No longer a pushover

Noelle's eyes carried a cold glint as she refuted, "How could I have known Xenia's plan? This is just karma at work."

She glanced at the empty milk bottle on the table. "There's still a little left inside. I'll use it as evidence."

She hadn't drunk the milk and poured most of it out to leave just enough for proof.

Frank looked at Noelle with a complicated gaze. He'd guessed that she'd known about Xenia's plan and simply played along so that Xenia could have a taste of her own medicine. They'd all figured it out.

Frank urged, "Go ahead and get some rest in the guest room, Noelle. We'll deal with this tomorrow."

Noelle turned and entered the guest room.

Once she left, Frank couldn't help but say, "Have you noticed how much Noelle has changed, Blake? She knew about Xenia's vicious scheme and could've stopped it, yet she stayed in the bathroom and watched as Gordon..."

He couldn't accept that Noelle had just stood by and done nothing.

Blake scoffed. "If Noelle hadn't been smart, she would've been the victim tonight. I think she did the right thing, and Xenia deserves to suffer the consequences of her actions."

"But was this really necessary? Couldn't we just give Xenia a lesson?" Frank was unsettled by the fact that Noelle had watched Gordon assault Xenia without interfering.

"You're too soft, Frank. Noelle did the right thing, and we should call the police to have them investigate. Maybe they'll find evidence linking this to Xenia."

the reputation of the ladies in our family. Plus,

They would see how

returned to the guest room and locked the door. As she lay in bed, she thought about Gordon and Xenia's thrilling scene and figured the latter must be seething

to sleep, so she picked up her phone and saw a message from Cedric telling

show, but you're probably asleep by now. I'll tell you about it

Cedric video-called her. Noelle answered and looked at him on the

as he said, "Because

all night, would you

just wait

knew he wasn't joking. Rolling over on the bed, she said, "It's

"What happened?"

tried to set me up, but she ended up suffering the consequences herself." She recounted the

his expression darkened instantly. "I'll pick

need. I'm

only person she can control, and now that he's

left for

on is

father, who's very much