Noelle eyed ke and quickly pieced together what was happening. It seemed they were trying to force her into agreeing not to press charges.
The corners of her lips curled into a sneer. "Of course, I won''t press charges."
ke smiled in satisfaction. He had expected Noelle to be smart enough to know what to say and what not to.
But she shoved him aside and continued, "Because I was never the one pressing charges in the first ce. Lucas stolemercial confidentiality, and it''s Maple Enterprise that''s suing him."
ke''s smile froze. He hadn''t expected Noelle to be this uncooperative.
Noelle crushed the cans of streamers under her foot with a decisive stomp. Then, she shot the group of rabid fans a chilling look before walking away.
The fans were intimidated by the sight of crushed cans and dared not stop her.
ke had the fans cleared out and went after Noelle. "Stop right there! Did I say you could leave?"
His face darkened as he caught up to her. "Xenia apologizedst night, and I''ve talked to Donovan. Everyone acknowledges their mistakes, and I was trying to give you a way out. What more do you want?"
"Shouldn''t I be asking you that? The public doesn''t know Donovan was involved. If that gets exposed, what do you think will happen to you, a nominated Best Actor?" Noelle snapped.
Her words "nominated Best Actor" hit ke right where it hurt.
His face contorted in anger. "Is that a threat? You''ve grown up to the point where you don''t listen to our words anymore, haven''t you?"
Noelle didn''t back down either. "I''m saying this for your good. Stay out of this mess."
"I''m just trying to keep our family united and at peace. Donovan made a mistake, and I''ll get him to apologize. Just name whateverpensation you want, and I''ll make it happen."
Noelle sneered. "I want you to stay away from me."
With that, she turned and walked away, but ke wasn''t giving up. He quickly followed. "Do you think the media will believe your petty tricks and words over mine, a celebrity''s?"
"You''re wee to try," Noelle replied.
"If you leave, Noelle, your dear ss president and roommate will have a rough time."
Noelle stopped in her tracks, and annoyance flickered in her eyes. She turned to face ke, and her voice dripped with sarcasm as shemented, "Threats are the only thing you can manage since we were young. What more are you even capable of?"
"Say that again. I dare you!" ke''s expression darkened as he grabbed her wrist.
But Noelle easily shook him off. She had such huge strength that he couldn''t restrain her at all.
ke was stunned to see a different side of Noelle. She had always been the most obedient and fearful.
Noelle''s expression was cold. "You can''t overpower me anymore." She would no longer stand by and suffer his p.
"And you''re not afraid of what might happen to those around you?" ke taunted in an evil tone.
"Did you forget I wrote the scripts for your recently aired TV series and uing movie? They bear your and Xenia''s names. Have you perhaps forgotten?"
ke''s eyes shed with a dangerous glint. "What are you getting at? Those scripts were a group effort, and it wasn''t just your work."
"Keep telling yourself that, but if I were to show everyone our chat history and your audio recordings getting me to write those scripts, your Best Actor nominee persona would crumble overnight."
"Don''t you dare, Noelle!"
Noelle''s expression remained indifferent as she countered, "Try touching the people around me and see."
With a mocking glint in her eyes, she turned and left the campus. She breathed a sigh of relief and noted that ke cared deeply for the Best Actor Award.
Later, she went to the gym and resolved to be stronger. Though her words might''ve made ke wary, she knew he was vindictive and would undoubtedlye up with new schemes.
This time, however, she would neverpromise.
...
After a few days of peace, Noelle arrived at the base only to find a production crew shooting a project.
ke sat under a sunshade wearing sunsses. Her mood instantly soured at the sight.
She knew he wouldn''t give up and would find ways to have her yield. How annoying.