"Are you free tonight?" Cedric asked.
"I am," Noelle replied casually.
"Put on a nice dress. I''ll pick you upter," Cedric said.
Noelle''s heart skipped a beat. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"You''ll see," Cedric replied.
After hanging up, Noelle found herself pressing a hand to her warm face. She wondered if Cedric was asking her out on a date. After all, he was never the type to joke around.
She purposely washed her hair and changed into something nice. As she waited nervously, her phone buzzed again.
"I''m downstairs."
When Noelle stepped into the parking lot, Cedric was waiting by his car. He wore a ck suit, and his hair was styled perfectly. He looked sharp-more so than usual.
"You look different today," shemented, feeling a little shy.
"It''s an important event," Cedric replied as he opened the passenger door for her.
Noelle slid into the car, ncing over at him as they drove. She couldn''t help but wonder where they were headed.
The car finally stopped outside the exhibition center.
It was then that Noelle realized this was the venue for the Outstanding Youth Awards.
She couldn''t shake the memory of thest time she had been here. In her previous life, Lucas had been honored for his first-ce victory in apetition. He brought Xenia along to attend the event and gave an interview that night.
As Noelle followed Cedric into the hall, a staff member approached them with a warm smile. "You must be the top scorer, Ms. Noelle Liddell! Pleasee with me to prepare. You''ll need to give a speechter."
Noelle was stunned. She turned toward Cedric, unsure of how to process this.
He smiled gently. "The game you helped develop had a sessfulunch, and now, as the top scorer, you''re being nominated for this award. It''s good for your future."
Noelle knew exactly how prestigious the award was.
In her previous life, Lucas had leveraged it to secure investment for a streaming tform, and that investment made all the difference. Now, as she thought about it, Noelle realized how useful the Outstanding Youth Award could be if she wanted to start her own esports team or business.
She followed the staff to the preparation room, still processing it all.
Then, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "Noelle? What are you doing here?"
She turned around to see Donovan and Lucas standing together.
Noelle didn''t bother answering. Instead, she focused on her speech, keeping her attention away from them.
Frustration bubbled up in Donovan as he was ignored by Noelle. "Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you''re a top scorer and got into Yole University?" he scolded.
"Donovan, take it easy," Lucas interjected. "Maybe she''s here for the event too."
However, Donovan wasn''t done. "What has she done to deserve this? She''s just good at exams. That''s it."
To Donovan, Noelle''s defiance felt like a direct challenge to his authority.
Noelle chuckled, standing up and ncing in his direction. "Whether I deserve to be here isn''t your concern," she said, grabbing her speech and heading for the door.
Donovan''s expression darkened with frustration. "Look at her! How can you and Frank keep defending her?" he chided.
Lucas sighed. "Donovan, Noelle''s talented. If she wins, it''s good for the Liddell family. Why can''t you just support her?"
Lucas couldn''t understand why
Donovan was so hard on Noelle. He
finally started to grasp how Frank
must have felt back then, as he had acted
d the same way before. No wonder Noelle had such a strong aversion to the Liddells now.
Donovan scoffed. "Do you really think she has a shot at winning? She''s just a kid
with good grades. Nothing more."
With that, he stormed into the venue. He was determined to see just how capable Noelle truly was.
To his surprise, Noelle was sitting in
the front row, and beside her was a man in a suit. Donovan''s gaze fixed on the mah, and he suddenly realized that the figure looked strangely familiar. "Who''s the man next to Noelle?" he asked.