Chapter 88
The weekend came to an end. On Monday morning, Eli was the one driving Noelle and Leia to school.It was a familiar scene.
On the first day of school, Eli had also driven his two younger sisters. Back then, Leia had effortlessly taken the front passenger seat, chatting and laughing with Eli while completely ignoring Noelle in the back. But this time, things played out very differently.
Leia instinctively moved toward the front seat, just as she had before. But before she could get there, Eli had already opened the passenger door and turned to the girl still busy stuffing a chicken drumstick into her mouth. “Noelle, what’s taking you so long? Hurry up.”
Leia froze in place.
Hearing Eli call her, Noelle quickly stepped past Leia and ran toward the car. “Coming!”
Eli took one look at Noelle’s greasy hands and immediately recoiled. His neat freak tendencies kicked in full force:
“Could you not just grab the drumstick with your bare hands?” he said, full of disdain. “Your hands are covered in oil, and get in my car like that?”
“Eli, you don’t get it,” Noelle said with exaggerated seriousness. “This is the best way to eat a drumstick.”
“I don’t care,” Eli shot back, still looking disgusted. “As long as your hands are greasy, you’re not getting in my car.”
“How about I go back and wash them?” Noelle suggested.
you actually think you can
to
uphold.”
Eli’s face darkened. “Go back? Do you have any idea how late we already are? I’m the student council president. I have a reputation
“You’re so annoying, Eli,” Noelle grumbled, pouting dramatically. “Clean them or not? What do you want me to do? Fine, I just won’t take your car. You can go without me.”
だ
She turned around, ready to head back inside, not just to wash her hands, but to grab another couple of drumsticks while she was at it.
Before she could take a step, Eli grabbed the back of her collar and yanked her right back. “Oh no, you don’t.”
“What now?” she huffed.
Eli dragged her toward the car, pulled out a water bottle, twisted the cap open, and said, “Hands. Now.”
Noelle obediently held out her hands.
As he poured water over them, he muttered, “Wash them properly.”
Noelle muttered under her breath, “Eli, there’s no soap. My hands won’t be completely clean, so I still can’t get in your car.”
“Shut up.” Eli shot her a glare.
Once he emptied the bottle, he grabbed a pack of wet wipes from the car and, holding her hands carefully, wiped each of her fingers clean one by
one.
‘Classic Eli. His cleanliness obsession knows no bounds,‘ she wondered.
By the time he was done, Noelle’s hands were spotless and fresh, with not a trace of grease left.
“Wow.” Noelle turned her hands over, marveling at how clean they were. “Eli, you’re amazing! You actually got them clean.”
Eli tossed the trash into a storage bag and rolled his eyes. “Enough talking. Get in the car.”
Noelle climbed in with a grin and teasingly asked, “Eli, if my hands get dirty again, will you clean them for me?”
“Keep dreaming,” Eli snapped. “Just get in.”
“You’re such a tsundere, Eli,” Noelle giggled. “But I know you will.”
Eli shot her a side–eye. “Where do you even learn these weird words?”
The two of them got in, one after the other.
It was only then that Eli noticed Leia still standing there. He looked up at her. “Leia, are you getting in or what?”
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Chapter 88
Leia’s lips pressed together slightly as her gaze flickered between Eli and Noelle. Her expression shifted, unreadable.
Then, in an instant, she flashed a sweet smile, stepped forward, and said, “Coming.”
‘So, Eli’s heart completely belongs to Noelle now?‘ Leia thought. ‘In that case… from now on, we’re enemies.’
.
Because of Eli’s public statement, many students in Noelle’s class started to switch sides.
The students who used to revolve around Leia, trying to win her favor, were now shifting toward Noelle. Between classes, there were always a couple of students coming over to chat with her.
Harley, as always, remained firmly seated beside Noelle. But now, their once–private space was completely gone.
He hadn’t expected so much to happen in the short time he was away that afternoon.
After leaving at lunchtime that day, Harley had been upset about Noelle going to see Nicolas, so he’d skipped the rest of his classes. But later, he found out that in the very same afternoon, Noelle’s brother, Eli, had suddenly shown up in their class and personally cleared up all the rumors.
Speaking of those rumors, just thinking about them made Harley furious. He hadn’t even realized such ridiculous gossip had been circulating behind their backs.
Some people had actually been saying Noelle was an illegitimate child. ‘How the hell did these idiots even get into Eston University? Do they all have connections or something?‘ he thought in exasperation.
At the same time, Harley was frustrated with himself. If he hadn’t been sulking and skipping class, he could’ve been the one to shut down those rumors first. Not only would that have put an end to the nonsense, but it would’ve also brought him and Noelle closer.
Now, not only had he missed that opportunity, but there were also a bunch of annoying people constantly hovering around Noelle.
“Noelle, do you have a favorite group?” Before class started, a few girls had gathered around her, chattering away.
“Group?” Noelle blinked her bright eyes and took a sip of her milkshake before asking, “What do you mean?”
“You know, like an idol group or a band.” One of the girls explained.
“Oh. No, I don’t really have a favorite.” Noelle shook her head.
“No way? Then let me introduce you to one!” the girl said excitedly.
She pulled out a magazine and eagerly recommended, “This group, The Legend! They’re not that famous yet, but they’re super hardworking. I swear, if you start following them, you won’t regret it.”
“Really?” Noelle took the magazine and glanced at it.
That was when she noticed that the group was signed under Radiance Media, Nick’s entertainment company.
“So, they’re with Radiance Media?” she mused.
Nicolas had told her before that everything he had belonged to her, too. Since he owned Radiance Media, that technically made her another owner.
Looking at the celebrities under his company now, she couldn’t help but feel an unexpected sense of attachment like they were her own people. She even felt a hint of protectiveness toward them.
“Yes, yes!” The girls nodded enthusiastically, continuing to gush. “Radiance Media is one of the most influential entertainment companies in Reniam City. They’ve produced so many top–tier artists over the years. With The Legend under their wing, it’s only a matter of time before they blow up.”
Noelle smiled and casually said, “I heard their company is releasing a new song soon.”
That was something Nicolas had mentioned to her over the weekend.
The moment Radiance Media received the ten songs she had composed, they immediately started production, assigning them to different artists, preparing music videos, and setting up a full–platform release.
“Whoa, Noelle, you sure know a lot!” The girls were pleasantly surprised. “Yeah, yeah! Their official social media said they’re dropping a new song this month!”
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1:05 PM
Chapter 88
O
“Hope it does well,” Noelle said lightly. After
all, Nick had paid
3 million
dollars
for just one
of her songs;
if it didn’t turn
a profit, that would
be a
disaster.
“Oh, it definitely will! Once
you
listen to their songs, you’ll see; they just
need
the right
moment to blow
up.”
“The girl sounded confident.
Just
as the conversation was heating up, an excited gasp came from the Entertainment to record a song? That’s insane!”
other
side of the room. “Oh my god! Leia, you
vited
by
Phoenix
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