No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 549

Noelle did not just see Emma—Laura was right beside her. The moment Cedric heard her say that name, a chill ran down his spine. He turned his head, and sure enough, Emma and Laura were standing at the entrance of L Bistro.

His gaze lingered for a second before he looked down at Noelle and said, "Let's just focus on our meal."

He had already made things crystal clear to both Emma and Laura. He had never agreed to an engagement with Laura before, and now that Noelle was in his life, he certainly was not going to entertain the idea.

Noelle followed Cedric back inside the private dining room. After some thought, she said, "Now that the supplier bribery scandal is out, Ms. Merlock's charity foundation is getting dragged into the mess. That's probably why the Liddells are trying to smooth things over with the Cantrells tonight."

Cedric was well aware of the situation. "Don't worry. If everyone is caught up in the same scandal, they have no right to look down on your parents' foundation."

Noelle looked up at him, unexpectedly touched that he mentioned her parents. She made up her mind—when the holidays came around, she had to bring Cedric home to meet them.

To her, the Liddell brothers were not family—Cedric was the only exception.

Meanwhile, Cedric had already planned how to handle the situation, ensuring that the foundation would not suffer because of it. If it were not for the fact that Xenia's backer was still a mystery, he would have dealt with the entire mess in one go.

Just then, Cedric's phone rang. Seeing Alfred's name on the screen, he handed the menu to Noelle. "Pick what you want to eat. I'll take this call."

Cedric stepped out onto the small balcony and leaned against the railing with one hand. "What is it?"

"You used my name to go on a date at L Bistro again? My aunt just called me, saying one of my 'friends' was at L Bistro, deliberately making things difficult for the Liddells and refusing to let them in."

Cedric's voice was cold. "They deserved a little lesson."

"Fine, but that's not the main issue. Donovan invited my aunt to L Bistro tonight—he's obviously trying to fix the foundation's financial scandal. The Liddells have some nerve to expose this mess, though. They've pissed off quite a few people."

Cedric was not happy about that either. "Ms. Cantrell isn't even your aunt's daughter, so why is she so invested in this?"

"My aunt adores Mia. Do you know how the Cantrell family's business is currently run by the second wife's side?