Chapter 16

Noelle blinked and saw the furious Eli standing in her room. Beside him was Leia, who appeared concerned, though her eyes betrayed a gleam of secret satisfaction.

Leia was secretly thrilled. She thought staying up all night with Eli had been worth it. Last night, unable to sleep after stewing over Noelle's recording, Leia had gone to the balcony for some air. That was when she spotted a small figure sneaking out through the back door of the villa. It was Noelle.

Leia's heart leaped. That shameless Noelle! She sneaks out in the dead of night. If Mom, Dad, and the brothers find out, they'll definitely think she's up to no good and hate her even more, she thought. But after weighing her options, Leia decided to tell only Eli. After the recording incident, dragging the rest of the family into this would seem petty. But Eli was openly biased against Noelle. Telling him alone was perfect: it made Leia look considerate for not spreading the news while turning Eli against Noelle. A win-win.

Now, Leia was eagerly waiting to see how Noelle would explain sneaking out at 10 p.m. and returning at 5 a.m. But to Leia's disappointment, Noelle's face showed neither guilt nor panic. Instead, Noelle blinked her wide eyes innocently and asked, "Eli, Leia, why are you in my room without permission! That's not very polite, you know."

Eli, already furious, nearly exploded. Noelle's calmness and deflection only fueled his anger. "Cut the crap!" he growled, striding toward her. His towering frame cast a shadow over her small figure. "What were you doing out in the middle of the night? Don't you realize you're an Anderson heiress now? Everything you do represents the family! Do you want everyone to despise you even more than they already do by acting recklessly like this?" he asked.

Leia stepped forward, and her voice was soft and seemingly concerned. "Eli, don't be so hard on Noelle. I'm sure she had a reason for going out late. Maybe she just wanted to catch up with some old friends."

"Old friends!" Eli's glare intensified. "What kind of friends meet up in the middle of the night and come back just before dawn?" Leia's words only poured fuel on the fire. Turning back to Noelle, Eli barked, "Explain yourself! Where were you last night? Who did you meet?"

His anger wasn't unfounded. Noelle already had a shaky reputation with the family. Instead of trying to improve it, she'd snuck out without a word, returning just before sunrise. Fortunately, Leia had discovered this in time and informed Eli first. If anyone else in the family had caught wind of Noelle's late night escape, she'd surely be kicked out.

Noelle looked at the furious Eli and the concerned Leia, thinking, Wow, Nick was spot on. The Andersons really would flip if they knew I snuck out.

"Noelle, are you mute?" Eli snapped, his frustration mounting. Noelle's silence only deepened his suspicions. His mind began to wander as he wondered if Noelle had really been sneaking around with some man behind their backs.

Leia tried her best to keep a straight face, but the corners of her mouth twitched with satisfaction. She put on a pained expression and said, "Noelle, did you really do something reckless out there! I get that your past environment wasn't great, but now that you're back with the Anderson family, you can't just act however you want, okay?"

"I wasn't fooling around," Noelle shot back, her tone steady as she met Leia's gaze.

"Really!" Leia's voice was airy, her disbelief thinly veiled. "Then what exactly were you doing out all night?" She couldn't imagine any legitimate reason for Noelle sneaking out like that.

Without hesitation, Noelle reached into her pocket, pulled something out, and handed it to Leia.

"Here, this is for you."

"Huh?" Leia blinked, caught off guard. She opened her hand to find an amulet resting in her palm. "I heard the amulets from Saint Margaret's Church on the outskirts of Reniam City are supposed to be really effective," Noelle said matter-of-factly. "You've been in poor health, Leia, so I thought I'd get one for you to pray for a quick recovery."

Leia's expression froze. She went out in the middle of the night for me? she wondered.

Eli, standing nearby, looked equally shocked. He frowned at Noelle. "Wait, are you saying you went out last night just to pray and get an amulet for Leia?"

"That's right." Noelle nodded firmly.

In reality, the amulet had been prepared in advance by Nicolas, who'd anticipated the Anderson family's reaction. He had insisted on having a backup plan just in case they noticed Noelle's late return.

Noelle recited the explanation Nicolas had coached her on, "I heard that getting an amulet there early in the morning shows the most sincerity. But by the time I got it, there weren't any taxis around, so I had to walk a long way through the mountains. That's why I got back so late." Nicolas had instructed Noelle to make herself sound as pitiful as possible to gain sympathy.

Sure enough, her words had the desired effect. Eli's stern expression softened, his anger giving way to guilt. "Are you out of your mind!" he scolded, his voice thick with concern. "Why didn't you just tell me? Why sneak off alone like that?" This reaction was exactly as Nicolas had predicted.

Noelle blinked, her face the picture of innocence. As if delivering a well-rehearsed line, she said, "Everyone's so busy during the day. I didn't want to bother anyone. Since I have nothing to do, I thought I could handle it myself."

Eli's chest tightened at her response. He stared at her, his throat constricting as a lump of emotion formed. His lips pressed into a thin line before he reached out and roughly ruffled her hair. "What kind of nonsense is that?" he muttered. His eyes reddened, and his voice grew hoarse. "I'm your brother. Let me know if you need anything. What if something had happened to you out there! Do you know how much trouble that would've caused us?"

"I'm sorry, Eli," Noelle said softly, her tone obedient. "I'll tell you next time, I promise."

"Hmph. You'd better." With that, Eli's frustration completely dissipated. After a pause, he glanced at Leia, who was still reeling from shock. "Leia, Noelle went out to pray and get an amulet for you. She meant well, but if anyone else finds out, they might not understand. Let's keep this between us to avoid any unnecessary drama, okay?"

Leia's face burned with frustration, though she tried to hide it. What should have been a great opportunity to get rid of Noelle had somehow been turned around by her. Now, Eli wants to keep this quiet, she thought. If I spill the truth, he might distance himself from me. Damn it. If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have just told everyone in the morning. This whole night was a waste.