No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 4

Noelle hung her head low and began hacking violently. Her thin back was hunched as though she might cough up her lungs.

"Don't think that I won't teach you a lesson just because you're pretending to be sick!" Blake snapped. "You were supposed to look after Xenia at school, fetching her water and food. Yet you dared to have her serve you instead!

"Not only were you ungrateful, but you even intentionally tripped her. Do you even have any conscience?"

Holding back a cough, Noelle managed to say, "I didn't push her. She fell on her—"

"Are you trying to say that she fell because she lost her balance? Do you think I'd believe such a poor excuse? Are you going to admit that you did it on purpose?"

Noelle's eyes stung as she straightened her back. "I'm not."

The slap hit her like a sudden gust of wind, sending a wave of unbearable pain through her cheek. But the pain she felt was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. It hurt so bad that she felt numb from the agony.

"Blake, why did you hit her?" Frank strode in and dragged Blake aside, who was still seething.

"She did something so malicious and still refuses to admit it. I don't have such a ruthless and unrepentant sister!"

Standing at the door, Xenia looked pitiable with her bandaged hand. Her eyes reddened as she began, "Blake, I said it was my fault. It has nothing to do with Noelle."

"Xenia, you're just too kind. I have to teach Noelle a lesson today so she doesn't go down the wrong path!"

As Blake raised his hand again, Cedric suddenly rose to his feet. The screech of his chair against the floor reverberated across the room.

Noelle glanced at him. Looking impassive, Cedric leaned against his desk and asked, "Are you Ms. Liddell's family?"

Frank nodded. "Yes. We're her brothers."

"She has a fever of a temperature of 103°F, and I suspect that she has an infection. She has to undergo further checkups. She also has hypoglycemia and is slightly malnourished!"

"I-Is she really sick?" Blake sputtered, visibly stunned. He thought she'd been faking her illness to avoid taking responsibility.

"Then you might want to check your eyesight," Cedric suggested calmly. "It's so obvious, yet you can't tell."

Noelle's pale complexion was a telltale sign of her sickness. How could they not see it?

"What are you implying?" Blake gritted out.

"Nothing. I'm being very clear," Cedric replied coldly, frowning. "Although she's your adopted sister, it's your responsibility to care for her since you took her in."

Realizing that Cedric had assumed that she was the Liddell brothers' adopted sister, Noelle sneered.

"She's our biological sister. She's not adopted," Frank quickly said.

"That's quite hard to tell," Cedric quipped, raising an eyebrow. "If you hadn't said she was your sister, I was about to report to the police that someone here is abusing a minor."

Blake's gaze fell on Noelle's swollen, red cheek.

"What do you know?" he snapped. "I'm teaching her a lesson!"

Frank fell silent. He had thought that Noelle was healthy, unlike Xenia, who might get sick from falling into the pool.

Sneering at Cedric, Blake continued, "You've no idea how often Noelle likes to avoid responsibility by faking illness. This time, she even made Xenia fall on purpose.

"Xenia's father died saving her. Sometimes, I truly want to cut open her heart to see if she has any conscience!"

Noelle's throat burned with pain. She wanted to explain but ultimately said nothing. Even if she did, they wouldn't believe her anyway.

Xenia bit her lip. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so clumsy and tried to force myself to bring food to Noelle."