No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle knew exactly why Blake was so desperate to work with her. It was not about morality, redemption, or even regret. In truth, he just could not bear the thought of losing his company to Xenia.

It was funny how it only hurt when the knife landed on him.

Blake exhaled sharply. "What's your condition?"

Noelle replied, "It's simple. Transfer all your company shares to me."

Blake's head snapped up. He exclaimed in disbelief, "Noelle, are you crazy? If I hand over my shares, then everything I'm fighting for will have been for nothing!"

Noelle arched a brow. "Didn't you just say you'd do anything to make up for what you did? That as long as I didn't press charges, you'd agree to whatever I wanted?"

Blake's jaw tightened. For once, he had nothing to say. "The company is something I built with my own hands."

"I know that. But you can always take Donovan's shares instead. You'll still be a top star, and your public image won't take a hit. Any way you look at it, you're the one profiting," Noelle reasoned.

Blake scoffed. "You've really gotten greedy, haven't you?"noveldrama

Noelle stepped closer, her voice calm but piercing. "Greedy? If I hadn't written those scripts for you, would your company even exist today? I earned this."

There was a time when she just wanted to escape the Liddells. However, she was not stupid anymore. If something belonged to her, she was not going to hesitate to take it.

She turned away and continued, "If you're not interested, forget it."

"Then you'll get nothing," Blake said through gritted teeth.

Noelle argued. "At least I won't lose my reputation. I'll still have options. You, on the other hand? You won't get another chance."

Her gaze was full of mockery, knowing Blake all too well that he could not afford to lose. And sure enough, she had barely taken two steps before his voice rang out behind her.

"Fine. I'll accept it," Blake mumbled, defeat hung in his tone.

Noelle turned back around. Blake was leaning against the wall, his back slightly hunched. Gone was the arrogant, condescending man who used to look down on her.

After a long pause, he finally straightened up and faced her. "We'll have to work together to make sure Donovan never controls my company again."

Noelle tilted her head. "What? You don't want to go into business with your dear big brother?"

Blake let out a bitter laugh. "If he wants to throw me away, I'd be a fool to keep holding on."

He refused to let everything he had worked for fall into Xenia's hands. If Donovan wanted to protect her so badly, then fine-he could do it without using Blake's company as a bargaining chip.

...

Later that evening, Eion arrived with their outfits for the event. Noelle changed quickly and glanced at Blake, who had also swapped into a sleek suit. Despite the formal attire, he still wore a mask, covering the scars on his face. At a glance, he did not look much different than usual.

Noelle studied him for a moment. "You do realize this will make you an enemy of Donovan. Do you really think Carl will still give you that reconstructive surgery?"

Carl was brilliant at surgical procedures. However, Donovan still held sway over the Liddells, and ultimately, money dictated power.

Blake exhaled. "Carl isn't that kind of person. I already told him everything that's been happening. Not everyone is as blind as Donovan when it comes to Xenia."

Noelle's lips curled slightly, her eyes flickering with skepticism as she thought, "Oh, really?"

She turned to the car window, her fingers absently brushing against her waist. In her past life, she had not just lost money to the Liddells-she had lost a kidney. And guess who got to live with it? Xenia.

Noelle saw the entire Liddell family as the same. Before long, the car slowed as

they pulled up to their destination.