The moment Vincent so much as thought about cash, his aches and pains seemed to vanish!
Belinda sneered inwardly.
Considering how blind and biased the olddy was, her favoritism had known no bounds. She
treated Noe like the apple of her eye, raising her as if she were a precious gem. Chances were
that bracelet was deliberately left for Noe by the old bat herself!
Why should Noe get it, though? The olddy''s belongings should rightfully go to her own flesh
and blood, her granddaughter! That bracelet was so exquisite; putting it on Noe was like casting
pearls before swine. If only Briony could have it...
Calctions danced in Belinda''s eyes.
"Honey," she conspired to Vincent, "that bracelet must''ve been nicked by Noe. She''s out of our
lives now, so let''s call the cops, say she took Mom''s stuff. She''ll have to return it then, right?"
Vincent, who''d gotten a good thrashing from Noe and still felt tender in the face, hesitated at her
suggestion. "Well... we don''t have proof that the bracelet belonged to Mom. If that little brat insists
it''s got nothing to do with Mom, what then?"
"What do we do then? That bracelet''s worth a fortune! Are we just going to let her have it?" Belinda,
fighting through her pain, was relentless.
Vincent, of course, wasn''t about to let go!
The bracelet was worth a pretty penny; how could he let Noe just walk away with it?
"Here''s the n—I''ll pay off a few influencers to boost our story, im we lost a family treasure.
Once the news spreads, she’ll have no choice but to return it out of fear!"
Vincent had it all nned out. If they could just start an online smear campaign against Noe, she
would undoubtedly cave under pressure and return what rightfully belonged to them!
Unbeknownst to them, Ellsworth, who had been eavesdropping, quietly opened his eyes. Seizing
the moment when they weren''t paying attention, he made his escape.
Why should that precious item ever belong to Vincent''s?
Noe was the future bride handpicked for him by the Lambert and Fuller families. Everything she
owned should rightfully be his!
...
Night fell early in Emerald County. Stars dotted the canvas of the sky, and ra was sound asleep
beside her. Noe had just undone her hair to lie down when she heard a faint rustling noise.
The Schnabel family''s old mansion was well-maintained—no critters here. So, it could only mean
one thing- someone was inside!
Noe nced at ra, picked up her phone, and checked her messages.
Mizar texted: [Boss, some punk''s sneaked into your ce. Want us to handle it?]
[No need.]
Apanying the text were a few candid shots of the intruder—undeniably Ellsworth!
Noe pocketed her phone, stealthily left the room, and ra, almost as if on cue, opened her
eyes.
"Noe..."
Why was her sister up? A bathroom trip, perhaps? But their en-suite should have sufficed.
Confused, ra''s rm spiked when she heard a strange noise.
Panic set in.
RêAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
What if Noe, on her first visit to Emerald County, ran into trouble?
Without even slipping on shoes, ra dashed out in search of Noe.
In the shadows, Ellsworth crouched, scouring for Noe''s room. He''d paid a few local fishermen for
information on which grand doorway the girl had entered. This was thergest house in Emerald
County. Could the girl be some heiress?
The thought set his heart ame with greed.
Visions of Noe''s stunning face and svelte figure made him lick his lips with lecherous desire.
If he could find Noe, take advantage of the situation, would he not win her heart?
His mind was awash with vile thoughts, oblivious to the piercing gaze from above, observing him
from the rafters.
Noe had to act without making a sound; she couldn''t risk waking ra. She touched her
wristwatch, aimed at the intruder''s neck artery, and fired.
Ellsworth copsed silently, and Noe descended from her perch, looking down indifferently at the
man sprawled on the floor like a lifeless pig.
If it weren''t for the risk of causing trouble for ra and the Schnabel family, Ellsworth''s fate would
be more than just unconsciousness.
ra, shlight in hand, finally found Noe.
"Noe! Are you okay? What happened?"
"I''m fine. Caught a burr."
ra eyed the prone figure of Ellsworth with an icy gaze.
"A thief? Since when is the Schnabel family''s security sox!"
Noe shook her head. "I don''t know. I came out when I heard noises, and there he was, on the
floor, bruised. Maybe he''s one of the local gamblers."
In Emerald County, there were indeed quite a few people who gambled all night and failed to pay
up, so incidents like gang fights were notmon but still usible.
ra didn''t question further. She summoned the old butler, who handled the situation and handed
Ellsworth over to the police.
Then, she turned to Noe with serious concern. "Next time, let me handle it. I''m the older sister; it''s
not your ce to step in. If something happened to you, I wouldn''t be able to live with myself!"
It was the first time she''d spoken to Noe like this, her eyes brimming with emotion.
Noe pursed her lips, facing ra. "But you were tired. You needed rest. I didn’t want anyone to
disturb you."
ra paused.
Had Noe imed she was tired that afternoon just to ensure she could get some rest? The
coolness of Noe''s bedding hinted that she hadn''t slept while ra had.
What kind of angel was her sister?
Mixed emotions welled up in ra, but she still scolded firmly. "I can take care of myself, I promise!
But you mustn''t go off on your own next time, okay?"
Noe nodded, her gazending on ra''s bare feet. It was clear that ra was so worried about
her that she hadn''t even noticed her own state.
"ra, can you promise me something? No matter what happenster, you can''t tell anyone else
about it, okay?"
"Huh?"
ra was still puzzled about what Noe was nning when she suddenly felt herself being lifted
off the ground!
Noe had actually hoisted her up and was carrying her back to her room!
"Remember to wear your shoes next time. Get some sleep now."
ra stared at Noe, eyes wide in astonishment, at a loss for words.
Was she... really being carried back to her room by her little sister? Wasn’t Noe''s strength a bit
too much?
Noe paid no mind to ra''s shock; she simplyy down, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
After a moment, ra let out a hidden chuckle and turned to hug Noe beside her, her voice filled
with joy. "I won''t tell anyone. Why would I share how cute my little sister is with them?"
This was a secret just between her and Noe!
...
The next day, at Schnabel Manor, Marcel sat in the garden, perusing the newspaper to catch up on
recent events. Sienna, having finished watering the nts, joined him for afternoon tea.
"Hey, Dad, look at this news piece. It says someone''s family heirloom, a jade bracelet, has been
lost. This bracelet looks really valuable. How could anyone not keep it safe?"
"Let me see." Marcel set aside his newspaper, took Sienna''s phone, and after opening the screen,
he was so shocked he could barely recover. "This bracelet... it''s Harriet''s bracelet!"
"What? You recognize it, Dad?"
Marcel zoomed in and out on the image several times, his hands trembling with excitement, his
eyes welling up with emotion. He nodded, memories flooding back.
"This photo is old, but it''s indeed the bracelet I gave to Harriet! She loved it, even said she wanted
to pass it down to our children. But when Harriet passed away, the bracelet was supposed to be
buried with her. Who posted this? Find out for me!"
Seeing how agitated Marcel was, Sienna realized the significance of the bracelet and quickly
agreed to help.
"Alright, I''m on it!"
Marcel gazed at the image on the phone, tears in his eyes, emotions swirling.
"Harriet, are you still out there? If you are alive, why haven''t youe to find me?"