No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

This was the first time Noelle saw Blake's injured face. She'd caught a glimpse of it outside the police precinct, but his face had been wrapped in bandages, which made it impossible to see the extent of his injuries. Now, she could see everything clearly.

There was a long scar on Blake's cheek, and the wound had begun to develop hyperplasia. The fresh red flesh stood out grotesquely and strikingly.noveldrama

That was a devastating blow to Blake as an actor in the entertainment industry, and judging by the depth of the wound, it might not heal that easily.

The training base fell silent.

Blake appeared utterly defeated as he placed a velvet box on the table and slowly opened it. It contained a set of pink diamond jewelry consisting of a necklace, a bracelet, and a ring.

With a hoarse voice, he said, "I knew you gave Xenia my diamond ring as an apology gift, so I bought you a new set to make up for it."

Noelle glanced at the jewelry and found it laughable. Then, she indifferently said, "I don't need these things anymore."

Blake continued, "I understand I went too far, but I resented you for abandoning me. Now I realize Xenia had been lying all along. If I'd known the truth earlier, I'd never have treated you that way."

Noelle thought of the tragic fate of her past life. To be honest, she didn't believe a single word he was saying.

As Blake spoke, he carefully observed her expression, and his heart sank. Donovan was right.

Noelle remained seated and snapped, "Are you done? Take your things and leave. I have a lot to deal with."

Her expression was cold, and she looked utterly unfazed.

Blake pleaded. "You've seen my face, Noelle. My career is ruined even if you drop the charges. Can you bear sending me to jail?"

"If that's how you see it, shouldn't you have Xenia go to jail instead? She was the one who started this, wasn't she?"

Blake fell silent. "She deleted the video she showed me, so there's no evidence proving she egged me on."

"Shouldn't you deal with Xenia instead of coming to me? Do you expect me to be merciful just because your face is ruined? To drop changes and take all the blame myself?" Noelle mockingly questioned.

"That's not what I meant..."

"Oh? I must've misunderstood then. Fine. You can leave now."

Noelle didn't bother giving Blake another chance to speak. She had better things to do.

Blake stepped forward in disbelief. "I'm your brother, Noelle! I'm the biggest victim of all this!" If he'd been

n the one to orchestrate everything, he would've gladly

accepted responsibility.

Yet, he was unwilling to accept the consequences and pushed. "Xenia lied to me,

too. Can't you understand that?"

The word "understand" struck Noelle as almost amusing, and she let out a cold laugh. "So what? Do you think beating Xenia up, making her kneel and apologize in public, is enough to make me forgive you?"

"I never thought that'd be enough, but Xenia is the real culprit. You should be

going after her." Blake felt like he was the innocent one in all of this.

Noelle laughed out loud. "Shouldn't you have Xenia take responsibility for you then? Just like how Lucas took the fall for her?"

Blake's expression darkened instantly. Xenia was now under Donovan's protection, and there was no way she'd take the fall for him.

As he watched Noelle leave, Blake spoke in disappointment, "No wonder Donovan says you've grown cold and heartless. Now I finally see it for myself."

He'd shown Noelle her ruined face, but she hadn't softened the slightest.

"You've changed, Noelle. I'm starting to wonder if the person in front of me is even my sister." If Blake hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed Noelle could be this ruthless.

Noelle's lips curled into a cold smirk. "The old Noelle, the one who obeyed your every word, meek, and was eager to please, is dead."

"Even if you've suffered, we're still family. Do you have to go this far?

"You're reacting this way because you can't take advantage of me anymore. If we're family, you should be punished, too," Noelle snapped.

Guilt-tripping no longer worked on her. She turned and left the office. When the bodyguards tried to stop her, she shoved them aside. She was much stronger

now.