Chapter 63

Unfortunately for Damon, the sight of Noelle wasn't a hallucination. The door was knocked again, and her crisp voice called from outside, "Damon, why'd you close the door? Hurry up and let me in."

Damon thought, "Damn it. So it wasn't just my imagination."

Leaning against the door, Damon practically shouted, "Noelle, are you insane? How'd you even find me here? And how'd you get into the building without a key card?"

Without missing a beat, Noelle chirped from the hallway, "Damon, you're so silly! I just tracked your location. And getting upstairs? Easy, I just hacked the hotel system!"

Damon was speechless. "Why is everything she says hovering right on the edge of illegal?" Fearing she'd commit another crime, Damon sighed and reluctantly opened the door.

Noelle stepped inside cheerfully, her bright eyes sparkling. She grinned up at him, "Even though you said not to come near you or else you'd hit me, I figured since you can't beat me anyway, it doesn't matter. So, here I am!"

Damon was rendered utterly speechless. While he'd never seen Noelle's combat skills firsthand, he didn't doubt her abilities after last night's fiasco with Erick and Jamari, not to mention her reputation for taking down a room full of instructors. Still, the smug look on her face as she said it made Damon want to hit something. He scowled, his voice ice cold. "Noelle, don't you have any shame? I told you I hate you, why are you still clinging to me? Can't you have a little self-respect? Learn from Leia for once."

Pouting, Noelle replied, "I would act like Leia, but you wouldn't pay attention to me if I did. So I might as well stick to my own methods."

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" Damon growled, glaring at her. "If your only goal is to stay in the Anderson family, go buddy up to Eli. He practically worships you. With him on your side, you'll never have to worry about getting kicked out."

"Nope." Noelle rejected his suggestion without hesitation. "I don't just want Eli to like me. I want all of you to like me," she declared earnestly.

Damon let out a derisive laugh. "You sure have big ambitions." Sure, Kimberly and Eli might have warmed up to her, but Adriel, Bennett, and Charlie still gave her the cold shoulder. As for Vincent, his strict, perfectionist nature made it nearly impossible for him to accept anyone who didn't meet his absurdly high standards.

"Where there's a will, there's a way!" Noelle replied, unfazed by his sarcasm. Flashing a radiant smile, she said, "I believe I'll make all of you like me someday!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that." He turned and opened the door to leave.

"Where are you going, Damon?" Noelle asked, quickly following him.

"None of your business," Damon replied without looking back, striding purposefully ahead.

Noelle shut the door behind her and trotted to catch up, smiling sweetly as she said, "Doesn't matter. I'm sticking with you today."

Her bright, sunny expression made Damon's eye twitch. For a fleeting moment, something in his chest stirred. But he quickly shoved the feeling aside and barked, "Why are you so annoying?"

"Can't help it," Noelle said innocently, batting her eyelashes. "If I weren't annoying, you wouldn't notice me."

Damon shot her a withering glance. "You could be the most annoying person alive, and I still wouldn't notice you."

Noelle thought for a moment, then smiled cheekily. "Well, if you're going to ignore me either way, I might as well annoy you."

Damon was left utterly exasperated. "Why is she like this?"

Damon made his way to the hotel's underground parking garage, with Noelle trailing closely behind.

"Damon, where are we going for pasta?" Noelle asked. It was about lunchtime, after all.

Opening the car door, Damon replied dryly, "Who said we're getting a meal?"

"Huh? If it's lunchtime, isn't it the obvious choice?" Noelle asked.

"You're not coming for a meal," Damon said, getting into the driver's seat.

"Why do you care?" Since the illegal racing competition involving Emberling was going to happen, Damon would definitely participate. It would take several hours to drive to Ridgeville Raceway, where the race would start. He had to hurry.

A little disappointed, Noelle pouted but climbed into the passenger seat without a word. Leia's spot – the passenger seat – typically Leia's, was now occupied by Noelle. Damon glanced at her briefly but didn't tell her to move. Instead, he asked, "You're really coming? Where I'm going, there won't be anything to eat." He'd already witnessed her appetite yesterday. Noelle would definitely complain. He'd starve her for a few meals and see if she still followed him. "There is actually nothing to eat."

The girl's spirits sank even lower upon hearing Damon's words. To his surprise, Noelle nodded solemnly, "It's fine. I'll still go with you."

When he saw her dejected expression, Damon's mood inexplicably improved. "Finally. She's not calling the shots anymore. This feels right."

The thought of meeting Emberling only heightened his spirits as they drove toward Ridgeville Raceway.

After a long drive, Damon and Noelle arrived at Ridgeville Raceway. The buzz around Emberling's rumored participation had drawn an unprecedented number of racers and spectators. Everyone, from participants to onlookers, paid hefty fees to attend. Racers forked over 30 thousand dollars each, while ticket prices varied depending on seating. This event had already made the organizers a fortune.

"Damon! You're late!" Some of Damon's teammates had arrived early. Spotting Noelle behind him, they lit up and greeted her warmly. "Isn't that Noelle? Did you come to..."

"Yeah," Noelle replied politely, nodding to them.

"Did you register me?" Damon asked.

A teammate handed him a card. "Of course. Here's your slot. Since Emberling's racing, this round is more expensive - 300 thousand dollars."

"Got it," Damon said nonchalantly. "I'll transfer the money later."

Noelle, who was standing nearby, blinked in confusion when she heard everyone mention Emberling. "Whoa," Noelle said suddenly, her interest piqued. "Did you say Emberling? As in the one who set the record at Fallwood Raceway?"

"Yeah," one of the teammates replied, surprised. "Didn't know you were into racing, Noelle. Do you like it?"

"Not really," Noelle admitted with a shrug. She didn't race for fun, only for practicality. The time she'd gone to Fallwood Raceway was purely to earn some quick cash. She hadn't expected to accidentally break their record.