Chapter 90

“Latorade apologized! What more does she want? Frank, I’m suffocating!” Lucas exploded, frustration simmering.

“Lucas, if you want Noelle back, change your attitude. Treat her better!” Frank declared, finally acknowledging his own shortcomings.

“Treat her better? Frank, you were in the hospital for days, and she didn’t visit once! Cold and heartless, how were we supposed to?” Lucas slurred, his words muddled by drink.

Frank sighed, staring at the livestream. He knew Noelle hadn’t visited because she was hurt and sad. It was his punishment for failing to see her kindness before. On her stream, he donated ten “Carnival” gills, his name briefly flashing across the screen.

Noelle noticed the donation, pressing her lips together. She pretended not to see it.

A viewer asked, “Ms. Nelly, are you going to the influencer event tonight?”

“Wow, is it hard to get into? I want to meet you!” another chimed in.

“Is an invitation being sold for a huge sum?” a third viewer queried.

Noelle paused, then expertly analyzed her recent matches, offering strategic tips. Lessons learned through hard knocks in her past life, freely shared to help others.

After ending her stream, Noelle rubbed her aching neck. Leaving her study for some water, she found Cedric at the kitchen entrance, just arriving home. Suddenly, darkness swallowed them.

“What’s going on? A blackout?” Noelle asked.

Cedric’s voice cut through the darkness. “I’ll call property management.”

“Might not be a power trip. The whole area’s dark. Probably a regional outage,” Noelle guessed, feeling her way toward the couch. She bumped into a vase, sending it crashing to the floor. It shattered.

“Don’t move!” Cedric’s voice was sharp.

Noelle froze, afraid of stepping on broken glass. A faint beam of phone light approached. Cedric’s form was indistinct, only the light revealing the distance between them.

“I came for water and forgot my phone. Good thing you’re back,” Noelle explained.

She felt along the floor, but Cedric reached her first. “Give me your hand.”

Noelle felt his nearness, wondering if he planned to lift her. She placed her hands on his shoulders. He scooped her up, his warmth through her palms a stark contrast to her fear. It was the first time Noelle had been held like this by a near stranger, and her heart pounded uncontrollably.