Chapter 15

Noelle remained calm. She really wanted to leave this family. Lucas sneered. "Alright. You can leave now. Let's see how you manage without the Liddell family!" Frank couldn't take it anymore. "Enough. Lucas, what are you saying?" "Frank, look! She wants to leave. She doesn't want us anymore!" Lucas' eyes reddened, and he was incredibly emotional. He had already yielded that day, yet she still wanted to leave. He wondered if she was expecting him to kneel and apologize before she would be satisfied. Xenia quickly intervened to mediate, "Lucas, don't be angry. Noelle is just joking. If she doesn't want to tutor me, it's fine. I already have a tutor, and I'm really happy." He viciously glared at Noelle. "Look at how sensible Xenia is, and look at you. Have you ever reflected on yourself?" "Lucas, forget it. Let's go. I still need to ask you about some game strategies." Xenia turned to Frank. "Frank, we'll take our leave now." "Go ahead," Frank said, his heart softening from Xenia's understanding demeanor. Originally not part of the Liddell family, Xenia had sacrificed a lot for the team's training, which caused her grades to drop significantly. She also intervened in family conflicts, playing the role of the peacemaker. Compared to Noelle, Xenia seemed far more considerate. He looked at Noelle with disappointment. "Don't take Lucas' words to heart. You're still a part of the Liddell family." Noelle coldly replied, "I think it's time that I move out." His expression changed. "Noelle, what do you want us to do so that we can live happily together again like before?" Like before? Her eyes instantly grew heavy, and she felt profound disappointment. She didn't even want to respond. "Nothing," she said faintly. After that, she walked straight upstairs to her room. She would never again debase herself to give her everything only to be ignored and abandoned. Never again. After that day, Noelle entered into a cold war with her brothers, and they didn't speak for a long time. However, she felt a sense of relief, finally free from having to deal with them. The team's repechage was soon coming up. It was to be held on the coming Saturday. Xenia had been absent from school for several days, claiming to be sick, but Noelle knew that she was preparing for the competition. So, she went to school and ate alone. Her life wasn't affected. Frank walked over to her and placed a competition ticket on the table. "You should attend the match this afternoon. It's a way to support the family." She replied calmly, "Got it." He noticed that she didn't even ask how the preparations were going. She was being cold-hearted and indifferent. Compared to Xenia, who had even taken time off school to train for the competition, he felt even more disheartened. "Noelle, when you grow up, you'll understand our good intentions." He didn't say anything more and left the hall. Noelle felt disgusted by this remark and lost her appetite. She put down her cutleries and was even more convinced that moving out would be the right move. She took the competition ticket and decided to go. She wanted to witness how Lucas' team would fail without her effort. She messaged Cedric, "I'll watch the match this afternoon, so I won't be playing with you." They had initially planned to play games together over the weekend. Cedric replied immediately, "Okay." As he was replying, someone tried to sneak a glance at his phone but failed to see the contents. With a hand on his chest, Alfred joked, "Come on. Let me see. You're so stingy." Cedric glanced at him. "Do you want to lose your eyes?" Alfred coughed before saying, "Why are you so serious? You should directly compensate her, even if it's out of guilt. You've been by her side. What are you planning?" Cedric's slender fingers tightened around his phone. After a long pause, he finally replied, "I'll stay by her side, help her grow, and guide her out of her struggles until she can live freely on her own." Unable to resist being cheeky, Alfred added, "You'll be by her side until she grows up, starts dating, gets married, and has kids?" Cedric frowned slightly. "Something like that." Her parents were gone, and her brothers were either biased or unreliable. She had been struggling alone. He changed the topic. "Do you have tickets for this afternoon's match?" "The repechage? Are you interested? I remember that your younger brother's team advanced straight to the finals." "Cut the chatter. I need to arrange something before the match." Cedric looked up at the sky outside. At the very least, he would stay until she no longer needed him. After all, if her parents were still alive, she wouldn't have to endure this much hardship. ... Noelle went straight to the venue for the competition. Outside, she saw many fans holding banners, including those for Team Luminark. There were even fans of Xenia. Recently, Xenia gained fame as a small-time internet influencer thanks to Blake's entertainment company. Young, smooth-talking, and skilled at playing the "innocent victim", she excelled at winning over livestream audiences. Noelle glanced at the banners in the fans' hands. Once, she had bought plenty of Team Luminark's merchandise, reposted countless updates about the team, and actively managed their fan groups. She withdrew her gaze expressionlessly and walked inside with her ticket. After taking her seat, she looked at the stage and found herself momentarily lost in thought. After all, she had sat in that very spot on the stage in her past life, turning the tide to secure a hard-fought victory in the repechage. It hadn't been easy. The opposing team was strong and consistent, unlike Lucas, who had skill but was prone to breaking under pressure, disrupting the entire game's rhythm. Lucas was also arrogant, overly proud, and refused to listen to others' advice. Soon, the competing teams began to take the stage. Fans on both sides screamed their support, almost competing to see who could be louder. Noelle sat calmly, watching Lucas and Xenia lead their team onto the stage. Both were dressed in matching uniforms, looking very much like a family. However, she noticed that he didn't look too pleased. She wondered where Frank and Blake were. Weren't they supposed to be with the team, training and participating in the repechage? On stage, Lucas' expression was far from ideal. He hadn't expected Frank and Blake to bail at the last minute, throwing his plans into chaos. Xenia offered comforting words. "Lucas, Frank and Blake had emergencies at their companies. They couldn't help it. After all, they're presidents, not professional players." "What do you know? We've been training together for so long, and now they've simply decided not to show up. How are we supposed to compete?" "Lucas, the rest of our team members are great, and we've trained together. If we work as a team, there's no way that we'll lose the match." Although he was cold to her, she continued to speak kindly. After all, the more she stayed by his side and supported him during times like these, the more satisfied he would be with her as a "sister". Her goal was to gradually replace Noelle in his heart. Despite his anger, Lucas had no choice. Suddenly, he thought of Noelle and blurted out, "Xenia, do you think the match would go better if Noelle were here?" Xenia's smile froze instantly, frustration simmering inside her. Why did he have to mention Noelle again? Was all her effort—taking the time off to train and prepare for this match—not enough compared to someone who had done nothing? She spotted a familiar figure in the audience from the corner of her eye. "Lucas, Noelle is here to watch our match." Noelle noticed Xenia looking her way as the fans around her erupted into cheers. When Lucas saw Noelle, his eyes lit up. She had come after all.