Chapter 54

Hearing the voice, everyone turned to see a living doll with a delicate, exquisite face and a bright smile running toward them.

That doll was, of course, Noelle.

"Wow…"

The team members couldn't help but gasp in admiration as they watched her approach.

One of them turned to Damon and said, "Damon, is that your sister! She's stunning! Her vibe is so sweet."

"She looks like the clingy little sister type. No wonder Damon's a sister-obsessed guy."

"Who wouldn't adore a sister like her?"

Yet another team member raised a question. "Wait, that's weird. I've met Damon's sister before, and she didn't look like this."

"Huh? What do you mean?" The others looked at Damon for clarification.

Damon, however, wore a dark expression as he stared at Noelle running toward them, his face devoid of any warmth.

"Damon, you got first place! Congratulations!" Noelle stopped in front of Damon, beaming as she congratulated him.

In front of everyone, Damon didn't bother to hide his irritation. His voice was icy as he said, "What are you doing here? The race is over. You should leave."

Seeing Damon's sour expression and harsh tone, Noelle pouted and replied, "I just wanted to congratulate you."

"Well, you've said it now. You can go," Damon said coldly.

Oh. Noelle's cheerful demeanor dimmed as she quietly nodded.

The team members, noticing Damon's attitude toward Noelle, began to feel uncomfortable.

Brice nudged Damon with his elbow, trying to ease the tension. "What's going on, Damon! Your sister's here to celebrate with you, and you can't even give her a friendly face?" Without waiting for Damon's reply, Brice turned to Noelle and introduced himself. "Hi there, little sis. What's your name?"

"My name is Noelle." Noelle looked at Brice and responded politely, her sweet demeanor instantly softening his heart.

Brice was charmed by Noelle's innocent smile. Grinning, he introduced himself. "Noelle, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Brice Cardenas, but everyone just calls me Brice. Feel free to do the same."

"Okay, hello, Brice," Noelle replied in a cheerful tone.

"Nice to meet you, Noelle. We're heading to a victory party later. If you're free, would you like to join us?"

Hearing this, Noelle's eyes lit up. "Really, Brice? Can I go?"

Before Brice could finish, Damon cut him off sharply. "Brice, what are you doing? Why are you inviting her to the party!"

"What's wrong? She is your sister," Brice shot back, barely stopping mid-sentence.

Damon's gaze inadvertently met Noelle's.

Noelle was looking at him quizzically, her clear, innocent eyes shining with a mix of curiosity and sincerity. She stood there without complaint or pretense, her expression almost childlike in its simplicity.

For a moment, Damon faltered. As much as he disliked, loathed Noelle, he couldn't bring himself to berate her in front of everyone. Doing so would only make him look petty. And exposing family conflicts in public? That wasn't his style.

With a resigned sigh, Damon muttered, "Fine. Do whatever you want."

"There we go!" Brice laughed and turned back to Noelle. "Noelle, you're coming to the party, then!"

"Okay!" Noelle agreed enthusiastically, thinking this was a good opportunity to bond with Damon. She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Brice, will there be meat?"

Brice blinked, then burst out laughing when he saw the eager look in her eyes. "Of course! There'll be plenty of meat!"

"Yay!" Noelle cheered. This was turning out to be a great day.

When Kimberly heard that Noelle would be joining Damon's team for the victory party, she was pleased. Clearly, she hoped this would help the siblings build a better relationship.

"Damon, Noelle's unfamiliar with this place. As her older brother, you need to take care of her, understand?" Kimberly said before they left.

Damon, however, wore a sour expression. "Mom, I'm the star of the party. I'll have plenty of people to deal with. How can I have time to babysit her! Besides, Noelle's an adult. She can take care of herself."

Kimberly's smile disappeared. "What kind of attitude is that?"

"I'm just being honest. Isn't it better than pretending to agree and then ignoring her?" Damon countered.

"You little…" Kimberly looked ready to smack him.

Noelle stepped in with a cheerful smile. "It's okay, Mom. Damon's right. I can take care of myself. Don't worry."

Kimberly looked at her daughter's sunny, unbothered face, and her heart warmed. She gave Noelle a final reminder. "Take care of yourself, and if anything happens, don't hesitate to ask Damon for help. Don't be shy."

"I won't, Mom. Don't worry," Noelle replied brightly.

After Kimberly left, Noelle followed the team to the party venue.

As Brice had promised, the buffet was packed with delicious meats—steaks, shrimp, and more—an unlimited supply. The flavors were excellent, and Noelle happily indulged, completely forgetting her original plan to bond with Damon.

As she prepared to tackle her third steak, two team members suddenly sat down on either side of her. One of them held a bottle of wine and smiled. "Noelle, just eating meat is no fun. How about a drink? You're old enough, right?"

"No thanks," Noelle replied, her mouth full of steak. "I don't like alcohol."

She had tried it before out of curiosity but found it too harsh and unpleasant.

"Aw, come on. This is just champagne—a sweet, fruity drink with barely any alcohol. Girls love it."

"Really?" Noelle asked, skeptical.

"Try it and see for yourself." One of the men poured a glass and handed it to her.

"Oh…" Noelle took the glass, still unsure. She dipped her tongue into the golden liquid and tasted it. Her eyes lit up instantly. "It really is sweet!"

"See? We weren't lying."

Delighted by the taste, Noelle drank the whole glass.

Before she could set the glass down, the man refilled it. "Here, have another."

As the star of the party, Damon wasn't lying when he said he'd be busy. A constant stream of people came up to him for toasts and conversation. Finally managing to escape the crowd, he remembered that Noelle was here. Though he didn't care much, he figured he should check on her. If she went back and complained to Kimberly, it would only give him a headache.

Scanning the room, Damon spotted Noelle in a corner. She was flanked by two team members, surrounded by five or six empty bottles of wine. The men were still encouraging her to drink.

"Wow, Noelle! You're amazing! What a high tolerance. Come on, let's keep going!"

"Yeah, another glass!"

Noelle, her cheeks flushed pink, was clearly tipsy but still smiling. She accepted each drink they handed her, gulping them down one after another.

From a distance, Damon watched as the two men leaned closer to Noelle, their smiles a little too eager. His brows furrowed tightly.