No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 653

Noelle noticed Donovan looked so pissed off he could open a paint shop with all the shades of red on his face, and that alone made her enjoy her dinner a little more than usual.

Donovan glared at her. "Noelle, are you done yet?"

She teased, "Aww, you're mad already? You're the oldest, so you should be the mature one. Don't be so petty. We're family, remember? Taking a loss is a blessing and all that."

Noelle hit him with his own favorite catchphrases, and Donovan was so furious that he stormed away from the table. She actually laughed out loud—he really had no one to blame but himself for always preaching that crap.

"Noelle, you've got no right to go around preaching about 'family. ' Look at the stuff you've done—none of it looks like something a real family member would do," Wyatt snapped.

Noelle shot him a cold look. "I was just mouthing off. Do you actually take that seriously? Being related to you feels like a cosmic curse."

She finished eating quickly, pushed her chair back, and headed for the door.

Wyatt, who was still fuming, shouted after her. "Noelle! Stop right there! That dinner was made for me by Xenia—who gave you the right to eat it?"

Noelle turned right back around.

Wyatt looked smug as hell. "If you're gonna eat someone else's food, the least you can do is show manners."

Without a word, Noelle flipped the entire dinner spread off the table. The plates clattered and shattered everywhere. She dusted off her hands. "I think this is way more polite."

A plate landed upside-down on Wyatt's lap, and his face twisted with rage. "Noelle! I swear I'm gonna kill you!"

Noelle did not even look back, but she definitely felt a lot better. At this point, she realized words were useless with the Liddells. Actions were way more effective.

Wyatt was so angry that he lost his appetite and snapped at Xenia, "What are you waiting for? Help me upstairs so I can shower."

Xenia, who was obviously unwilling, forced a smile and silently wheeled him toward the stairs.

...

Xenia hopped in a cab and headed straight for the car dealership—she could not take it anymore. Staying with the Liddells was killing her.

Just minutes after she left, Noelle followed right behind. She had guessed Xenia might pull something tonight, but she had not expected her to go straight to the dealership. That meant she was really done pretending.

Noelle met Tilly nearby, and together, they watched as Xenia stepped out of the cab in front of the dealership.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man emerged from the shadows, clearly watching his surroundings like he was being hunted. When he saw Xenia, he frowned.

"Why'd you show up out of nowhere? I told you—we talk on the phone if anything comes up."

"I couldn't take it anymore. Look at my face—I'm being treated like a housekeeper over there," Xenia said, voice shaky. She was not going to live like that for one more day.

"I told you to wait it out," the man muttered.