Chapter 86
Eli’s face froze in shock. “Damon, you…”
Damon calmly met his gaze and asked, “Eli, these past few days, have you been acting strange because you think Leia’s behavior is different from what you expected?”
With one direct hit, Damon pierced straight to Eli’s core.
Eli’s expression stiffened, then he snapped back, “Isn’t it enough to be angry when the sweet, kind little sister I thought I knew turns out to be a completely different person?”
Damon responded coolly, “And have you ever considered that maybe this was all just your wishful thinking?”
“Wishful thinking?” Eli laughed bitterly. “Isn’t it because Leia’s behavior made us all think this way in the first place?”
“When Noelle first came back, she was so gracious. We all rejected Noelle, but she tried to stop us from being so harsh. Now that we’re being a little nicer to Noelle, Leia starts getting jealous. If she couldn’t be gracious, she shouldn’t have acted that way earlier.
But Damon rebutted, “Do you really think she wanted to act that way? When she found out she wasn’t the Anderson family’s biological daughter, can you imagine how terrified she must’ve been? If she had screamed and protested Noelle’s return, what would everyone have thought of her? If she had been rejected, she wouldn’t have had a place in this family.”
“Wait…” Eli was momentarily speechless.
Damon continued, “I’ve known Leia didn’t like Noelle, and I understand how she feels. But you, Eli–Leia is our sister, we’ve been together for over a decade. How can you just start slandering her and pushing her away because of a few things she’s said or done? After all these years, is that all it takes for you to throw everything away?”
Eli was at a loss for words. Damon’s words were harsh but true.
However, something still didn’t sit right with Eli. His hand clenched into a fist by his side as he raised his eyes and asked, “What about Noelle then? What about her?”
Damon frowned. “What do you mean, what about her?”
Eli said, “Leia doesn’t like Noelle. If she sees Noelle becoming more a part of this family, won’t she do everything she can to protect her position by sabotaging Noelle?”
Damon looked unimpressed. “Noelle’s powerful. Who could possibly harm her?”
“Who couldn’t harm her?” Eli snapped back. “This whole rumor thing–it’s harm, isn’t it?”
Damon sneered. “You seriously think Noelle’s hurt by this? You’re an idiot. She’s pretending.”
“What?” Eli blinked in confusion. “Pretending? Pretending to be hurt?”
“Exactly. She’s pretending,” Damon said bluntly. “Noelle is more thick–skinned than you think. You really believe those rumors could hurt her? She’s just showing weakness in front of you to get you to clear things up for her.”
“How could that be?” Eli’s mind buzzed.
The Noelle he thought was innocent and naïve… could she really be that calculating?
Damon, seeing the shock on Eli’s face, softened his expression, then casually added, “But of course, I don’t think that girl has that many tricks up her sleeve. Didn’t you say she went to Nicolas earlier? He’s probably the one feeding her these terrible ideas.”
“Nicolas…” Eli’s anger flared again. “That bastard. I knew it. I should’ve known Noelle wouldn’t get herself into trouble without him behind it. If it weren’t for Nicolas, Noelle would probably be facing an even harder time at school…”
Eli looked at Damon and asked, “Damon, even if Noelle is, as you say, thick–skinned, the harm is still real. This time it’s just verbal attacks, but what about next time? If Noelle and Leia really go head–to–head, which side will you take?”
“Why are you asking such pointless questions?”
“Are you standing by Leia? What about Noelle?”
Eli stared at him intently, almost pleading. “But you’ve started to change your opinion of Noelle, haven’t you? You may not admit it, but I can tell
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Chapter 86
you don’t hate her as much as you used to. If Leia wanted to destroy Noelle, would you still stand by her?”
That question cut deep.
Damon furrowed his brow.
“Why do you think so badly of Leia? Sure, she’s jealous, but she’s just this fragile little girl–what harm can she do? You know Noelle’s skills, and Leia is no match for her.”
“What if she is?” Eli pressed on. “Who would you choose?”
