Chapter 72
Leia felt a little intimidated by Harley's stare. She flinched, lowering her voice as she asked, "Harley, what… what's wrong?" It wasn't her fault Noelle left this time, and she hadn't done anything. Harley surely wouldn't take his anger out on her again, right?
Harley clenched his fists tightly. Logic told him that Leia hadn't done anything wrong this time. But something inside him made him feel like Noelle leaving was somehow tied to Leia. After all, why would Noelle suddenly walk off? If it wasn't for this woman dragging things out, would Noelle have left? Damn it. Every time Leia appeared, something bad happened.
The more Harley thought about it, the angrier he became. He hadn't seen Noelle in two weeks and had planned to take her out for some good food, hoping to get closer. But because of Leia, everything was ruined.
"Uh, Harley…" Leia saw Harley's expression darken and felt a mix of fear and frustration. She reached out, wanting to comfort him, but he recoiled in disdain, coolly staring at her.
"Since Noelle left, there's no point in having pasta now. Go find your friends," Harley said.
Leia froze, feeling as though a cold bucket of water had been poured over her. She could hardly breathe, her surprise and disbelief suffocating her. She bit her lip, unwilling to accept it, and asked, "Harley, why? Does it mean we can't have pasta just because Noelle's not here?"
"There's no need," Harley replied, his handsome face as cold as ice. "Leia, we're not that close." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Leia standing there, her heart chilled even in the heat of summer. She was overwhelmed with sadness, jealousy, and anger, unable to understand why Harley treated her so differently than Noelle.
What did Noelle have that made her deserve all of this?
"Leia!" A clear, pleasant voice called from behind her. Leia turned around to see Eli, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Eli…" she choked out, on the verge of crying.
"What's wrong!" Eli asked, seeing Leia on the brink of tears. He hurried over to her. He had come to find Noelle and Leia, planning to take them out for some pasta. Noelle hadn't been at school for the past two weeks, and Eli had hoped to help her catch up and fit in. He figured that by spending time with them, people would treat Noelle more kindly. But now, when he arrived, he found Leia crying, and Noelle was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Noelle? Why are you the only one here?" Eli asked, scanning the area.
Leia, seeing how concerned Eli was for Noelle, felt her anger flare. That bitch had already stolen Harley's attention, and now she was even taking Eli's care away from her. She gritted her teeth. "Eli, Noelle went to find Nicolas."
At the mention of Nicolas, Eli's expression darkened immediately. "Aren't you supposed to be in class this afternoon? Why would she go off to find Nicolas in the middle of the day!"
"I don't know, she just left without saying anything." Leia lowered her head slightly, sounding aggrieved as she continued, "We were supposed to have pasta together—me, her, and Harley—but she just left without a word, and Harley, feeling stood up, left alone."
Eli's brow furrowed deeper. He had always thought Noelle was just naive, unaware of social nuances. But now, what she was doing had completely changed his perception. For a man, she was skipping classes and breaking promises, leaving Leia to pick up the slack. Was it just Nicolas for her? Had she forgotten about everything else?
Leia noticed Eli's growing anger and felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. She sighed dramatically, saying, "Eli, I always thought if Noelle was happy, that was enough. But now, seeing how she's dropping everything for Nicolas, I don't think it's right. She's acting like she has no self-respect, all wrapped up in a relationship. Who knows what she'll do for a man in the future, right?"
Eli was troubled by Leia's words, which echoed his own concerns. He feared Nicolas had a strong hold over Noelle, and if things continued this way, she might cut ties with her family for him.
Leia saw that Eli wasn't responding and continued. "Eli, maybe you should call Noelle and tell her to come back?"
Eli snorted. "Forget it. If her heart's with Nicolas, even if I call, she won't come back."
"Then what should we do!" Leia asked, sounding tired. "We still have class in the afternoon. She's not going to skip that for Nicolas, is she?"
Eli's face darkened as his muscles tightened. He gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it, Leia. Don't worry about it. If Noelle wants to ruin herself, let her. I'll take you to eat pasta. You wanted to join the student council, right? Afterward, I'll take you there!"
"Alright, Eli," Leia replied, flashing him a sweet smile, her eyes glinting with a spark of triumph. Though she couldn't win Harley's attention yet, at least she had managed to make Eli dislike Noelle even more. That wasn't such a loss.
When Noelle arrived at Nicolas's company, Bryan, the secretary, immediately escorted her to the top floor. In the company, Nicolas's identity was shrouded in mystery. Only the top executives had seen him in person, and the rest of the employees had no idea what he looked like.
When Noelle arrived at the CEO's office, Nicolas had just finished a meeting.
"Noelle." Nicolas's deep, soothing voice rang out. Noelle turned to see her tall, handsome, suit-clad Nick. The moment she saw him, a wave of frustration overwhelmed her. Without thinking, she ran straight to him. Before Nicolas could react, she crashed into his chest like a child reuniting with her father, calling out, "Nick…"
Nicolas was pushed back by the impact, taking a couple of steps, but he immediately wrapped his arms around Noelle, stabilizing himself. He gently ruffled her hair, his voice full of tenderness as he asked, "What's wrong? You look so upset."
"Hmm?" Noelle had been feeling frustrated, but now, hearing Nicolas's concern, she suddenly felt the weight of her emotions. She clutched his silk shirt tightly, her face scrunched up in both frustration and indignation as she poured her heart out. "Nick, I'm so angry right now…"