Lucas’s rage shook Isaac to his core. "What happened?" Xenia arrived, her voice smooth.

Lucas spat, "This bastard tried to assault someone! Fire him!"

Isaac stammered, "She hit me first! Self-defense!"

Xenia feigned innocence. "But she's a woman. You should be more...gentlemanly."

Isaac dared not argue, sensing Lucas favored Noelle. Their connection was unclear. Xenia tugged Lucas’s sleeve, whispering, "Firing someone isn't so simple, Lucas. Consider the company."

He glanced at Noelle. "What do you think?"

Noelle's face was impassive. "I don't care."

She grabbed her bag and left. Lucas exploded. "What's with her attitude? I helped her!"

Xenia smirked inwardly. Noelle had been deeply hurt by Lucas; forgiveness wouldn't come easy. This, however, was perfect for her.

"She's always like this," Xenia said smoothly. "Let's talk outside, Lucas." She couldn't let the staff discover Noelle was the Liddell heiress.

The next day, the office buzzed. Noelle knew it was because of yesterday. She’d finish the software testing and leave.

A colleague approached. "So, what's your relationship with Mr. Liddell?"

"Nothing," Noelle replied flatly.

"Right. Because defending you like that yesterday? Isaac was terrified."

The incident had spread. The new engineer had connections; no wonder she bypassed HR so easily. Past relationship with Lucas, perhaps?

Noelle remained focused on her screen. The colleague gave up.

Isaac entered, his arrogance replaced with caution. He avoided Noelle's gaze. He wouldn't risk another intervention from Lucas.

An eerie silence settled. Bobby arrived. "Firewall issue. Mr. Liddell's inspecting. Solutions needed."

Noelle cut him off. "Already patched it. Let's test now."

Isaac sneered. "Finished that fast? Who are you kidding?"

"Just because you can't doesn't mean I can't," Noelle retorted coldly.

He fumed but held back. "Fine. Test it. Fail, you're gone."

She grabbed her USB, copied the code, and headed to the server room.