Chapter 4

Noelle hung her head low and began hacking violently. Her thin back was hunched as though she might cough up her lungs. "Don't think that I won't teach you a lesson just because you're pretending to be sick!" Blake snapped. "You were supposed to look after Xenia at school, fetching her water and food. Yet you dared to have her serve you instead! "Not only were you ungrateful, but you even intentionally tripped her. Do you even have any conscience?" Holding back a cough, Noelle managed to say, "I didn't push her. She fell on her—" "Are you trying to say that she fell because she lost her balance? Do you think I'd believe such a poor excuse? Are you going to admit that you did it on purpose?" Noelle's eyes stung as she straightened her back. "I'm not." The slap hit her like a sudden gust of wind, sending a wave of unbearable pain through her cheek. But the pain she felt was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. It hurt so bad that she felt numb from the agony. "Blake, why did you hit her?" Frank strode in and dragged Blake aside, who was still seething. "She did something so malicious and still refuses to admit it. I don't have such a ruthless and unrepentant sister!" Standing at the door, Xenia looked pitiable with her bandaged hand. Her eyes reddened as she began, "Blake, I said it was my fault. It has nothing to do with Noelle." "Xenia, you're just too kind. I have to teach Noelle a lesson today so she doesn't go down the wrong path!" As Blake raised his hand again, Cedric suddenly rose to his feet. The screech of his chair against the floor reverberated across the room. Noelle glanced at him. Looking impassive, Cedric leaned against his desk and asked, "Are you Ms. Liddell's family?" Frank nodded. "Yes. We're her brothers." "She has a fever of a temperature of 103°F, and I suspect that she has an infection. She has to undergo further checkups. She also has hypoglycemia and is slightly malnourished!" "I-Is she really sick?" Blake sputtered, visibly stunned. He thought she'd been faking her illness to avoid taking responsibility. "Then you might want to check your eyesight," Cedric suggested calmly. "It's so obvious, yet you can't tell." Noelle's pale complexion was a telltale sign of her sickness. How could they not see it? "What are you implying?" Blake gritted out. "Nothing. I'm being very clear," Cedric replied coldly, frowning. "Although she's your adopted sister, it's your responsibility to care for her since you took her in." Realizing that Cedric had assumed that she was the Liddell brothers' adopted sister, Noelle sneered. "She's our biological sister. She's not adopted," Frank quickly said. "That's quite hard to tell," Cedric quipped, raising an eyebrow. "If you hadn't said she was your sister, I was about to report to the police that someone here is abusing a minor." Blake's gaze fell on Noelle's swollen, red cheek. "What do you know?" he snapped. "I'm teaching her a lesson!" Frank fell silent. He had thought that Noelle was healthy, unlike Xenia, who might get sick from falling into the pool. Sneering at Cedric, Blake continued, "You've no idea how often Noelle likes to avoid responsibility by faking illness. This time, she even made Xenia fall on purpose. "Xenia's father died saving her. Sometimes, I truly want to cut open her heart to see if she has any conscience!" Noelle's throat burned with pain. She wanted to explain but ultimately said nothing. Even if she did, they wouldn't believe her anyway. Xenia bit her lip. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so clumsy and tried to force myself to bring food to Noelle." "It's indeed your fault," Cedric concurred. "Since you're sick and on an IV drip, you shouldn't be in class. You were clearly aware that you shouldn't overwhelm yourself while you're sick, but you still chose to cause trouble. Stop acting like being weak gives you reason." Noelle widened her eyes in disbelief as she stared at Cedric. She couldn't believe that he was defending her. She wondered if he believed her side of the story. Her eyes reddened. Even a stranger could see the truth, but her brothers didn't understand. Or perhaps they understood but chose to side with Xenia instead. Xenia froze. She gritted her teeth, wondering what was up with the school doctor. Didn't he see how she tried to help Noelle despite being sick? Why didn't her kindness move him? Why did he defend Noelle instead? She felt that something was wrong as this trick of hers had always worked. Rendered speechless while feeling aggrieved, Xenia hung her head low. Blake immediately spoke up for her. "Xenia is at class while sick because the entrance exam is only 100 days away. She can't afford to miss classes. She wanted to improve her relationship with Noelle, but unfortunately, the latter didn't appreciate it." Noelle found it absurd. Blake had reminded her to take good care of Xenia this morning, yet it didn't cross his mind that such things would also affect her studies. He knew that the entrance exam was less than 100 days, but Xenia's grades mattered more than hers. "Blake, take Xenia back home to rest," Frank ordered. "Frank!" "Are you defying me now?" Blake fell silent and left with Xenia. Silence enveloped the infirmary again. "Noelle, it's fine if you don't want to take care of Xenia anymore, but you shouldn't do such things in the future again." Noelle kept her head down. Her throat was throbbing in pain, and she didn't want to say anything more. She pulled the blanket over her head, wanting to be left alone. She didn't want to see her brother. "If you keep up with this nonsense, even I can't cover for you anymore," Frank warned, his tone tinged with irritation. He pulled back her blanket. "Come with me. We need to talk!" He had to talk to Noelle. Xenia couldn't afford to suffer anymore. Cedric pressed down on Frank's arm and glared at him. "She can only leave once this IV bag is finished. Family members shall wait outside." The cold and unyielding look in his eyes made it difficult for Frank to refuse. Glancing up in surprise, Noelle realized how tall Cedric seemed in front of her brother. She noticed a red, ugly scar on his wrist, which stood out clearly. She also had a similar scar on her legs from a car accident when she was younger. She wondered if he had also been in a car accident. But Frank was unwavering. "I'm her brother, and I'll take her back. We have a doctor back home." "In this case, why did you let her suffer a fever for so long?" Noting Noelle's pale face, Frank replied diffidently, "She didn't tell anyone she was sick." He had tried to touch her forehead earlier, but she had avoided him. Thus, he didn't think he should be blamed for that. Perhaps she was deliberately exacerbating her condition to avoid responsibility. "Mr. Liddell, I'll call the police for child abuse if you insist on taking her," Cedric said, sounding displeased. "According to the law, the child can apply for personal safety protection if they are subjected to domestic violence." "I'm her biological brother. I'm her guardian!" "But I saw you hit her earlier. There's surveillance footage as evidence. I'm sure the police will make a fair judgment." Cedric was calm and composed yet unwavering. "She doesn't want to go with you right now. You have no right to force her." Noelle's heart skipped a beat. She stole a glance at the man who stood in front of her.