Chapter 62

Frankie was just a stranger to Noelle! Noelle turned and walked away. Cedric had been patiently waiting for her, holding a black umbrella. She ran up to him and asked, “Was it you who asked Mr. York to deliver the stationery to me?”

Cedric noticed her smile and figured she wasn’t affected by the incident. He suppressed his anger and calmly replied, “Yeah.”

“Thanks a lot, Cedric. You really saved me!” replied Noelle. She rubbed her stomach and continued, “I’m starving! Let’s get something to eat. I still have to prepare for the exam.”

A panicked Frankie ran up to her as she got into the car. “Where are you going, Noelle? I need to talk to you!”

He held onto the car door and anxiously looked at Noelle. She was as expressionless as before. “There’s no need to talk.”

“Noelle, I really didn’t mean to be late.”

She remained unfazed. “I know that already. Can you let go of my hand now?”

But Frank didn’t let go; he didn’t dare. He had a bad feeling that if he let go, Noelle would never come back.

Alfred couldn’t take it anymore and stepped up, grabbing Frank by the collar. “Dude, you’re just being pathetic!”

Frank was about to lose his temper. “The older brother! Who the hell do you think you are?”

Alfred sneered. “I’ve never seen an older brother who only makes his younger sibling’s life worse! The stationery came from your house, and it just so happened to be broken right before the exam.”

“After all that, you told her to wait for you and swore you’d return with new ones, only to show up late! Just how evil can your entire family be?”

Alfred couldn’t stand around and do nothing after witnessing Noelle’s hardships firsthand. Anyone could tell the stationery didn’t break for no reason. He couldn’t stomach their behavior and treatment of Noelle.

Frank was stunned. “I didn’t know that.”

Alfred had no filters when scolding others. “Then go and figure it out! What do you think you’re doing trying to force Noelle to forgive you? This time, it’s just her stationery being tampered with. The next time, it could be the food she’s eating! What if she gets diarrhea and can’t make it to her exams? I’m worried about what’s next!”

Frank was shoved. He stumbled backward, watching as Noelle and the car drove off. It was the first time in his thirty years of living that he had ever felt such fear and panic. Xenia ran over with feigned concern. “Frank, it’s only normal for Noelle to be angry. You were late, after all. But the exams are vital! We should still convince her to come back home!” She couldn’t manipulate things any further if Noelle were gone.

Frank’s voice turned hoarse as he mentally broke down. “Where’s Gordon? He’s the one who prepared the stationery!”

He wanted to find out the truth about why Noelle’s stationery was defective.

Xenia began to panic. “Why do you suspect Gordon, Frank? He also prepared my stationery, and there’s nothing wrong with mine.”

Frank ignored her. He stood back up with a stiffened expression and left.

Xenia immediately texted Gordon, “Frank’s about to investigate you. Be careful.”

Even though Noelle managed to get away, Xenia believed the incident would still affect Noelle’s exam performance. Judging from Noelle’s demeanor, it was clear she didn’t want to deal with Frank anymore. It was perfect for Xenia.

Noelle peered out the car window and noted that the rain had lightened up. The inside of the car was silent. Cedric nodded and replied, “I was thinking…” and calmly spoke up: “Don’t let this affect you. Anyway, you shouldn’t return home for the next few days.”

It was convenient to stay at the apartment as well.

The rain had almost stopped by the time the afternoon exam began. Noelle proceeded into the exam hall without any disruptions this time, and although the math questions were slightly difficult, she was still extremely confident about the exam. When she left the exam hall, she heard her fellow students complaining about how gruelingly hard the math questions were.

When Noelle arrived at the school gate, she saw Frank again. She hesitated momentarily before lowering her head and turning around to walk in the opposite direction. “Noelle, I’ve brought Gordon to apologize to you,” said Frank.