Chapter 275
After completing all the preliminary test rounds, Noelle returned to the Anderson residence with Bennett.
Between helping out with Nicolas’s situation and constantly running experiments, she hadn’t been home in ages, nor had she stepped foot on campus. As a result, she’d failed all her finals.
Had this happened right after she was first reunited with the Andersons, the household probably would’ve exploded. But now? Noelle was the family’s precious darling–no one said a word of criticism. Even her school made an exception for her, thanks to her reputation as a “gold medal composer,” allowing her to retake her exams next term.
The moment they got home, Kimberly rushed over the second she saw her daughter. Cupping Noelle’s face in both hands, she fussed, “Sweetheart, how have you lost so much weight in just a few days? Have you not been eating properly?”
Noelle, not wanting her family to worry, came up with a casual excuse. “I’ve just been dieting a bit, Mom. Trying to slim down.”
Bennett accepted the blame with a sheepish chuckle. “That’s on me. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gains all that weight back.”
“You better,” Kimberly huffed, before turning back to her daughter with a beaming smile. “Noelle, your figure’s already perfect. You don’t need to lose a single ounce. Eat up and get back to a healthy weight. Oh–and your birthday’s next week! Your dad and I are planning a big celebration for you. We’re finally going to announce your identity publicly and welcome you into the family properly.”
“Okay,” Noelle nodded, smiling sweetly. “I’ll listen to you and Dad.”
“That’s my good girl,” Kimberly said, gently patting her cheek before pulling her toward the dining room.
With the year-end approaching, most of the Anderson siblings were home–except for Adriel and Bennett, who were swamped with work, and Charlie, who had a packed entertainment schedule. Damon and Eli were both present and sitting on either side of Noelle at the dinner table.
The moment she sat down, the feeding frenzy began.
“Here, Noelle–eat some of this beef,” Eli said, plopping a chunk into her bowl.
“Have a drumstick,” Damon added immediately, laying it right on top of the meat.
Eli glanced up and frowned. “Damon, couldn’t you see I already gave her meat?”
“And what’s the problem?” Damon said with a shrug. “Yours is underneath. She can eat the drumstick first.”
“Don’t you know about first come, first served?” Eli grumbled, quickly shoving another piece of meat back on top.
Now Damon was annoyed. He glared and snorted, “You’re being childish. Ever heard of last one wins?”
He promptly added another drumstick, flattening Eli’s meat again.
Eli gave him a deadpan look. “You said you didn’t care about the order. So why’d you put yours on top again?”
“Because you’re being immature.”
“Oh, and you’re not?”
“At least I’m better than you.”
The two devolved into a full-on war of cutlery, dueling with forks right over Noelle’s bowl.
Noelle, stuck between the chaos and looking at her poor, mutilated food, just sat there–helpless and speechless. She hadn’t had much of an appetite to begin with after the constant experiments, and now, seeing her food thoroughly manhandled by both brothers, she honestly felt a little queasy.
“No, which one do you want to eat first?” Eli finally asked, after their sibling rivalry hit a deadlock.
Noelle blinked in confusion, unsure how to answer.
“Eat the drumstick,” Damon insisted. “Just look at what his beef looks like–it’s falling apart. Isn’t it gross!”
“Um, Damon, yours doesn’t look that great either.”
Damon twitched. He shot her a betrayed look, like, how could you sell me out like this?
Noelle stared back, wide-eyed and innocent. “I really don’t have an appetite…”
Eli snickered. “Wow, Damon. She totally rejected your drumstick.”
Noelle shot him a side glance and muttered, “And you have the nerve to laugh? Your beef looks like ground meat.”
“What was that?” Eli gasped dramatically. He immediately hooked an arm around her neck and started playfully rubbing her head. “That’s how you thank me for feeding you? By insulting my beef?”
Struggling to escape, Noelle protested, “C’mon, Eli! What kind of meat was that–it was practically mush. Can’t you give me a whole piece?”
“Fine, fine,” Eli relented and picked out a perfect slice, stuffing it straight into her mouth. “There. Happy now?”
Noelle chewed, then gave him a thumbs up. “Tastes good.”
Eli beamed. “Here, have another.”
“You haven’t finished this one.”
Just as he was about to feed her again, Damon shoved another fresh drumstick in front of her. Noelle looked from the chicken to Damon’s intense expression and knew immediately if she didn’t take a bite, this man might never forgive her.
So she leaned in and took a big bite.
Damon, satisfied, gave her a rare smile. “Good?”
“Mm-hmm,” she mumbled with her mouth full.
“Then have another bite.”
She obediently chomped again, cheeks puffing like a squirrel’s. Damon smirked triumphantly and shot Eli a smug look.
Eli rolled his eyes and fired back. “More meat, Noelle. Eat up!”
Noelle sighed internally. These two are so immature.
But somehow, despite herself, she ended up eating more than she had all week. By the end, she was so full she nearly threw up. But before she could daydream further about her revenge plans, she turned toward the door–and froze.