No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle glanced at Xenia's dress, now stained with red wine.

Her smile widened. "Xenia, your tricks are just as pathetic as ever."

Xenia would rather destroy the dress that she couldn't keep and even framed Noelle in the process.

Xenia gasped. "Noelle, you did this on purpose! You wanted to ruin the dress so that Donovan wouldn't be able to explain himself to Ms. Cantrell, right?"

"You knew you wouldn't be able to keep this dress, so instead of letting it go..." Before Noelle could finish, someone suddenly threw red wine at her.

She wiped her face and saw Wyatt standing with an empty glass. He had thrown the wine at her.

Wyatt pulled Xenia to his side. "Noelle, don't you dare try to shift the blame! You couldn't have the dress, so you deliberately destroyed it, right?"

Noelle stared at him coldly. "Why would I destroy a dress that didn't belong to Xenia in the first place?"

Wyatt scoffed. "You're just jealous that Xenia can wear it, and you can't. Donovan, are you really going to let her off?"

Donovan frowned at Noelle. "This dress was a birthday gift for Ms. Cantrell. How am I supposed to explain to her now that you've ruined it?"

Noelle sneered. Were they trying to make her the scapegoat again?noveldrama

Before she could say anything, Lucas stood up. "Donovan, I saw everything. Xenia deliberately poured the wine on the dress. It had nothing to do with Noelle. She didn't even flinch."

Wyatt's face twisted in anger. "That's only because Noelle scared Xenia, causing her to spill the wine!"

"Wyatt, you're being unreasonable. How could you pin this on Noelle?" Lucas was furious. He turned to Donovan.

"Donovan, none of this would have happened if Wyatt hadn't taken it upon himself to let Xenia wear the dress. If anyone was to blame, it would be him and Xenia!"

Donovan's expression turned ugly. "Can all of you stop causing trouble? Do you have to make a scene every time?"

Wyatt hurriedly added, "Donovan, the dress is ruined, and it's all Noelle's fault. Xenia had nothing to do with it."

Donovan turned to Noelle. "It's too late to prepare another gift now. The Cantrell family already knows what I intended to give them. You'll

apologize to them on the day of the party."

Xenia's eyes lit up. "Donovan, I'll go, too! After all, I was involved in this as well."

Attending Mia's birthday party would be a great opportunity to network with

wealthy families. And it was a perfect chance to insult Noelle, too.

Noelle wiped her face with a towel. "No need for all that trouble."

Donovan's face fell. "Say that again?"

"She said there's no need for all that trouble." The door swung open, and Mia stood at the entrance, taking in the scene before her.

Her gaze landed on Noelle. Upon noticing the wine-stained dress, her eyes flickered before she walked inside.

Donovan's expression shifted at Mia's arrival. He stood up and hurried over, a rare trace of nervousness in his voice. "Why are you here?"

"Am I not allowed to be here? I heard this was a family gathering." Mia smiled,

then turned her gaze to Xenia. "That dress looks familiar."

Donovan's heart dropped. He glanced back at Xenia angrily. Today wouldn't have gone so terribly wrong if it weren't for these two idiots.

He had never expected Mia to show up. How much had she heard?

Donovan quickly said, "I'm sorry. I'll explain about the dress to you later."

"Don't you think the person wearing

the dress should be the one

explaining?" Mia looked at Xenia indifferently. "Miss, this dress seems a little tight on you. Doesn't it feel constricting?"

Xenia stiffened. Of course, she knew the dress was a bit small, which was why she had been holding her breath all night and barely ate anything. But who was this woman belittling her?

Wyatt immediately snapped, "Who do you think you are? This dress was custom- made for Xenia. It fits her perfectly."

"Shut up, Wyatt!" Donovan broke out in a cold sweat. He stared at Mia. "Which private room are you in? Let me take you there first, and I'll explain everything." Mia avoided his hand. "Seems like you and this young lady are quite close." Donovan shook his head. "You've got it all wrong. Xenia is just my sister."