Chapter 9

Noelle straightened her back, remembering when she first learned that Xenia's father had saved her life. When Donovan brought Xenia home, she did not object and even treated her like a real sister. Yet, over time, she watched as Xenia slowly stole her brothers away from her. That realization was the turning point and the reason their relationship had soured so much. "Noelle, listen to yourself!" Frank shouted. "Nobody's asking for your life. We just want you to get along with Xenia! Is that really so hard? How long are you going to keep up this attitude?" "I'm not being difficult," Noelle muttered. When she heard Frank speak, all the questions and anger that had built up in her heart suddenly seemed pointless. She had tried explaining herself in her past life, but it did not help. Hence, she refused to let her brothers' opinions affect her emotions this time. Silently, she packed her textbooks into her bag and said softly, "If there's nothing else, I'll go to my room now." Frank sat on the couch, looking frustrated. "Noelle, if you agree to join the team now, we can forget everything you've done wrong." Noelle found his words amusing. In fact, she found everything she had done in her past life to be a joke. With that, she headed upstairs without looking back, her steps more determined than ever. Frank lit a cigarette, clearly irritated. Soon, Gordon approached cautiously and said, "Mr. Frank, if Ms. Liddell doesn't want to join, it's not the end of the world. At least Ms. Quigley is still here." Frank frowned. "It's not the same." "Mr. Frank, if I may... Ms. Liddell hasn't asked about any of you once when you've all been away these past few days. Her indifference is concerning." Frank immediately extinguished his cigarette and drove away from the mansion. Noelle watched him leave from her window, assuming that he was heading to the training camp. After showering, she reviewed her practice problems one last time. She was determined to escape this place. ... Noelle had unknowingly stayed up until dawn. She hurriedly packed her bag, grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen, and rushed out. Frank was the first downstairs and caught a glimpse of her leaving. He frowned and asked, "Why is she up so early?" The housekeeper replied, "Ms. Liddell has been taking public transport since Monday. She was late for school before because Ms. Quigley was discussing team matters with you all. Since then, she has refused to use Aiden's services." Frank's expression grew complicated. Just then, Blake came downstairs, questioning, "Seriously? She's making such a big deal over almost being late? Who's she trying to impress?" Lucas yawned as he joined them. "Frank, Noelle's just putting on a show to make you feel guilty. If you give in now, she'll only get worse." Frank remained silent, feeling that Noelle deserved to learn her lesson. After all, they had given her chances, but she had thrown them all away. Xenia overheard their conversation, and her eyes gleamed with satisfaction before she cheerfully bounced downstairs. "Good morning, Frank, Blake, and Lucas! Let's have breakfast together!" Frank's mood lifted at Xenia's cheery demeanor. He was relieved that at least one sister was turning out right. ... After her all-nighter, Noelle struggled to stay awake at school. Nevertheless, she remained focused in class and was determined not to miss any important points. During the lesson, the teacher called on Xenia to answer a question, but she stumbled through her response without success. The teacher sighed and said, "Xenia, you've been quite distracted lately. If you don't catch up, you'll have trouble answering your papers later." Xenia's face reddened. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." One of her minions quickly jumped in, saying, "Miss, Noelle's been studying hard lately. She probably knows the answer!" All eyes turned to Noelle. Most people in the room expected her to fail since her grades were usually worse than Xenia's. However, Noelle stood and answered the question confidently. The teacher looked pleasantly surprised. "That's correct! Noelle's been putting in a lot of effort lately. Everyone should follow her example and stay focused." Xenia glared at Noelle from the corner of her eye, furious that gaming practice had cost her this moment. She could not believe that Noelle had stolen her spotlight. She would have to catch up quickly. Meanwhile, Noelle felt a small surge of happiness after receiving such praise. ... After school, Noelle headed straight home instead of going to the infirmary, not wanting to risk Frank discovering her routine. As expected, Gordon kept watching her closely, making her uncomfortable. After dinner, she retreated to her room and locked the door, finally able to relax. While working on her homework, her hand hovered over her phone hesitantly. She wondered if she should inform Cedric that she would not be at the infirmary that day. Then again, it was not like he was expecting her. She was always the one who insisted on going there. Still undecided about texting him, Noelle set her phone aside and thought she would just tell him later. She soon found herself nodding off from exhaustion as she started her homework. The next morning, her alarm jolted her awake. Seeing the time, she rushed to get ready. She quickly grabbed her books and ran out the door. During lunch, she decided to visit the infirmary. When she did not see Cedric there, she gathered her courage and asked the doctor on duty, "Is Dr. Greene in today?" "He's on his lunch break," the doctor replied. Nodding, Noelle planned to visit again after school. She returned to the infirmary that afternoon, but Cedric still was not there. The same doctor looked at her and said, "I'm on shift today. You should focus on your studies instead of distractions like these. You're too young for this kind of thing." Noelle blushed furiously but did not bother explaining. Over the next few days, she kept checking the infirmary, but Cedric was never there. She felt surprisingly lost without their routine, as she had gotten used to him being there and waiting for her. Then, the realization hit her—she was growing dependent on him. She quickly shook off the feeling, knowing that she could not rely on anyone. This time around, she had to stand on her own. With that in mind, she threw herself into her studies. She poured all her attention into the upcoming monthly exam, as failure was not an option. ... After the exams, Noelle felt confident could rank in the top 100. While other students complained about the difficulty, she pulled out her phone to message Cedric but struggled with what to say. After all, they were not really that close. Frustrated, Noelle shut off her phone and stuffed it into her bag. When she arrived home in good spirits, she found the living room unusually lively. Her brothers had returned and were not at the training camp for once. As soon as she stepped inside, the cheerful atmosphere shifted. The room grew quieter, and the lively conversation dulled. She felt like an unwelcome intruder, disrupting the happy family scene between her brothers and Xenia.