No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle's expression was cold. "No."

She didn't want to look back, nor did she want to return to the team and relive that life again.

Lucas stood frozen, pale, and speechless, as if all his strength had drained away. Frank was right. Lucas had the chance to make things right, yet he hadn't taken it.

Noelle walked back into the residential area but didn't go straight upstairs. Instead, she took a stroll.

She thought about the grievances she had suffered in her past life within the team. This time, she had finally settled the score. There was no way she was going to participate in the finals.

In her past life, Lucas had replaced her with Xenia, giving up her chance at winning the championship. This time, she would make sure Lucas lost his chance at victory.

Noelle looked up at the sky, silently swearing to herself she would never make the same mistakes again.

"Hey, beautiful, feeling down all by yourself?" Out of nowhere, a middle-aged man appeared, eyeing Noelle with a predatory gaze. "How about a drink at my place?" "No, thanks," Noelle refused sharply, her expression wary as she moved toward a more crowded area.

"Don't go, sweetheart. I know where you live," the man smirked. "You're the little mistress of those two men, aren't you? Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it." Noelle quickened her pace, the sound of the man's panting footsteps close behind. Fear pricked her spine. She hadn't expected to run into such a creep on her walk. Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand, making her shriek in fright and close her eyes tightly.

"Noelle!" Cedric pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "What happened?"

Noelle opened her eyes and saw it was him. Instinctively, she glanced toward the garden path. It was pitch black, and the man was nowhere to be seen. Noelle took a moment to calm down before saying, "Someone harassed me just now."

"Where is he?" Cedric asked.

"Over there, but he seems to have backed off," she replied, assuming the man had been intimidated by Cedric's presence.

Cedric noticed how pale she looked and sighed, "I told you not to come down alone."

Still shaken, Noelle muttered, "Who knew I'd be so unlucky?"

It was only then that she realized she was still in Cedric's arms. Feeling embarrassed, she pulled away to put some distance between them.

Cedric retracted his arms and asked, "Do you want to call the police?"

"Yes, let's do that." Noelle nodded.

Just then, an elderly woman

approached and said, "That path has a blind spot in the surveillance cameras. Someone reported a similar incident before, but they never caught that creep.

"Young lady, you should avoid walking alone in deserted places at night. It's dangerous."

Noelle nodded, not having expected to run into something like this.

A flicker of cold anger flashed in Cedric's eyes, but he quickly masked it. "Let's head back for now."

Noelle didn't want to stay outside

any longer, either. She couldn't e shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Back in the apartment, she sat on the couch, her mind replaying the events.

"Here, have some warm water."

She looked up to see a pair of long, slender hands offering her a cup. Taking it, she murmured, "Thanks."

Noticing how pale she looked,

Cedric spoke gently. "I'll look into that creep. If someone moves, they leave a trace. There's no such thing

as a surveillance camera blind spot."

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If Noelle was going to continue living here, he needed to make sure the place was safe for her.

Noelle looked up at him and asked, "Are you saying you want to hack into the surveillance system?"

"You watch too many dramas, young lady. That's illegal." Cedric lectured her with a solemn expression. "What you need to do right now is get some rest." Noelle hesitated. "But that man knows where I live, and he knows about you two."

She left out the part where the man had claimed she was their mistress-it wasn't true, so there was no point mentioning it.

Cedric's expression darkened. He hadn't expected anyone to be so brazen.

"You're staying here tonight," he said flatly.

Noelle nodded. "I'll take the couch."

Cedric frowned. "No, you'll sleep in my room. I'll take the couch."