Chapter 2

All eyes turned to Noelle the moment she arrived. Despite the crowd's attention, she remained indifferent. She wore a simple T-shirt, but an exquisite antique tiara adorned her head. An emerald necklace graced her neck, and diamond and gold bracelets decorated her wrists. A large pink diamond ring also adorned her finger.

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

“Look at how tacky she is! How could she pile on all those accessories? She’s like a flamboyant nouveau riche!”

“I bet she’s doing this on purpose to show off and make Xenia look bad.”

Unfazed, Noelle swaggered up to Xenia and said, “Congratulations. You’ve finally become a part of the Liddell family.”

In her previous life, her nightmare began the day Xenia joined her family. No matter how hard she tried to please everyone, or how obedient she was, her brothers all sided with Xenia. Frank had even said he wished Xenia were their biological sister.

This time, she wouldn’t yearn for their familial love.

Xenia shrunk back slightly and tentatively said, “Noelle, I know you’re upset, but don’t worry. I won’t compete with you for your brothers’ affection. I’ll always be an outsider. You’re their real sister. How could I possibly compare to you?”

Her eyes reddened as she spoke, looking pitifully fragile.

Noelle sneered. With that flawless act, Xenia was a remarkable actress. In her previous life, Noelle had only seen Xenia’s true colors before her death.

Seeing this, Blake quickly intervened, “Don’t cry, Xenia. You’re not an outsider. From now on, you’re my real sister.”

Xenia dropped her gaze, a hint of smugness flickering in her eyes. Just then, Frank handed her a box. “Xenia, this is a gift for you.”

Looking surprised, Xenia exclaimed, “Frank, wasn’t this gift meant for Noelle? How could I possibly accept it?”

Noelle wasn’t surprised to see the limited-edition figurine in the box. In her previous life, Frank had also “kindly” given the figurine she’d waited for to Xenia as an apology.

“Take it,” Frank urged. “She owes you this.”

Visibly upset, Blake chimed in, “Noelle, even though Xenia doesn’t hold a grudge about you pushing her into the water, and Frank has given her a gift on your behalf, where’s your gift for her?”

Noelle nodded. “I’m aware. That’s why I’ve prepared a heartfelt apology gift.” She began removing her accessories, placing them one by one on a tray.

“Donovan gave me this antique tiara, and this emerald necklace was from Frank. This century-old Ginrex herb was from Carl, and Blake gave this rare pink diamond ring. Wyatt gave this emerald bracelet, and finally, this gold trophy was from Lucas.”

After placing everything on the tray, Noelle continued, “These are all very important to me. As a token of apology, I believe giving these represents my utmost sincerity.”

She anticipated Blake demanding she offer something to Xenia as reparation, so she’d prepared these items in advance. Since Xenia’s arrival, her brothers hadn’t given her any meaningful gifts. Only these valuable items remained. After all, her brothers would ultimately reclaim them with various excuses and give them to Xenia instead.

Blake froze at the sight of the items. Knowing these were all cherished by Noelle, he couldn’t fathom her intention.

Frank’s expression turned grim. “Noelle, what are you on about?”

“As I said, this is a token of my sincere apology. Do you think it’s not enough?” Noelle remained calm and unwavering.

Astonishment crossed Xenia’s face. She couldn’t comprehend Noelle’s actions. She wondered if this was an attempt to appear at a disadvantage to gain leverage.

“These are the gifts your brothers have given you, Noelle,” she quickly said. “They’re far too valuable. I can’t possibly accept them!”

Infuriated, Blake fumed, “Exactly! These gifts were meant for you. How could you just give them away like that?”

Xenia’s smile faltered. She bit her lip before saying, “Yeah. I’m just an outsider, Noelle. I don’t deserve such gifts.”

Realizing his slip, Blake immediately corrected himself, “Xenia, that’s not what I meant. I’ll pick out something new for you. You shouldn’t take something someone else has already used.”

“Thank you, Blake,” Xenia said, beaming at him.

Blake’s heart softened. He thought this was how an obedient younger sister should act.

Meanwhile, Frank felt helpless. “Noelle, why are you throwing such a tantrum again?” Noelle had always treasured these gifts, forbidding anyone from touching them. He hadn’t expected her to give them all away as an apology gift. Was she trying to sever ties with them? Or was she doing this to spite him because he’d given the figurine meant for her to Xenia? He didn’t think Noelle would willingly give these items to Xenia.

