from that year.

Cedric followed her from a distance and dared not approach. It wasn't until she'd walked far enough that he finally couldn't hold back and honked. "Noelle."

When she heard someone calling her name, Noelle stopped to see Cedric. Immediately after, tears streamed down her face. She was just too sad.

Cedric hurriedly got out of the car and walked up to her, only for her to hug him. "Let me hold you for a while... just a little while."

He stiffened and was caught off guard. It took him a long moment before he finally spoke. "What's wrong?"noveldrama

Noelle let go and wiped her tears. "Take me home."

After getting into the car, Cedric glanced at her and was unsure what to do. She was obviously in a terrible mood, and he dared not ask or probe. When the car stopped downstairs at her apartment, he offered, "Let me walk you up."

"No need. Just go home. I want to be alone."

Cedric's fingers trembled slightly, and he dared not argue. Noelle returned to her apartment to lay in bed. Her mind was a mess.

The next day, she was woken up by a phone call from Grace.

"You didn't come back last night. Are you skipping your morning classes?" Grace asked.

"Yeah. I don't feel like going. Help me take my attendance."

Noelle's mood was low. After hanging up, a notification from the black market caught her eye.

She opened the app and saw a message from the administrator. "The client is satisfied with the firewall system you designed, and they wish to meet you in person. Here's the company address."

Noelle checked the address and found it familiar. It seemed to be Donovan's company. She'd wondered about the possibility that this might happen, and sure enough, it did.

Then, she immediately typed her reply. "I'm sorry, but I've decided not to proceed with the partnership. I won't provide them with the firewall system either." She would never work with the Liddells.

"And why's that? Could you tell us the reason?"

Instead of replying, Noelle went back to sleep till the afternoon. Then, she got up and headed to school.

The team had been training in the afternoon, and as the captain, she had to be there to check everyone's progress. After leaving the apartment, she took a cab to school.

Cedric's car remained in the same spot, not far away. It was parked there all night, and the area by the car window was littered with cigarette butts. A faint stubble had grown on his chin.

Watching Noelle leave, he couldn't gather the courage to go after her. It'd never crossed his mind that he would learn what it felt like to be afraid one day.

When Noelle arrived at school, she went straight to the training base. Sure enough, she saw Blake filming on-site. A large crowd of fans had gathered around and was unwilling to leave.

Upon seeing the large crowd, she pulled her cap lower and planned to slip in through the side entrance when a voice called out, "You're finally here, Noelle! Everyone's been waiting for you!"

It was the sharp-eyed Xenia who'd noticed Noelle and called out to her loudly. Everyone turned to look at her because of that one call.

Blake walked toward Noelle. His tone was gentle as he said, "I knew you didn't sleep well last night, so I didn't call you over earlier. I'll just treat the crew to a meal; I'm sure they won't mind you arriving late."

Noelle took a step back to put distance between them. No one had told her she was supposed to be here this afternoon!

Blake grabbed her wrist tightly. His gaze grew threatening as he questioned, "But that's not important. Have you made up your mind? Are you choosing Mom and Dad or outsiders?"

"Don't let me down, Noelle."