No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

However, Noelle still did not tell him anything. Cedric understood her personality— her stubbornness and relentless determination-but that did not mean he liked seeing her struggle alone.

He sighed and asked, "What's bothering you?"

"What else? The Liddells, of course." Noelle held onto him tightly, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Cedric could see she was upset, so he did not push for details and simply let her hold him. He had no idea how long they stayed like that, but once Noelle had fully calmed down, she finally let go.

She glanced up at him, looking a little embarrassed. She reached out and playfully pinched his cheek. After two days apart, he was still just as handsome, and just looking at him made her feel better.

Cedric took her hand and gently removed her boxing gloves, rubbing her wrist. "You shouldn't hit so hard-you'll hurt your wrists."

Noelle was surprised. "How did you know?"

"I was watching you," Cedric called her as soon as he landed. When she did not answer, he checked with the gym and found out she was there.

The moment he saw her relentlessly attacking the punching bag, he knew something was wrong. Instead of interrupting right away, he let her vent until she had worn herself out, and only then did he step in.

Noelle lay on the floor, catching her breath, as Cedric grabbed a massage gun to loosen her tense muscles. She accepted the treatment without hesitation and was completely at ease.

An hour later, Cedric put the massage gun down and looked at her. "Hungry?" She mumbled, "A little."

"What do you want to eat? If nothing comes to mind, we can go to L Bistro." Cedric liked going to L Bistro for meals.

Noelle nodded, but then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I never told you-remember how I mentioned we got a new roommate?"

"Yeah. You said she had trouble walking." Cedric paused, then gave her a sharp look. "She's from the Cantrell family, isn't she?"

"You're so smart. It turns out my new roommate is the Cantrell family's eldest daughter and Donovan's fiancée."

Noelle had not thought much about it at first. There were plenty of people with t

But what were the odds?

Cedric's expression darkened. "What is the Cantrell family trying to do?"

"I'm not sure. Tilly thinks they placed her there so I could start building a relationship with them, but things between me and the Liddells fell apart too fast."

Cedric nodded-Tilly's reasoning made sense.

Noelle met his gaze. "I'm being careful, though. I'll keep my distance from my new roommate as much as possible."

Noelle had not thought much about it at first. After all, there were plenty of people with disabilities, and Mia had enrolled in college under a different name. Nonetheless, what were the odds?

Cedric's expression darkened. "What is the Cantrell family trying to do?"

Noelle replied, "I'm not sure. Tilly thinks they placed her there so I could start

building a relationship with them, but things between me and the Liddells fell apart too fast."

Cedric nodded-Tilly's reasoning made sense.

Noelle met his gaze. "I'm being careful, though. I'll keep my distance from my new roommate as much as possible."

She was not about to let herself get stabbed in the back again, like during the last press conference.

Cedric handed her a bot

water, twisting cap open first. "But that's not

what's really bothering you, is it?"

"It's the foundation," Noelle admitted. She filled him in on everything that had happened over the past two days.

Cedric had already heard the basics

from Tilly, but he had not known about last night's drama with the Liddelts. He raised an eyebrow. "Wyatt actually likes Xenia? thought he lost a leg, not his brain."

How desperate did he have to be to fall for someone like Xenia?

Noelle took a sip of water. "I don't know for sure, but I can guess. Ever since his injury, Wyatt has beennoveldrama

reclusive and bitter. Xenia is good at

playing the sweet, caring type-she

probably made him feel special."

Cedric scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "Didn't she want to marry Justin?

Why is she suddenly with Wyatt?"

"Xenia has always had a long list of admirers, but she only ever chased after Justin. Dealing with a guy like Wyatt who worships the ground she walks on-must have been a piece of cake for her."

Xenia had always been clear about her goal: marrying into wealth.

Noelle glanced at Cedric. "If it weren't for the fact that I need to uncover the people backing Xenia, I wouldn't have tolerated her this long."

"Did you find something?"

Noelle nodded. She turned and spotted Tilly standing hesitantly in the hallway with a few people behind her. Her cheeks heated slightly as she stood up. "I asked Ms. Lozano to come over."

Tilly finally approached laptop in hand. "Ms. Liddell, we found information on that man. He's from the same hometown as Mr. Quigley, and they're actually related." Noelle immediately straightened, her expression sharpening. "Go on."