“Frank, she’s just trying to vent,” Blake said. “Noelle, do you think we can’t tell? When will you be as sensible as Xenia?”

Looking indifferent, Noelle replied, “These gifts are worth tens of millions of dollars. Isn’t that enough for an olive branch? Or are you reluctant to give these to Xenia?”

Blake was speechless. He wondered how she’d drawn that conclusion. They were two different things!

“O-Of course I’m not that kind of person,” he sputtered in front of Xenia.

“Then you all shall witness that I have shown Xenia a sincere gesture of apology.”

Frank was slightly irritated. “Quit the nonsense, Noelle.” How could she give such valuable gifts to someone else? He felt that, even if she were to spite Blake, she shouldn’t have given the gifts from her other brothers away.

“I’m serious about this, Frank,” Noelle said. She shoved the tray into Xenia’s hands. “These are yours now.” She didn’t want her six brothers anymore, either.

A hint of awkwardness flashed across Xenia’s face. Sensing Frank and Blake were enraged, she felt uneasy holding the tray. She’d been caught off guard by Noelle’s actions and hadn’t expected this peace offering. The Liddell brothers might resent her if she didn’t handle this carefully. She wondered why Noelle had suddenly become so difficult.

Before Xenia could respond, Noelle spun around and left.

“Noelle, stop right there!” Blake was furious. Using the gifts he’d given her to apologize to Xenia—what kind of apology was that? Still, Noelle ignored him and left promptly.

“Noelle is becoming more and more outrageous!” Frank remarked, frowning. He felt upset. He’d bought the emerald necklace for her with his first salary—it was symbolic.

Blake felt like he’d hit a wall. Frustrated, he said, “Exactly. She did this on purpose to spite us.”

Hearing their conversation, Xenia gritted her teeth. Noelle’s tactic had worked, but Xenia wouldn’t let her succeed.

Holding the tray, she began to meekly say, “Frank, Blake, did I do something wrong again? I will never take Noelle’s most treasured items. What should I do?” She cursed at Noelle inwardly, seething at her sabotage attempt.

Blake scowled. “Since it’s her token of apology, just accept it! I bet she’ll regret this in three days.” He snorted. He couldn’t wait to berate Noelle once she came crawling back.

“How about this, Xenia?” Frank began gently. “Just keep the items for Noelle now. Things will be fine once she calms down.” Noelle had thrown tantrums in the past, but everything turned out fine. He found it hard to believe she’d willingly give these items away.

“Alright. I’ll keep them safe,” Xenia concurred, flashing them a smile.

Frank sighed, remembering how Noelle used to be sweet and obedient. He hoped she would return to her senses soon. He glanced at Xenia again, feeling glad she wasn’t like Noelle.

Noelle lay down once she was back in her room. Perhaps it was because she’d caught a cold after falling into the water, but she felt dizzy. She closed her eyes, her mind racing with thoughts of leaving the Liddell family and living independently.

In her past life, she could’ve attended a prestigious university with her excellent grades. But because of Blake’s order, she enrolled in a community college with Xenia. In college, she always cleaned up after Xenia and took the blame for her mistakes. If she disobeyed, her credit cards would be temporarily disabled. Despite being a daughter of a wealthy family, her life was worse than that of a poor student. Ultimately, Xenia even stole the thesis she’d diligently worked on and framed her for plagiarism. She was then expelled. Noelle refused to let that happen again. She would attend a prestigious university and pay her tuition and living expenses with prize money from gaming competitions. With her past life skills, she could definitely make a name for herself in the gaming industry.

After the banquet ended, Frank went to Noelle’s room. He hesitated before knocking, but there was no response. The door was locked.

“Frank, Xenia seems to have a fever. Hurry up and have a look at her.”

Hearing this, Frank withdrew his hand from Noelle’s door. He went downstairs and saw Xenia’s flushed face, clearly running a fever.

“I’ll drive. Let’s head to the hospital now.”

While Frank and Blake rushed Xenia to the hospital, Noelle lay in bed in her bedroom on the second floor. Her face was flushed, and she was sweating incessantly. Throughout the night, she felt lightheaded and was constantly haunted by nightmares.