No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Xenia hadn't heard that nickname in a long time. She had always carried a lingering doubt. Her father had been an abusive gambler who, whenever he lost money, would come home and take it out on her and her mother. Eventually, her mother couldn't take it anymore and ran away. As a girl, Xenia's life hadn't been any easier.

Then, one day, her father died while trying to save someone. She was taken in by the Liddell family and started living with them.

She had always felt something about this story didn't add up because her father hadn't been a good man, and it didn't make sense that he would have saved someone. But Xenia had never dared to voice her suspicions, afraid that she'd lose her comfortable life if the Liddell family looked into it.

She'd tried to bury those doubts, accepting everything the Liddell family gave her. But now, panic surged within her after receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be her father. What if her father was still alive?

Then what had really happened with the car accident all those years ago? Xenia couldn't bring herself to think about it any further. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Xenia, does it really take you this long to change clothes?"

It was Lucas's voice from outside, pulling Xenia back to reality. "I'm done."

She quickly blocked the earlier call and deleted all the call records, pretending it had never happened. It must have been a scam. Her father had been dead for so long-there was no way it could be real. After regaining her composure, Xenia walked out of the room. "Let's go, Lucas."

Lucas sounded a little impatient. "Girls are such a hassle when going out."

Noelle stepped out of the car and followed Cedric and Alfred as they walked. However, the bar's sign seemed strangely familiar to her. Wasn't this the bar where Xenia had humiliated her in her past life? What a coincidence.

Cedric noticed the shift in Noelle's expression. "What's wrong? If you don't like this bar, we can go somewhere else."

"It's fine; this bar is pretty famous. It's been quite popular lately, right?"

Alfred turned around and nodded. "That's right, this place has been really lively."

Cedric gave Noelle a deep look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"What could possibly go wrong with you here?"noveldrama

Noelle quickly masked the disgust she had just shown. After all, this wasn't her past life. She wouldn't let Xenia bully her without retaliation this time.

Cedric watched Noelle's back,

feeling like her expressions didn't quite match her age, which created an odd sense of incongruity. He wasn't sure if it was just his

imagination.

The three of them entered the bar, and Noelle put on a fox mask. Tonight's theme was a masquerade ball. It was exactly like her past life.

She remembered that in her past

life, Xenia had been flirting with the campus heartthrob, Justin, at the bar. In order to defend her, Justin pretended to confess to Noelle in front of everyone.

In that life, Noelle's romantic life had been barren. When a boy made his first confession to her, it was met with the cruelest ridicule. The worst part had been that Lucas was there, defending Xenia and calling it

a joke.

Just

She had been humiliated and laughed at. She was eager to see how things would play out this time.

As Noelle walked into the main hall, rhythmic music filled the air. She stepped inside and saw the lights shining on the stage.

Justin walked up to a girl wearing a small rabbit mask with a bouquet.

Noelle immediately recognized the girl in the rabbit mask-it was Xenia.