Chapter 62

Damon felt conflicted seeing Noelle again. After the harsh words he'd said last night, he'd thought he'd made his stance crystal clear. He'd drawn the line, severed any connection between them. Surely, Noelle, after hearing those cutting remarks over the phone, wouldn't still try to cozy up to him. No matter how guilty or not guilty he felt, there was no need to deal with her anymore.

But what he hadn't expected was that when they met again, she could still smile at him so brightly. Is Noelle simply naive, or is she deeply calculating? he thought. Anyone else in her position would have avoided him entirely, so how could she act like nothing had happened?

"Damon, what's wrong?" Noelle, noticing his silence, stepped closer, her wide eyes filled with curiosity. "Your dark circles are huge! Did you not sleep well last night?"

Damon hadn't slept well. After what happened, who could sleep! Looking at Noelle, who seemed entirely unbothered, Damon was baffled. "Noelle, are you brainless or just insane? Why would you dare to talk to me after everything? Are you out of your mind?"

"Damon, is that how you speak to your sister?" Kimberly, overhearing his tone, walked over, her displeasure evident. "And why didn't you bring Noelle home last night? I heard she had to stay over at Nicolas' place."

Here we go again. Hearing yet another interrogation, Damon's irritation flared. "Why should I? I've said a hundred times I don't like Noelle. Why should I be the one responsible for her?"

"Damon, what kind of nonsense is that?" Kimberly asked in disbelief. She'd hoped last night's events would soften Damon's attitude toward Noelle. How could he still be this unreasonable?

"I told you, Mom," Damon said, his face darkening, "I want nothing to do with her. You're the one who insists on keeping her around. If you don't want a repeat of last night, stop shoving her into my life. Otherwise, I can't promise what I'll do."

With that, he turned to leave. But just as he took a step, a small hand grabbed his arm. Looking back, he found Noelle holding onto him. She stared at him intently and asked, "Damon, do you really hate me that much?"

He wanted to say yes. But when their eyes met, those pure, innocent eyes, the word stuck in his throat. Do I really hate her? he thought.

Before he could figure out an answer, Noelle continued, speaking as if to herself. "I don't hate you, Damon. You helped me deal with the guys from your team last night, bought me lamb skewers and pancakes. I think you're a good person. I want to get along with you. Can we?"

Her straightforwardness hit Damon like a sucker punch. Her open, honest words threw him off. Feeling like someone burned, he shook off her hand and backed away several steps. At a safe distance, he lashed out. "Noelle, stop kidding yourself. I only helped you for my own reasons. Let me warn you—don't come near me!"

With the enormous words bellowed, Damon fled like a man escaping a fire.

"Damon! Where are you going now? Get back here!" Kimberly called after him, but Damon only picked up his pace. "Ugh, that boy is going to be the death of me!" Kimberly huffed, hands on her hips, before turning to Noelle.

She saw the gentle smile still on Noelle's face, and her heart ached. "Don't take Damon's words to heart, sweetheart," Kimberly said, trying to comfort her. "He's stubborn and hot-headed, always saying awful things when he's upset." Even though she understood that Damon was so dismissive of Noelle to defend Leia, Kimberly still felt that he was going too far by saying such harsh words to his own sister. She hoped Noelle wouldn't take it to heart.

But Noelle didn't really take it to heart. Noelle, ever unfazed, smiled warmly. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm not upset. Damon's actually a good person—just a little awkward. After all, anyone who'd buy her food couldn't be all bad."

But Noelle's response was like a dagger to Kimberly's heart. If someone treated her that way, Kimberly doubted she'd ever try to reconnect, no matter how strong she was. Yet Noelle wasn't angry or hurt; instead, she gave her brother the benefit of the doubt. Noelle had a heart wider than any of them.

Kimberly's eyes welled up as she stepped forward and hugged Noelle tightly. Her voice trembled. "You… you're always surprising me, Elly. How can you be so wonderful?"

"Huh?" Noelle blinked, confused. "What did I say? Why is Mom so emotional all of a sudden?" Although baffled, she gently patted Kimberly's back and said, "Don't cry, Mom. Isn't it a good thing that I surprised you in a good way?"

Kimberly laughed softly, wiping her tears. "Yes, it is a very good thing. Keep at it, Noelle." She encouraged her daughter, adding, "Damon has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If someone treats him well, he remembers. Spend more time with him; he'll come around."

"Okay," Noelle nodded, flashing a bright smile. Kimberly's heart melted again. Her daughter's smile was truly something magical; it felt like sunshine piercing through clouds, warm and bright.

"Alright, I'm going to find Damon now," Noelle announced. With only a few days left before her military training resumed, she wanted to seize every opportunity to get closer to Damon.

"Go ahead," Kimberly said, then added with a wink, "Damon has a weak spot for kindness. When he says something mean, don't push back; just soften him up. He'll melt."

Noelle's eyes widened with realization. Wow, Mom's like an NPC in a game, always dropping the best tips. She decided to stick close to her mother from now on; this was definitely the way to complete her mission.

After storming out, Damon checked into a hotel. He wasn't even sure why he'd run, but something about facing Noelle just felt off. She's so weird, he thought, lying on the bed. Nothing about her behavior is normal. And the more he thought about it, the more he resolved to avoid her entirely.

Just then, his phone rang.

"Hello! Damon, want to join an underground race?" His teammate's voice was brimming with excitement. "It's being held at Ridgeville Raceway, right near Crestfall City!"

"What's the point?" Damon replied flatly. "You know professional racers aren't supposed to participate in illegal races."

After hearing this, his teammate teased him, "Damon, that's not what you said yesterday. Didn't you say the illegal street race had some hidden talent!"

Damon replied, "The only hidden talent I'm concerned about is Emberling. Everyone else is just a bunch of mediocre drivers."

His teammate seemed to have been waiting for this response and got even more excited, saying, "Damon, do you think I let you join just for fun! I got the tip off that Emberling is participating in this race!"

The moment those words were out, Damon shot up from the bed, shocked. "What did you say? Emberling is joining? Are you sure about the source?"

"It's from the race organizers themselves. It's gotta be true!"

Damon was even more excited after hearing that. Emberling, the legendary racer who achieved nearly impossible feats. Was he finally going to meet them in person!

Just as Damon was feeling elated, there was a sudden knock at the door. Damon thought it was just customer service, so he didn't think much of it and quickly got up to open the door.

To his surprise, when the door opened, a petite and cute girl appeared. She had a playful smile, her eyes curving with joy as she said, "Tada! Damon, I'm here to hang out with you!"

Just as the words left her mouth… the door slammed shut again.

Damon thought to himself, What the heck? Did I just hallucinate? Was that Noelle standing outside the door!