Chapter 57

Damon… Noelle was like a broken record, calling his name repeatedly. Damon was getting annoyed to no end. He scowled at her and barked, "What are you doing, summoning a spirit? Stop trying to cozy up; don't think this will make you replace Leia in my heart."

"Huh?" Noelle blinked, confused about why Damon had veered the conversation in such a strange direction. Pointing toward the source of the tempting aroma, she said earnestly, "Damon, I just wanted to get a pancake."

"A pancake? Can't you buy it yourself?" Damon shot back irritably. Why does everything have to involve me? he thought. If this were a normal day, Leia would have been the one accompanying him to the celebration, walking around the city, and enjoying the evening together. Instead, it was Noelle by his side, a situation he found ridiculous. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. He must have gone mad, indulging Noelle like this.

Oblivious to Damon's inner turmoil, Noelle pouted and said, "I would buy it myself, but I didn't bring any money…"

Damon sighed in frustration, pulling out a large bill from his wallet. He handed it to her with a scowl. "Here. Go buy it yourself. Stop bothering me."

"Okay." Noelle accepted the money, then cheerfully said, "Damon, wait here! I'll be back with the pancake, and we can share it!"

"Enough with the chatter. Go already."

Noelle dashed off in the direction of the aroma, disappearing from sight in no time. Damon stood there, shaking his head. "She's definitely a glutton reincarnated. I've never seen anyone who eats as much as her," he muttered to himself.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Noelle still hadn't returned. Damon glanced toward the direction she'd gone, a mix of worry and irritation creeping in. What's taking her so long to buy a pancake? Did something happen? As he debated whether to call her, his phone rang. It was Leia.

Damon's mood instantly lifted, and he answered eagerly. "Hello? Leia!"

Leia's gentle voice came through the line. "Hi, Damon! Congratulations on your win. I knew you'd do great."

Hearing her congratulations, Damon's heart softened, though he kept his tone teasing. "Oh, so you still remember me? I thought your heart belonged entirely to Harley by now?"

Leia hesitated for a moment, then replied shyly, "Damon, stop teasing me! What are you talking about? Liking Harley doesn't mean I don't care about you." Leia said sweetly, "Both of you are very important to me."

Damon frowned. A sibling he'd grown up with for over a decade and a classmate he'd only known for six months were they really on equal footing in her heart? The thought unsettled him, but Leia quickly asked, "Damon, where are you right now?"

"Why do you ask?" His voice turned slightly defensive.

Leia giggled. "You had a big race today. I snuck out to find you. Normally, I'd come to cheer you on and celebrate, but I couldn't leave because of training. Now that it's..."

Damon was stunned. "You came out by yourself!"

"Yes," Leia said.

"That's reckless! Where are you? I'll come get you." Leia gave him her location. At that moment, Damon's attention shifted entirely to Leia, completely forgetting about Noelle.

When Noelle finally returned with two pancakes in hand, ready to share one with Damon, she found the spot where she'd left him completely empty.

"Hmm? Where did Damon go?" Noelle said. She looked around and called his name, but it yielded no response. "Damon? Damon?" Still no reply. She dialed his number. After a moment, he picked up.

"Hello?" Damon's voice came through.

"Damon, where are you? I can't find you," Noelle said, puzzled.

Only then did Damon remember he'd left Noelle behind. But with Leia out on her own, his worry over her safety outweighed everything else. Besides, Noelle was capable of handling herself.

"I'm going to pick up Leia. Just head home on your own," he said flatly.

"What?" Noelle protested. "Why didn't you wait for me? We could've gone together!"

Damon's tone turned sharp. "Why would I wait for you? Do you think Leia being out alone isn't dangerous? I don't have time to wait for you to stroll around."

"You could've at least told me," Noelle muttered, her voice tinged with disappointment. Her complaint only irritated Damon further. Feeling guilty but unwilling to admit it, his frustration boiled over.

"Why should I? We're not close. Just because you came to cheer me on doesn't mean we're suddenly buddies. Leia is my only sister. If you're upset, go cry to Mom, or shut up." With that, he hung up.

Noelle stared at her phone, the screen now dark. Why is Damon so moody all of a sudden? Everything had been fine earlier, but now he was throwing a tantrum. Damon really isn't all there, huh? His emotional stability is concerning, she thought.

With Damon gone, Noelle had no choice but to hail a cab home. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side. Despite waiting for half an hour, she couldn't catch a single taxi. Frustrated, she stomped her feet and muttered, "Where did all the cars go?"

"Noelle?" A deep, magnetic voice called out to her from not far away.

"Huh?" Noelle turned toward the voice and saw a tall, impeccably dressed man in a tailored ash gray suit stepping out of a car and walking toward her. When she recognized his face, her eyes lit up. A radiant smile spread across her face as she ran toward him.

"Nick!"