Rebirth: She Cuts Ties and Takes Revenge (Noelle Kain) novel Chapter 558

Noelle couldn't help but wonder why Christine was doing this.

"Have some coffee." Christine gestured toward the cup beside Noelle's hand. "You worked hard with the needle therapy."

Noelle lowered her eyes to the coffee and narrowed them slightly. This coffee...

She didn't say anything and was just about to pick it up when...

"Aunt Christine! Aunt Christine! I heard you called that Kain girl over here?"

The door slammed open, and Shirley stormed in.

The second she saw Noelle, her face darkened instantly, and her voice shot up several octaves. "Why are you here? Who said you're worthy of coming to the Duncan Residence?"

Noelle set the cup back down without a word.

Shirley whipped around toward Christine, her voice sharp and frantic. "Aunt Christine, have you lost your mind? She's just some newcomer who barely got into the Medicine Department, an outsider who's not even registered in the system, and you're treating her this politely? Do you even know how arrogant she is? During the test, she stole my spotlight, and in the dorms, she talked back to me. She—"

"That's enough." Christine's voice wasn't loud, but it was ice-cold.

Shirley froze.

She stared at Christine and saw her expression sink.

The warmth vanished from her eyes, replaced by a pressure so cold that it felt suffocating.

"Did you forget the Duncans' rules?" Christine rose to her feet and walked over to Shirley. "I'm entertaining a guest, yet you burst in screaming like this. What kind of behavior is that?"

Shirley's face turned bright red, and her lips trembled. "Aunt Christine, I didn't—"

"Apologize."

"What?"

"Apologize to Ms. Kain."

Shirley's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked at Christine, then at Noelle. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she finally gritted out, "No! Why should I apologize to her? What does she even—"

Slap!

The crack of the slap rang through the room.

Shirley clutched her face as tears streamed down instantly.

She stared at Christine like she didn't even recognize her.

Ever since she was little, Christine had always been strict, but she had never once hit her.

Noelle sat down on the stone bench and said coldly, "There's something wrong with Christine.

"She was way too polite to me."

Noelle told them about Christine inviting her over for needle therapy, then about Shirley barging in and causing a scene, and finally, how Christine slapped Shirley in front of her.

"She apologized to me and said Shirley was spoiled rotten, told me not to take it personally. Then she offered me coffee and said I could go to her if I ever needed help in the future." Noelle frowned. "This was our first meeting, yet she acted so politely. It's too abnormal."

Lucas scratched his head. "Maybe she really admires your medical skills? Didn't Mr. Shelton praise you nonstop in front of her? If she got curious and wanted to meet you herself, that doesn't sound too strange."

"It is strange." Jasper shook his head, his voice low. "She's the head of the Duncans, the person in charge of the strongest family among the Four Great Families. Someone small, like a new Nightfall Circle recruit, isn't worth this much effort from her. Apologizing, showing goodwill, even slapping her own niece in front of you... It's too deliberate."

"Yeah, she's too eager." Noelle agreed with Jasper. "First meeting, and she's apologizing, showing goodwill, even slapping Shirley right in front of me. She's trying to win me over, and she's doing it way too directly. Someone in her position shouldn't act like that."

Lucas wasn't stupid. He was just simpler than the other two. But even he understood once they laid it out this clearly.

"Yeah, something's definitely off." He rubbed his chin. "The head of the strongest family apologizing to nobodies like us, trying to win favor, even slapping her own niece in public... nobody would think that's normal. People don't show kindness for no reason..."

"They usually hide evil intentions," Jasper finished the sentence.

The three of them fell silent. None of them could figure out what Christine actually wanted. Noelle had only come to the island to find Sebastian, and Lucas and Jasper were the only people who knew that. Christine couldn't possibly know. Noelle was just a newcomer in the Nightfall Circle. She had no power or influence, and she wasn't even registered in the system. What could Christine possibly gain from trying to recruit her?