No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle didn't react to seeing Frank and Lucas.

She looked at Michael and calmly said, "Let's schedule another time for a proper discussion."

Michael nodded before turning to face Lucas. "What? Did I say something wrong? If I had a sister with this level of talent, I would have pampered her like a treasure and supported her in every way possible. Unlike some people, I wouldn't ignore a capable sibling while bending over backward for a fake sister who's utterly useless. Isn't that the definition of losing the big picture for petty gains?" Lucas' face darkened. "You don't know anything! You have no idea what's going on!"

He wasn't ignoring Noelle. Instead, he wished more than anyone for Noelle to stay in Team Luminark for the finals. He was just having a slight conflict with her, that's all.

After Michael left, coaches of other teams approached Noelle to talk, even offering their business cards.

Lucas was left alone at the side, watching silently as everyone sought Noelle's attention.

He felt that if Noelle turned them all down and refused to join Team Celestial, he would apologize and forgive her for how she had lied to him.

Noelle was left with a stack of business cards, which she didn't expect.

"Noelle, congratulations." After the crowd dispersed, Frank was the only one who dared to go up and talk to her. He observed her cautiously and realized that she had changed a lot. Noelle lifted her head and glanced at Frank briefly. "Thanks."

Lucas couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Noelle, you still haven't answered my question. Why did you keep this from me? Was it fun for you?"

Noelle looked at him and saw a trace of unease in Lucas' eyes. She thought it was rare to see him rattled and wondered if he felt guilty.

However, her tone was cold as she said, "I was going to tell you after my college entrance exams. But then... Do I need to repeat what you said in my room that day?"

Her voice was calm, yet to Lucas, it was like a sharp blade cutting deep into his heart. He winced as he recalled what he had said that day. The harsh words he had thrown at her in anger had come back to bite them.

His eyes turned red. "Then why didn't you tell me then?"

"I didn't feel obligated to."

"Not obligated?" Lucas took a step forward to block Noelle. "I'm your brother. I thought our conflicts were never a serious problem. I admit I said the wrong things that day, but you could have just said something! Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

He believed that if Noelle had told him then, everything else that happened afterward would not have happened. Perhaps she wouldn't have even gone to Firestorm.

Noelle said nothing, only taking a few steps back to put some distance between them.

The coldness in her retreat saddened Lucas.noveldrama

Rachel, who was standing nearby, said sarcastically, "For years, Noelle endured endless unfair treatment because of that manipulative woman, Xenia. Now that you're finally feeling a fraction of her pain, you can't handle it? Imagine what she's been through all these years!"

Lucas instinctively snapped. "That's why I'm asking her! None of this would have happened if she'd spoken up earlier!"

Rachel's voice rose. "So you're saying that this is all her fault?"

"Isn't it?" Lucas blurted, but his gaze darted to Noelle guiltily. "We're family. We could have just talked and worked things out. You hid your identity and went live on Firestorm just to spite me, didn't you?"

Noelle's eyes lifted slightly. "If that's what you want to think, I won't try to change your mind."