Chapter 55

Cismon remembered correctly, the two men were new track-up racers who had recently joined the team. Their skills were decent, but their personal lives were notoriously messy.

Not long ago, a pregnant woman had stormed into the team's headquarters, demanding to know which of the two was the father of her child. The incident had enraged the team leader, who punished them by banning them from participating in any races for three months. They were only invited to today's victory party as a courtesy, yet here they were, stirring up trouble again.

Damon considered stepping in to stop them but paused mid-step, thinking: "Why should I care? Noelle insisted on coming and claimed she could take care of herself. If something happened, it would be her own fault, not my responsibility. If he intervened, Leia might misinterpret his actions and think he was siding with Noelle. That would devastate Leia." He thought, "No, I can't get involved. There's no reason for me to do so."

Just as Damon was struggling internally, a drunken teammate stumbled over and threw an arm around him. "Damon! What are you doing over here! Come on, you're the star tonight. Let's drink!" The teammate dragged Damon back to the party.

Damon halfheartedly followed but couldn't help glancing back toward Noelle. From the corner of his eye, he saw the two scumbags still pressuring her to drink.

"Noelle, you're amazing! Five bottles already!" Baker watched in disbelief as Noelle downed her fifth bottle of champagne. Sure, the champagne wasn't particularly strong at first sip, but its aftereffects packed a punch. Most women would be passed out after just one bottle, yet Noelle had polished off five without batting an eye.

"I told you she can hold her liquor! Let's keep going!" Jamari Cannon popped open another bottle and poured it into Noelle's glass.

Erick gave Jamari a look. "Dude, are we still doing this?"

Jamari replied with a shrug, "Why not? She's not drunk yet."

Erick: "This champagne's expensive."

Jamari: "Who cares? The team's paying for it!"

Erick: "What if something happens to her?"

Jamari: "Relax. Damon doesn't care, and we'll just take her away quietly. No one will know."

Erick hesitated but finally relented. "Alright, keep going."

"Noelle, one more glass," Jamari coaxed, pouring her another drink.

Her beautiful eyes were slightly lazy, adding an unintentional allure. Noelle shook her head, her fair cheeks flushed a rosy red. Her beauty made her look almost enchanting.

"What a grin," Jamari thought, his excitement growing. "What's wrong, Noelle? Feeling dizzy?" Finally, after five bottles of champagne, was she about to pass out?

"No, I need to go to the bathroom," Noelle said, wobbling to her feet.

"Oh, the bathroom? Sure, we'll take you there," Jamari offered, reaching out to steady her. But Noelle dodged his hand.

"I don't need your help. I can walk by myself."

"Alright, be careful." Jamari smiled sheepishly but mentally planned to take her to a hotel as soon as she returned. He exchanged a look with Erick, and the three of them left the party hall.

Not long after, Damon suddenly returned to the area where Noelle had been drinking. No matter how much he disliked Noelle, he couldn't just leave her to fend for herself, especially with two guys like Erick and Jamari. If they succeeded in taking advantage of her, her life would be ruined. But when Damon arrived, the three of them were gone.

Where were they? His heart sank. In just a few minutes, they had disappeared. Images of the hysterical pregnant woman who had confronted the team flashed in his mind. He imagined Noelle meeting a similar fate, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. His chest felt tight, like a weight was pressing on it, making it hard to breathe.

Frantically, Damon pulled out his phone to call Erick and Jamari. His hands trembled so much that he nearly dropped the device. When he finally dialed, neither of them answered.

"The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later…" The automated message played, cold and indifferent.

"Damn it!" Damon cursed. The two bastards weren't answering their phones.

Desperate, Damon tried to call Noelle, only to realize he didn't have her number saved. "Damn it!" Damon muttered through gritted teeth. He was on the verge of losing his temper. His only option was to call Eli, who he knew was close to Noelle.

"Hello?" Eli answered cheerfully. "Damon, what's up? Did you win your race today?"

"Give me Noelle's number," Damon demanded without explanation.

"Huh? Why do you need Noelle's number all of a sudden?" Eli asked, confused.

"Just give it to me. Stop wasting time," Damon snapped.

Though puzzled, Eli eventually relented and gave him the number. Before Damon could hang up, Eli asked, "Wait, did something happen to Noelle? Why are you so frantic?"

Damon hesitated, his face darkening. After a pause, he said, "Nothing happened." Then he ended the call.

With Noelle's number in hand, Damon dialed immediately, practically praying as he waited for her to pick up. "Please, please let her be safe," Damon thought. After a few tense seconds, the call connected.

"Hello?" Noelle's soft, slightly slurred voice came through. "Who's this?"

Hearing her voice, Damon felt an immense weight lift off his chest. He let out a relieved breath and said, "Noelle, it's Damon!"

"Damon!" Noelle exclaimed, surprised. "How did you get my number?"

"Cut the crap. Where are Erick and Jamari! Are you with them right now?" Damon asked sharply.

"They're in…" Noelle hesitated.

Her reluctance made Damon's heart race. "What's going on! Are you with them? Where are you now?"

"Well," Noelle admitted softly, "We're at a hotel room…"

The words "hotel room" sent Damon's heart plunging into the depths of despair. "Are you stupid? Why would you go with them? What have they done to you?" Damon demanded, his voice rising in anger.

"Damon, I'm not stupid!" Noelle protested indignantly. "They… well, they started pulling at my clothes."

"What the…" Damon swore loudly. His anger boiled over as he imagined Erick and Jamari laying their hands on her. "Which hotel? What's the room number?"

Noelle, sounding like a child caught in a mistake, gave him the address. Without wasting a second, Damon rushed over.

When Damon arrived at the hotel, he was sweating and out of breath. He pounded on the door with his fist, ready to give Erick and Jamari the beating of a lifetime. The door opened a crack, and Noelle's head peeked out. She looked at him sheepishly and said in a soft voice, "Damon, you're here…"

"Where are they?" Damon demanded, pushing the door open.

Noelle followed him inside, her voice small. "They're over there… lying down."

"Oh, they're just lying down, huh?" Damon sneered, expecting to find the two men lounging on the bed. But as he stepped further into the room, he froze.

Erick and Jamari were sprawled on the floor, beaten to a pulp. Both were unconscious, their faces bruised and swollen, with several teeth missing.

"What… what happened here?" Damon stammered.

Noelle walked up beside him, her tone quiet and innocent. "They tried to pull at my clothes. You said no man is allowed to touch me, so I told them to stop. They didn't listen, so… I hit them."

She looked up at Damon with wide, guileless eyes and added, "I really held back, though. I didn't expect them to be so fragile…"

Damon was speechless.