Noelle''s phone rang. She noticed that it was Frank calling. She quickly turned her phone to silent mode and ignored it.


    Frank was exasperated when he saw that Noelle had refused to answer his call. He turned to look at Lucas and said, "She''s not answering my calls."


    "Frank, I already told you that it was only a matter of time until she went off the rails, yet you keep letting her do whatever she wants. She hasid her hands on me and Xenia this time."


    Frank asked, "Didn''t you p her before as well? Things are even now."


    "How can that be the same? I am her brother! Also, Xenia hasn''t done anything to anger either."


    Frank sighed. "I know, but Noelle isn''t as easily coaxed as before. If you didn''t have an umbre, you could have just asked Aiden to send you one. Why did you demand that she give her umbre to you?" Lucas already knew that Noelle had a bone to pick with them, so why did he insist on making Noelle surrender to his requests? Wasn''t that just asking for trouble?


    Lucas retorted, "I just wanted to save us some time. Also, how is she supposed to use such a big umbre alone? If she didn''t want to share, so be it. But why did she have to hit us?"


    The more Lucas thought about it, the angrier he became. "This won''t do. I''ll send her a message to talk things out.


    He wrote, "Noelle, where are you?"


    The second he sent that message, he received a notification saying that his message could not


    be sent because he had been blocked.


    Lucas paled as he gritted out, "She blocked me! How dare she do such a thing?"


    Frank felt helpless as he said, "I already told you not to act rashly. You''re still under surveince, so you can''t meet her. If she calls the police, you''ll be taken to court."


    "Does she think that I''d be afraid of her? I''ll just pretend that I never had her as a sister!"


    Lucas mmed his phone on the ground, his expression dark. He never thought that Noelle would block her, so he felt humiliated.


    "Stop saying such stupid things. She''s now in her rebellious phase, and she''s upset because of what she''s been through. Plus, that school doctor is egging her on. That''s why she''s acting like this. "But at the end of the day, she''s still our sister. That fact will never change."


    Frank''s gaze was determined as he said, "I will find a way for her toe home. Stop doing stupid things if you don''t want to lose Noellepletely."


    Only then did Lucas fall silent.


    Lucas had only taken two bites during their meal when hemented, "This honey garlic chicken is horrible. Where''s the previous chef?"


    Gordon hesitated momentarily before saying, "Ms. Liddell used to make the chicken for you. She would vor the chicken based on your preferences. Those other chefs don''t know her recipe."


    Lucas was stunned. He stared at the te of chicken, seemingly deep in thought. He had never noticed or appreciated those small details Noelle had done for him before.


    Ever since Noelle left, his life and esports team had be a huge mess.


    When he realized he''d been blocked, his first reaction wasn''t to feel angry. Instead, he had been filled with a strong sense of panic.


    He had never expected Noelle''s departure from his life to affect him so much.


    Early the next day, Noelle went to school as usual, but Xenia had taken a sick leave.


    Frank stood by the corridor and watched as Noelle entered the ssroom, sat up straight, and studied seriously.


    When he saw her sitting there, he felt a strong sense of nostalgia. He felt that Noelle had indeed changed a lot in a short time.


    After a moment of hesitation, Frank asked Lionel, "How has Noelle been for the past few days?


    Lionel said, "She''s improved greatly. I just hope that you, as her family, will be able to pay more attention to her and not let anything else affect her current state. I''ve always believed that she was a bad student, but it seems that she couldn''t focus on her studies because of you all."


    "What do you mean she was affected by us?"


    "In truth, Xenia''s results have always been average. However, Noelle is an intelligent kid. Is it possible that you''ve all put too much focus on Xenia, so Noelle had purposely done badly to alleviate some of the pressure on Xenia?


    "It is not my ce to say this, but Xenia has always been a bit petty. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Noelle''s results had beencking throughout the past three years," Lionel said carefully.


    Frank''s expression darkened when he heard Lionel''s words. Had Noelle deliberately held herself back to avoid pressuring Xenia?


    He thought of Noelle''s recent changes and how her academic performance had skyrocketed recently. His chest felt like it had been stabbed with a knife, leaving a dull, aching pain.


    Struggling to stand steady, Frank asked, "Mr. Kramer, could you have Noellee out for a moment?" He needed to ask her himself if that was indeed the case.