No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 409

Donovan's voice was laced with cold amusement. "Looks like it's your turn to beg me now."

He vividly remembered what'd happened at Maple Enterprise and how Noelle had forced him to plead with her. That incident had left him fuming, and now he could finally say the same words to her. He'd wondered how long she could hold out.

Yet, Noelle coldly replied, "No. You're the one who still needs to beg me."

Donovan scoffed. "I've tolerated you again and again for Mom and Dad's sake. But if you still don't know your place, get out of the office before they find out and feel heartbroken."

Noelle glanced around the office. She quickly spotted the framed writing their father had written. "Nothing Worth Having Was Ever Achieved Without Effort."

She remained where she was and said, "Actually, you're the one who called me here."

"Called you here? Don't be ridiculous; why would I ever call you?

"Leave now. I have work to do. I found someone else to rewrite the code for the firewall system even without your help." His tone was full of mockery as he added, "No one is irreplaceable."

"You're right, but I'm the person you found on the black market," Noelle calmly stated.

"That's impossible." Donovan denied it almost immediately. "I sought out someone with a strong reputation on the black market. How could a kid like you be famous out there?"

Noelle's voice remained steady. "I took the job as a freelance gig to earn some money. Designing firewall systems isn't new to me, after all.

"I'm familiar with the process. But when I realized it was you after seeing the company address, I turned it down."

Her calm gaze locked onto Donovan, whose expression turned ugly. The expert he'd contacted indeed turned down the offer after seeing the company address. He lowered his gaze to the documents on his desk and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Noelle continued, "The first time I registered on the black market was when Frank's tech company ran into trouble. I wanted to teach myself programming so I could help.

"Later, Frank found out and forbade me from getting involved with the black market again."

She stopped. Sarcasm filled her eyes as she replied, "Isn't it tiring for you to always guilt-trip me?"

Donovan was instantly enraged. He pointed at the framed writing and shouted, "How dare you say that in front of Dad's words!"

"What about you? Can you look at those words and honestly say you've worked hard to reap everything you've achieved? Do you not feel even a shred of guilt?"

Noelle refused to back down and pressed, "At least I don't lie to myself or guilt-trip others, all the while pretending my hands are clean."

With that, she turned and walked out. Behind her, a loud crash erupted as Donovan swept everything off his desk in a fit of rage. She could hear him shouting from the hallway, "Come back here!"

Noelle's lips curled slightly. She'd known all along that Donovan wouldn't hold out for long.

Outsiders might leak Liddell Corporation's secrets, but she had no reason to. This was, after all, the branch office their parents had found. She stepped back into the office.