No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle lowered her gaze, hiding the fury in her eyes. She hoarsely demanded, "Is this what you meant by not making me sad anymore?"

Exasperated, Frank responded, "I'm doing this for your own good! A family argument isn't a big deal, so why can't we resolve this peacefully? Must you resort to running away to pressure us?" There it was again. He once again claimed the actions were done "for her own good". If that were true, why had she been abandoned in her past life, only to meet a tragic end?

With a cold expression, Noelle strode forward. The only thing keeping her going now was the upcoming college entrance exams.

She knew that she couldn't cause Cedric trouble. Things might have ended well that day, but things would've been very different if Frank had been serious.

After getting into the car, Noelle texted Cedric, "I'm heading to the Liddell residence first. I'll talk to you later."

Frank relaxed when he saw her get in the car. He was now certain that she was only throwing a tantrum. All he needed to do was play the underdog, and her act started to crack.

It seemed that he needed to pay more attention to her so that she would not feel neglected or jealous of Xenia.

When they arrived at the Liddell residence, Noelle alighted from the car and walked away, ignoring everyone else. Frank stared at her and sighed resignedly.

Xenia struggled out of the car, still clutching the teddy bear. "I'm sure Noelle will understand, Frank."

Seeing Xenia's obedient demeanor, Frank couldn't help but say, "I'd be over the moon if she were as well-behaved and understanding as you.

Xenia lowered her gaze, wearing a mask of obedience.

Only Frank and Xenia were present during dinner time. Lucas was nowhere to be found.

Finishing her meal in silence, Noelle was about to return to her room when she noticed Frank clutching his lower abdomen in pain. She knew that he had a weak stomach and needed constant care.

In her past life, she'd done everything to take care of him. However, it had been nothing compared to the plain bowl of soup Xenia had prepared.

She would never forget how Frank had smashed the bowl of medicinal congee she made while

cradling Xenia's soup, appearing moved.

Remembering this, Noelle steeled herself and left the dining room, feigning ignorance.

2/2

Frank watched her go, feeling disappointed. In the past, Noelle would come running to express her concern the moment he showed any signs of discomfort. He couldn't help feeling worse since Noelle didn't seem to care at all anymore. Wounded by her carefree attitude, Frank staggered out of the dining room.

This left Xenia alone in the room. She could sense a subtle change in Frank's attitude toward her. She worried about it and felt she needed to find a way to fix it.

Back in her room, Frank's pained expression kept popping up in Noelle's head. She told herself to push these thoughts aside. After all, Xenia's soup was much more helpful than her concern.noveldrama

She then pulled out her phone to text Cedric. "My brother didn't give you a hard time at school today, did he?"

Almost immediately, a call from Cedric came through. His voice was calm as he told her, "I showed them evidence of the assault, and there was a lawyer present. What could've gone wrong?" Noelle smiled. It was no wonder Lucas had been forced to move out.

"Let me know if they bother you again, kiddo. I'll come get you right away."

Noelle bit her lip. "Why are you so nice to me?" She immediately regretted the words as soon as they left her lips.