No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle watched as Cedric took out his phone and walked to the side to make a call. She remained hidden near the fire escape, keeping herself out of sight in case Frank appeared again.noveldrama

After his call, Cedric strutted over and peeked down. With his usual arrogant swagger, he said, "Let's go."

"Where to?"

"To watch a show."

Noelle followed him to the elevator, which brought them to the third floor. The atmosphere and design there were completely different from the lower floors.

She stole a glance at the man beside her. Rumor had it that only premium members could access the third floor. There was probably no one in Aldoria who could access this floor yet. However, no one tried to stop him from bringing her up here. In fact, the staff were exceptionally respectful to Cedric.

Noelle whispered, "I heard that regular members aren't allowed to come up here."

"I know."

Noelle glanced at Cedric. She wondered if he was dodging her question by giving her a stupid answer. She was trying to understand why he could walk around the place freely.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice him stop walking and bumped into his back. He turned to look at her, amused. "Watch the show for now. I'll explain everything later." Noelle stopped him when he turned to leave. "Where are you going?"

"The restroom."

She watched him take the elevator down instead of going to the restroom nearby. She wanted to know where he was headed.

Noelle finally realized that she was in a corridor that overlooked the second floor. From where she stood, she could clearly see the room Frank and Xenia were in.

Something about the situation felt off. Just then, she saw Cedric exit the elevator on the second floor.

The door to the room opened, and Frank and Xenia stepped out, accompanied by staff who appeared to be saying something.

Frank seemed to be very displeased. Nonetheless, he led Xenia toward the elevator.

Cedric didn't move. It was as if he'd been expecting them.

Frank frowned when he saw Cedric. "What are you doing here? Is Noelle with you?" He figured that the restaurant must be clearing guests out because someone important was arriving. Although the Liddell family was quite influential in Aldoria, the restaurant belonged to someone even more powerful from Yasnia.

Xenia immediately added fuel to the fire. "That can't be. This restaurant only welcomes members. How could a school doctor afford to be one? Noelle must have brought him in." Although Cedric was handsome, it meant little to Xenia if he was merely a school doctor.

Cedric's gaze turned cold. "Escort her out."

Instantly, two waiters appeared out of nowhere and approached Xenia. Panicking, she quickly hid behind Frank. "Frank, I'm scared!"

Placing himself firmly in front of Xenia, he demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Exactly what I said. She's too noisy, and I need a word with you."

Cedric's firm tone left no room for discussion.

Frank glanced around and noticed that the vicinity had been cleared. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Did this doctor have something to do with the evacuation of the restaurant? Last time, Frank wasn't able to locate Noelle when Cedric took her away, even with the Liddell family's resources. He'd also tried digging into Cedric's background but to no avail.

Cedric was a complete mystery to him. Frank couldn't be sure if the man was trying to gain Noelle's trust for calculated reasons, but that didn't seem likely.

After all, Noelle had never left Aldoria before. It was impossible that she would have offended anyone.