No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle had not expected Xenia to move this fast. She thought for a moment before saying, "So I guess Donovan decided you were deadweight more of a liability than an asset.

"That's why he's kicking you out and replacing you with Xenia. Which means that even if I don't go live or expose anything, you were already going to face the consequences of the law."

That was Donovan's real goal all along. After all, he had poured massive investments into the entertainment industry. There was no way he would let everything go to waste. If he was already dividing things up now, that meant he had officially given up on Blake.noveldrama

Blake's voice cracked with frustration. "Damn it, you're right. I've fallen this low... It's worse than jail. Are you happy now?"

He had never thought Donovan would actually throw him away, and he definitely had not expected that a driver's daughter like Xenia, under Donovan's protection, could not only steal everything from Noelle-but now take what was his, too.

Noelle let out a cold laugh. "Yeah, pretty satisfied, actually."

She thought nothing was more satisfying than seeing them suffer the same fate she once had.

Blake took a deep breath. "Then you should agree to work with me. If you don't, it'll be too late to do anything once Xenia gets her hands on all your assets."

Noelle burst out laughing. "Oh, now you're panicking? But back when Xenia stole everything from me, you stood on the sidelines and told me to just 'let it go.' Now that she's taking your company, suddenly it's unacceptable?"

Her words were sharp, slicing straight through Blake's pride. For a long moment, he did not say anything.

Eventually, he muttered in a low, unsteady voice, "I finally understand what you went through. I know how unfair it was-"

Noelle scoffed, cutting him off before he could say anything else. "Yeah? Well, you deserved it!"

Blake finally lost it. "Noelle, I'm sorry. I really am. I was selfish and arrogant-it was my fault."

His voice was hoarse, even trembling slightly, as if he truly regretted everything. Noelle chuckled. "You'd be better off crying to Donovan. Maybe if you beg hard enough, he'll take you back. After all, you're family, right?"

With that, she hung up. But despite the satisfaction, she could not shake the unease settling in her chest.

She had already assigned her PR team to investigate Sean, but there were no leads. It was ridiculous how a man who was very much alive had left no trace behind.

After hacking Xenia's phone and getting caught, she knew Xenia would have been on high alert, erasing every last bit of evidence. If it were not for the accidental photo her PR team had captured, Noelle might have even doubted herself-wondered if she was imagining things.

Nonetheless, she knew what she had seen. And now, with Donovan throwing massive resources at Xenia, the mastermind behind her would only become even harder to track down.

Noelle's thoughts were tangled, and she needed to think things through carefully. Just then, her phone rang again. It was from Firestorm's administrator.

"Ms. Liddell, your account has been reported, and we're temporarily suspending your live-streaming privileges while we investigate. Once we complete the review, your account will be reinstated-please don't worry."

Noelle did not even have to ask and knew it was definitely the Cantrell family's doing. It was clear now that they really wanted to protect Donovan.

Not long after, Magnus strolled into her office, knocking on the door while holding two coffees. "So, one cup of coffee is enough to pay me back for today's hard labor?"

Noelle smirked. "Thank you, oh mighty gaming god, for your generous sacrifice. I promise I'll treat you to a real meal later."

Magnus took a sip of his coffee. "Fine, I'll hold you to it. I'm heading out now before the swarm of fans outside makes it impossible to leave."

Noelle glanced outside and saw that the crowd had grown. Most of them had probably come after hearing that Magnus was on campus. So, she discreetly led him out through the side entrance.

Magnus pulled his cap low and left the base, finally calling Cedric back. "Ced, I overheard it by accident. Mom and that old hag from the Merlocks have been hanging out with Mrs. Cantrell a lot lately one time, they were talking about this engagement, and I happened to catch it."

"Then why didn't you say anything earlier?" Cedric asked.

Magnus explained, "Back then, they only mentioned that the guy's last name was Liddell-from Aldoria. No parents, just siblings. I didn't think much of it at the time. But today, when I found out the Cantrells were the ones who got all those media outlets to back off, I finally connected the dots-Donovan was the guy set to marry Mia."