No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Mia frowned at Grace's words. "Maybe they are just really close siblings."

"That's way beyond normal." Grace wanted to argue, but Noelle stopped her. Mia glanced at the bouquet of roses again with a complicated expression.

The next day during class, Noelle noticed that Xenia was once again dressed in high-end designer clothes, carrying a Hermes bag with a smug look.

However, Xenia's gaze flickered when she spotted Noelle, and she quickly kept her distance as if afraid Noelle would stop her and question her.

Noelle found this amusing. It seemed Xenia wasn't even trying to hide anymore.

After class, Noelle received a message from Cedric telling her he had to leave for a sudden business trip.

She realized that Cedric had been unusually busy lately. Was it because he overheard Donovan's complaints and got so affected that he started overworking himself?

Once he returned, she needed to talk properly with Cedric and tell him to relax.

Noelle had been staying in her dorm. With Frank and Blake gone, she had no intention of returning to the Liddell residence.

That afternoon, she received a message from Laura inviting her to the charity gala planning dinner.

After considering it, Noelle decided to attend. She couldn't let people continue assuming that the foundation her parents had created was just a money-making scheme.

After class, she took a cab straight to the venue.

When she arrived, she realized the place was incredibly high-end, with luxury cars lined up outside.

What a surprise.

As she approached the entrance, a staff member stopped her. "Workers should use the back entrance."

Noelle looked at him. "I'm not a staff. Besides, aren't you staff too? Are you looking down on yourself?"

The man was enraged. "I've seen plenty of gold-diggers like you trying to hook up with rich men. This is a members-only club. Do you even have a membership?"

Noelle didn't.

"Oh my, isn't that Noelle Liddell? Why are you stuck at the entrance?" Samantha and Xenia approached her with linked arms.

Xenia was in an excellent mood seeing Noelle being humiliated. "Noelle, are you here to meet your broke boyfriend? Did he not tell you this is a members-only club?"

"A bumpkin like her wouldn't

understand. She thinks she's rich because she has a couple of zeros in her bank account. This club requires connections to get a membership." Samantha was eager to embarrass Noelle. "But if you apologize, I'll take you inside. My sister is a VIP here."

Noelle snorted. "It was your sister who invited me here."

"Impossible! My sister wouldn't waste her time on someone like you!" Still, Samantha hesitated. She knew Laura was hosting a private dinner here tonight. Did Laura really invite Noelle?

"Noelle? It really is you." Just then, Emma approached. She hadn't expected to run into Noelle here.

Noelle was equally surprised. "What a coincidence, Mrs. Greene."

Emma frowned. "Why are you standing at the entrance?"

Samantha quickly interjected, "Mrs. Greene! She doesn't have a membership but still wanted to get in, so she got stopped at the door. She's so clueless, thinking she can just walk into any place she wants!"

Emma's expression darkened. "Samantha, where are your manners? This is justnoveldrama

a club, and you only got in because of your sister."

Then, Emma pulled a membership card from her bag and handed it to Noelle.

"Here, take this. Use it as you like."

Noelle was stunned.