Chapter 145
Lately, Nicolas had been sensing that Noelle was avoiding him. It all started when he called her one day, and she didn’t pick up.
At first, Nicolas thought it might just be a coincidence—maybe she had left her phone behind. But when he tried again later and still got no answer, a sinking feeling settled in his chest. “The last time we parted, she was so happy, even kissing me without hesitation. So why is she suddenly avoiding me now?” he wondered, confusion clouding his thoughts.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Nicolas decided to confront her at her school. When he saw Noelle bolt the moment she spotted him, he knew for sure—Noelle was avoiding him. But why? He couldn’t recall doing anything that would make her upset. The thought gnawed at him, leaving him frustrated and restless. It felt like a heavy weight was pressing on his chest, and he couldn’t shake it off.
Just then, a familiar figure approached him. “Nicolas,” came the sweet, melodic voice of Leia. She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. “Looking for Noelle? She doesn’t seem too keen on seeing you right now.”
Nicolas raised an eyebrow. ‘Since when had Leia and I become so familiar that she felt comfortable calling me by my first name?’ he wondered. He wasn’t blind to her intentions, though.
Leia had always been a little too eager around him, and he could tell she was up to something. But since Noelle was avoiding him, maybe Leia could shed some light on the situation.
With a charming, almost devilish smile, Nicolas replied, “This isn’t the best place to talk. How about we move somewhere more private, Miss Anderson?”
Leia’s cheeks flushed at his invitation. She had never noticed before just how captivating his smile was. It wasn’t the sleazy grin of a playboy, but the kind of effortless charm that made her heart skip a beat. She nodded shyly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Sure.”
As Leia climbed into Nicolas’s car, Noelle watched from behind a tree, her heart sinking. She had only run a short distance before hiding, unable to resist peeking at what was happening.
Did he have to smile at her like that?
Seeing Leia get into Nicolas’s car made her stomach churn with jealousy. “Why is he letting her in?” Noelle seethed, the sting of jealousy hitting her like a punch to the gut.
Noelle’s fingers dug into the bark of the tree as she tried to calm herself. “Stupid Nicolas,” she muttered under her breath. “Big jerk. Meanie. Ugh!” But no matter how much she tried to distract herself, the image of Nicolas and Leia together kept replaying in her mind. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.
Her mind drifted back to the day Branson had asked her to kill Nicolas. Even though she had stopped herself, the thought of what might have been still haunted her. What if the mission hadn’t been called off? Would I have really gone through with it? The very idea made her stomach churn. Nick had always been so good to me—so kind and loving. How could I have even considered hurting him!
The pain in her chest was unbearable, and she didn’t know how to make it go away. Her grandfather had never taught her how to deal with sensations like this. She felt lost and helpless.
Just as she was about to break down completely, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. Startled, Noelle reacted on instinct, her body moving before her mind could catch up. In a flash, she had a small knife pressed against the intruder’s throat.
“It’s me, Noelle!” The man’s voice sliced through the tension. Just as her knife was about to skim his neck, Noelle froze, her hand halting mid-air as the realization hit—it was Harley.
She blinked in surprise. “Harley! What are you doing here?”
She quickly sheathed her knife, wiped her tears, and then glared at him, warning, “Don’t sneak up on me from behind again. If you do, next time I might not be able to stop myself, and you’ll end up dead.”
Harley, still catching his breath from the near-death experience, managed a weak smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He glanced at her, concern flickering in his eyes. “But, Noelle, your reflexes are slower. If it were before, I wouldn’t have been able to get so close, right?”
Noelle sniffed, rubbing her nose but not denying it. Harley was right—her reflexes weren’t what they used to be. If it had been a few months ago, she would have sensed him coming from miles away. Now, though, she wasn’t so sure.
Harley frowned as he noticed her mood was still low. He stepped in front of her, his voice soft but insistent. “What happened, Noelle? Did you and Nicolas have a fight?”
“No,” Noelle replied quickly, shaking her head. “We’re fine. We don’t fight.”
“Then why are you as...?" Harley pressed. He had seen the way Noelle had bolted when she spotted Nicolas earlier. Something was...
Noelle hesitated, unable to speak. She wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t.
The truth was, she was avoiding Nicolas because Brandon had told her not to get too close to him anymore. She couldn’t risk it—especially with the mission still hanging over her head.
She wanted to be with him so badly, but she couldn’t.
Harley noticed her struggle and called out again, “Noelle, talk to me. What’s going on!”
But Noelle remained silent. She couldn’t tell him. Not about the lab, not about Brandon, and definitely not about her mission.
“Please tell me, Noelle.”
“What happened? You have to say it.”
“Harley, stop!” Noelle finally snapped, her eyes blazing with anger and hurt. “It’s none of your business, okay? Just leave me alone!”
Before Harley could respond, Noelle turned on her heel and sprinted away, leaving him standing there, stunned and helpless.
“Noelle!” Harley called after her, but she was already too far gone.
As he watched her disappear into the distance, a sharp pang of sadness twisted in Harley’s chest. All he wanted was to be there for her, to be someone she could lean on when things got tough. But the way she shut him out—like he was nothing more than a stranger—cut deeper than he cared to admit.
Why won’t she trust me?” he thought, his jaw tightening. “Does she really think I’m that useless?”