No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 743

Cedric glanced at Noelle but did not call her out on the lie. Meanwhile, the latter stood there with a blank expression, her icy stare locked on Donovan and Frank.

Donovan could barely stay on his feet. He was unraveling fast as he exclaimed, "He's really alive? Then who the hell was the driver that died back then?"

"A stand-in. The crash was planned after they got bought off by the Merlocks," Noelle said coldly. She had already pieced together the truth about what happened that night.

The Merlocks wanted control of that clean energy project, so they bribed Sean, who had a gambling problem, to stage the accident. Sean probably got cold feet and found a stand-in to take the wheel.

Donovan's voice cracked as he connected the dots with the things he had uncovered. "It was the Merlocks, wasn't it? They wanted to steal the clean energy project from our parents."

"So, you figured that part out, too. Yeah, the Merlocks started celebrating their win early that day. And that night—our parents were dead," Noelle said.

In the end, the Merlocks landed the contract, their family business took off, and they became one of Yasnia's powerhouses.

Donovan collapsed onto the ground in despair and shouted, "Where's he? I swear I'll kill him!"

If Sean had not taken the bribe, their parents might still be alive.

Noelle's voice was sharp. "There's still a lot we need to uncover. And I'm not letting the Merlocks walk away from this—they'll pay for what they did."

She turned and looked directly at Donovan. "But you—how does it feel, raising your enemy's daughter all these years?"

"Stop it. Please just stop!" Donovan looked like he was being torn apart from the inside, and the pain was excruciating.

He had raised the daughter of the man who helped destroy their family, treating her like a princess the whole time. His vision blurred with rage and grief, and he nearly fainted.

Frank rushed to steady him, then turned toward Noelle with teary eyes. "Noelle, we're sorry. We didn't know. We didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Noelle snapped, "Working together? That's rich. If it weren't for me, you'd still be completely blinded while Xenia took everything from you. And you wouldn't even know how it happened!"

She looked Donovan straight in the eye. "Weren't you always proud of being the family leader? Look at the mess you made. It's almost laughable."

Donovan could not control his anger and coughed violently. Suddenly, he threw up a mouthful of blood and collapsed. He lay there on the ground, still staring at Noelle. His eyes were filled with guilt, regret, and something much deeper—remorse. He had truly realized just how badly he had messed up.

Noelle stood above him, unmoved. "I don't feel sorry for you. You deserve this."

Donovan clutched his chest, coughing so hard he could not get a word out.

Frank held onto him, clearly heartbroken. He looked up at Noelle and shouted, "Donovan didn't know the truth! We're victims too—do you really have to treat him like this?"

Noelle retorted, "It was his arrogance and ego that blinded him. That's why he never saw through Xenia. Don't tell me you didn't notice she wasn't as pure and sweet as she pretended to be. You just chose to ignore it—because she knew how to make you feel good."