Chapter 36

“What are you doing here?” someone asked.

Noelle looked up to see Cedric and quickly lowered her head, flustered. “To eat,” she responded, her voice slightly hoarse.

Cedric stepped closer. “Have you been crying?” he asked, detecting something wrong with her tone.

Without thinking, she said, “No.”

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Frank stepped out. When she saw him, she immediately threw herself into Cedric’s arms, clutching his shirt tightly. She burrowed deeper into his embrace, not wanting to be seen by Frank.

Cedric froze. He peered at the girl pressed against him. She was so close he could almost smell her. He gulped and tried to put some distance between them, but as soon as he moved, she wrapped her arms around his neck. They were so close, others might have mistaken them for a pair of passionate lovers.

Cedric pressed his lips together, taken aback by her actions. It was rare for a composed man like him to be at a loss for how to react.

Noelle peeked out and let out a breath of relief when she saw her brother had returned to the room. This is when she finally realized how intimate their posture was, and how tall Cedric was. She’d been standing on tiptoe while he bent over, just so she could hold onto his neck.

Face flushing with embarrassment, she quickly let go. “I, uh, saw my brother coming out of the elevator and didn’t want to get caught, so I used you as a shield.”

Cedric narrowed his eyes. He was beginning to piece together why she was there and in low spirits. “Do you just grab any random man to hide behind?” he teased.

Noelle looked at him in surprise. “I don’t think so,” she said. She’d acted without thinking because the person next to her had been Cedric. She doubted she would have done the same if it had been anyone else.

Satisfied with her answer, Cedric’s mood lightened. “Did you come with them?” he asked.

“Yeah. It was supposed to be a celebratory meal for my good grades,” Noelle replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She peeked at him, recalling the beautiful woman he’d been with earlier, and wondered why he was alone now.

Cedric calmly responded, “Tenth, huh? Not bad.”

Her voice was laced with pride as she retorted, “It’s okay, I guess. I should have a shot at Yale University now.” She remembered how he’d previously remarked that her ranking wasn’t high enough.

Cedric chuckled. “Have you eaten?”

“No. I don’t want to eat here.”

“Because of them?”

Noelle nodded. “You can go ahead if you’re busy. I’m heading back to my apartment.” She didn’t want to go home that night, either.

“If anyone’s leaving, it’s them, not you.”

Noelle was puzzled. Was he going to make Frank and Xenia leave? She didn’t think that was possible!