No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

As Noelle looked at Cedric, she felt a sudden warmth spread across her face. She quickly stammered, "Sir, you misunderstood. He's not my boyfriend."

The barbecue shop owner chuckled. "I know. You young folks always say that, but he's quite handsome."

Noelle blushed and quickly returned to her seat. Cedric looked up and asked, "What did he say?"

"Nothing," she replied, then quickly changed the subject, "Would you like to have something?"

"I'm not hungry," Cedric said.

He wasn't particularly fond of this kind of food. He noticed the owner had brought a plate of appetizers and two cans of beer. He frowned at Noelle. "You shouldn't drink beer. It's not good for you." Noelle felt a little annoyed. "I'm an adult now, why can't I?"

After finally signing with Firestorm Entertainment, she felt financially independent and had her own income. Why couldn't she celebrate?

Cedric took the beer from in front of her and placed it in front of himself. "No."

Noelle felt a little frustrated. Just then, Cedric's phone rang, and he stood up, saying, "I need to take this call."

As Cedric walked away, Noelle secretly grabbed the beer and took a sip. If he wasn't going to let her drink, then she would do it anyway. Cedric stepped aside to take the call. "Hello, Mom."

His mother, Emma Brown, asked, "Ced, is the business in Aldoria finished yet?"

"Almost," Cedric replied.

Emma seemed pleased. "That's good to hear. Your engagement with Laura Merlock should be moved forward. What do you think?"

Cedric glanced down at the road stretching before him. "Let's talk about it when I get back. You should rest."

Emma added, "Laura is a good girl. She comes to visit me when you're not around. You don't have any girl you like, so why not marry someone from a good family? What do you think?" Cedric's expression darkened. He pursed his lips and said, "Please take care of yourself."

After a few more minutes of calming his mother, he ended the call. He looked down at his phone and sent a message that read, "Check on the recent activities of the Merlock family."

Cedric stood still in silence. After a moment, he turned back to look at Noelle, only to find her drinking the beer. He frowned and quickly walked toward her. "Who told you to drink that?"

As the beer was taken from Noelle's hands, she looked up at Cedric. "I did it myself. What's the problem?"

Cedric glanced at the several cans of beer on the table. It seemed she had drunk quite a bit. He let out a sigh and said, "Check, please."

The shop owner teased, "Your girlfriend's had quite a bit. She was planning to order more, but I didn't sell it to her."

Cedric took out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay the bill. "She's not my girlfriend."

The barbecue shop owner grinned knowingly. "Young man, I can tell. That girl seems to like you. If you don't feel the same, you'd better keep your distance." Cedric's expression hardened. "Mind your own business."

After paying, Cedric returned to the small table and saw Noelle leaning on it, mumbling something.

With a neutral expression, he gently lifted her up. "Noelle, wake up."

"What's up?" she mumbled.

"Time to go home."

Noelle shook her head. "I don't have a home anymore. Now, I'm a wanderer."

Cedric saw the faint traces of tears in her eyes. He pulled her into an embrace and said, "Stop talking nonsense."

"I'm not, I'm fine," Noelle protested.noveldrama

She looked up at him, noticing how handsome his profile looked. Then, she reached up and gently touched his face. "Sir, has anyone ever told you that you're really handsome?"

Cedric's throat tightened, but he said nothing. He simply walked toward the car. After putting Noelle in the passenger seat, he went to the driver's side. Then, he looked at her awkwardly and said, "Buckle your seatbelt."

Noelle blinked, then smiled. "Oh, right. The seatbelt!"