Damon didn’t want to answer such a question. He turned away, saying, “This is pointless. Why should I entertain an assumption with no basis? Yes, Leia’s jealous, but I don’t believe she’d ever go as far as to harm someone.”
With that, Damon walked off, leaving Eli standing there, watching his retreating figure. Eli couldn’t help but sigh.
Honestly, Damon had a point.
His assumptions had no evidence yet. He could only hope that Leia’s jealousy was just that and that she wouldn’t do something foolish.
Noelle wasn’t wasting her weekend either.
With only five months left until the deadline for her mission, she knew she had to speed up her efforts to win over the Anderson family and make them like her.
Kimberly loved cooking, so whenever Noelle was home, she’d join her in the kitchen, experimenting with new dishes. When she learned that Vincent enjoyed chess, Noelle would make her way over to play with him.
After a game, she’d even give him a head massage and prescribe herbal remedies to help him feel more energized.s, the little girl would go over and play chess with him.
At night, both Eli and Damon had the habit of running, so Noelle would stubbornly tag along, running with her two older brothers.
In short, Noelle made it her mission to align herself with the Anderson family’s interests. Whatever they liked, she’d play along, making sure to win their favor.
Over the course of two days, her relationship with the parents and Eli improved significantly.
On Saturday night, the family gathered for dinner.
Noelle and Kimberly had cooked together, preparing a large spread. The table was overflowing with delicious dishes, each looking more tantalizing than the last. The moment the food was laid out, everyone’s mouths watered.
“Mom, did you and Noelle make all of this?” Eli’s eyes went wide as he stared at the spread.
Kimberly beamed with pride. “Of course. Surprised?”
Eli nodded, still in shock.
He picked up piece of fish from the hot pot and tasted it. It was silky smooth, just like from a restaurant.
“This fish is amazing,” he said, marveling at the taste.
Kimberly smiled warmly and hugged Noelle. “See? Noelle’s a great teacher. My cooking’s gotten so much better thanks to her.”
Eli had heard about Noelle’s culinary skills, but tasting her cooking was a revelation, “Wow, Noelle, you really are a master chef.
Noelle pouted slightly, pretending to be upset. “You didn’t believe me before, did you?”
“Hey, I’ve heard about it, but now I’ve tasted it for myself,”
As he spoke, Eli picked up another piece of sweet and sour ribs, which was just as good as the fish.
“Noelle’s not only a great cook, but her medical skills are top–notch too,” Eli remarked.
Vincent chimed in, “The herbal remedy she gave me for my headaches–I had our family doctor check it out. He said it’s actually quite effective. Apparently, the prescription is an old, nearly forgotten formula. Dr. Wu was so excited that he took it to the hospital for further study.”
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Chapter 86
“No way, that’s amazing!” Eli’s eyes widened in astonishment. He turned to Noelle and asked, “What else can’t you do?”
Noelle grinned, unashamed. “There’s nothing I can’t do. If I set my mind to it, I can learn anything.”
“You’re really full of yourself,” Eli teased, but his eyes sparkled with admiration.
“No, I’m just being honest,” Noelle said, her chin held high in pride. “Like chess. I saw Dad likes it, so I only started learning this week.
“This week?” Vincent was taken aback. “Noelle, your skill level is already at a national champion level!”
“Because I’m a genius,” Noelle boasted.
The Anderson family exchanged glances. They knew Noelle could be a bit brash and overconfident, but her talent was undeniable. Still, was it possible for an 18–year–old to be this good at everything?
Leia, on the other hand, was having what she considered her own personal “darkness” descend. The Noelle she had always dismissed as a fool was shattering her perceptions one after another. She almost wished it were all a dream–and that Noelle had never existed at all.
Now, as Noelle boasted about her latest accomplishments, Leia’s disbelief deepened.
She took a deep breath and, unable to hide her bitterness, forced a smile at Noelle. “Noelle, you’re really something. But weren’t you a dropout in middle school? How did you end up knowing all these things? What were you doing before?”
I‘
