No longer a pushover

Chapter 188

"Are you free tonight?" Cedric asked.

"I am," Noelle replied casually.

"Put on a nice dress. I'll pick you up later," Cedric said.

Noelle's heart skipped a beat. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," Cedric replied.

After hanging up, Noelle found herself pressing a hand to her warm face. She wondered if Cedric was asking her out on a date. After all, he was never the type to joke around.

She purposely washed her hair and changed into something nice. As she waited nervously, her phone buzzed again.

"I'm downstairs."

When Noelle stepped into the parking lot, Cedric was waiting by his car. He wore a black suit, and his hair was styled perfectly. He looked sharp-more so than usual.

"You look different today," she commented, feeling a little shy.

replied as he opened the

as they drove. She couldn't help but wonder where

car finally stopped outside

Noelle realized this was the

memory of the last time she had been here. In her previous life, Lucas had been honored for his first-place victory in a competition. He brought Xenia along to attend the event and

"You must be the top scorer, Ms. Noelle Liddell! Please come with me to

stunned. She turned toward Cedric, unsure of how

"The game you helped develop had a successful launch, and now, as the top scorer, you're being nominated for this award. It's

exactly how prestigious the

leveraged it to secure investment for a streaming platform, and that investment made all the difference. Now, as she thought about it, Noelle realized how useful the Outstanding Youth Award could be if she wanted to start her own esports team or

to the preparation

interrupted her thoughts. "Noelle? What are

turned around to see Donovan

bother answering. Instead, she focused on

as he was ignored by Noelle. "Do you think you can do whatever

easy," Lucas interjected. "Maybe she's here for the

"What has she done to deserve this? She's just good

defiance felt like a direct

chuckled, standing up and glancing in his direction. "Whether I deserve to be here isn't your concern," she said, grabbing