No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle stared at her own message with the urge to ask him for answers. Her heart felt as if it had been plunged into cold water, and in the end, she deleted the message in her drafts.

She tossed her phone aside and just stared at Cedric's message, ultimately not giving him a reply. At that moment, Noelle had no idea what to do.

Noon arrived in no time, and she received another message from Cedric. "Let's have lunch together. I brought you a gift from my business trip."

Noelle glanced at the message, but she did not feel like replying to anything. Not long after, her phone started ringing with a call from Cedric.

She did not answer the call, and he called again and again. Each attempt further caused her heart to sink into turmoil.noveldrama

Grace turned to Noelle and asked, "Who's calling you, Noelle? Aren't you going to pick up the call?"

It was only then that Noelle picked up her phone and wrote a reply on WhatsApp. "I'm a bit busy right now. Let's talk some other time."

Cedric frowned upon reading her message. He felt that something was off about her reply. She had never acted like this before.

He wondered if she was really busy with her esports team.

His slender fingers reached out to tap on her profile picture on WhatsApp. He took

a look at her status and saw that there was nothing unusual.

He wondered if she was mad at him because he did not reply to her message last night. That was the only reason Cedric could think of.

Just then, Emma approached him and said, "The doctor said that if grandma undergoes surgery, the risk is relatively high."

Cedric put his phone back into his pocket and looked up at Anastasia inside the ICU, his gaze filled with concern.

Anastasia suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital last night. She was finally brought out of the operating room after an emergency operation that lasted all night.

He pursed his lips and replied, "Let's focus on her current recovery. We can talk about the surgery some other time."

"I think so, too. We must be fully prepared if grandma were to undergo surgery," Emma hesitated for a moment before continuing. "When do you plan on telling Noelle the truth?"

Cedric lowered his gaze and replied, "I haven't had the chance to tell her."

"Grandma wanted me to tell you this. Either you tell Noelle the truth of everything that happened back then, or you break up with her. That's the best choice for the both of you."

Emma did not want them to make the decision, and only when their relationship deepened. Making a decision by then would only be even more painful.

Cedric fell silent. He felt that he was struggling to breathe.

Emma continued, "Grandma and I are doing this for your own good, Cedric."

She deeply regretted urging Cedric to return home back then. Had she not done so, perhaps the car accident would not have happened. But alas, there was no cure for regret in this world.

Standing outside the ICU, Cedric felt as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Just then, Laura walked up to him with a lunchbox in hand. "Mrs. Greene, I made some breakfast. You all should eat something. You've all been staying up all night and not getting any rest. I can watch over Mrs. Greene Senior in your place."

She noticed the tense atmosphere between Cedric and Emma but did not dare to

ask about it. Even as she handed the lunchbox to Cedric, he did not accept the lunchbox and just replied coldly.

"I'm not hungry right now."

Laura replied with sincerity. "Cedric, you should eat a little even if you're not

hungry. Mrs. Greene Senior would be worried if you don't.

"You should go get some rest. I'll stay here with Mrs. Greene. I have experience with taking care of patients, so you don't have to worry."

Emma spoke up as well. "You should get back to work, Cedric. I'll call you if anything happens at the hospital. I hope you seriously consider what I just said. It is what Grandma wanted for you."

Cedric took another look at Anastasia in the ICU before turning to leave. Laura watched him leave before turning back to Emma with feigned nonchalance. "Mrs. Greene, what did you say to Cedric? He seems really upset."

"It's nothing, really. I was just talking to him about grandma's surgery. He's naturally struggling to make a decision, given how much he loves his grandma," Emma replied.

She had not told Laura about the car accident in the past.

Laura nodded in response, but she knew that Emma was not answering her question truthfully. She could tell that they were talking about something related to Noelle.