Chapter 6 Unexpected Gifts and Emotions

• Knowing that her daughter had returned home after an argument with her dad, Lindsey, feeling overwhelmed and deeply upset, shared, "Noelle, explaining what's going on between your dad and me isn't easy, but you need to know. Lewis loves you a lot. He loves you just as much as I do. You really should try talking to him more openly."
• Noelle stayed quiet. The original plot given by customer service had minimal information about the original character's father, and Noelle wasn't sure about the true nature of Lewis as a Yumera tycoon. All she knew from the brief descriptions was that he was strong-willed and decisive.
• Catching onto her daughter's silence, Lindsey sighed heavily and grabbed her phone. "You know, Noelle, maybe you should hit up Lewis. He got in touch with me yesterday, worried about you, but also kinda scared you wouldn't want to talk to him."
• Before Noelle could say no, Lindsey was already calling, and in no time, someone picked up.
• "Hello, Lind … "
• The voice that came through was deep and charming, instantly giving off the vibe of a gentlemanly and noble personality on the other side of the call.
• "Lewis, Noelle's looking to have a word with you."
• The phone was quickly handed over to Noelle.
• A bit unsure at first, Noelle paused, thinking what to say. But then, it was Lewis on the other end who ended up breaking the silence.
• Lewis's voice was soft and soothing as he tenderly inquired, "Noelle, my little princess, are you still upset with me?"
• Noelle finally whispered, "Dad."
• Lewis exhaled slowly, saying, "I was worried you might never want to talk to me again."
• Though his Cucan language wasn't perfect, the warmth and affection in his voice were unmistakable over the phone. Noelle wasn't used to feeling such genuine care and love, which evoked a whirlwind of emotions in her.
• She let out a soft sniffle, which didn't go unnoticed by Lewis, his voice filling with concern. "Please, don't cry, my little princess. It's my fault. Since your birthday is coming up, I've bought you the castle you've always loved as a gift for your seventeenth, okay?"
• Noelle's emotional flood stopped abruptly, and she was momentarily stunned.
• Birthday gift? A castle?
• Noelle knew the wealthy Norman family well, but experiencing their luxury firsthand astounded her.
• Lindsey hung up the phone and stepped out, leaving Noelle on the bed till she could not fully gather her thoughts.
• As Noelle tried to make sense of the news about the castle, Nelson woke up in the hospital elsewhere.
• The moment he opened his eyes, he almost immediately sat up, his gaze dark and wary. But then he realized he was in the hospital.
• A nurse came in and, seeing him suddenly sit up, hurriedly scolded, "What are you doing? The needle might fall out, and the IV hasn't finished yet. Don't move around!"
• That snapped Nelson back to reality.
• "Excuse me, can you tell me who brought me here?" Nelson asked the nurse.
• Initially annoyed by his sudden movement, the nurse's attitude softened when she saw his pale yet striking features and answered, "A girl about your age."
• She couldn't help but add, "You ought to be more careful at your age. Stay clean and avoid messing with all sorts of random stuff. You're young and can easily harm yourself."
• A cold look flitted through Nelson's eyes, and he quietly said thanks.
• Once the nurse finished her check and left, Nelson leaned back in bed, reaching for his phone with his free hand, and opened the school group chat to look for Madeline, hesitating for a moment.
• Then, the events leading up to his blackout gradually came back to him.
• He remembered the person who helped him out of the alley when he was barely conscious and ... the biting when he almost lost control of the car.
• Noticing the 'Sinclair' name on the school badge through his hazy sight, Nelson leaned forward, pressing his forehead in frustration and fatigue.
• That must be Madeline.
• She wanted to help him initially, even though those people scared her away. But did she come back later?
• Nelson didn't want to involve himself with unrelated people. Still, she saved him, paid for his medical expenses, and he offended her in the car.
• With no particular emotion, Nelson sent a friend request, and she immediately accepted it.
• Nelson texted her. 'Thanks for today.'
• Madeline quickly replied. 'No problem. Are you okay?'
• Yeah, I'm good. I'll pay you back for the hospital bills in a few days. Sorry about the car incident, I didn't mean to offend you.' Nelson replied.
• Madeline didn't text back, and Nelson didn't recheck his phone. After setting his alarm, he shoved his phone under his pillow and fell into a deep sleep.
• Meanwhile, Madeline, talking with her mom, Zoey, glanced at Nelson's message and paused for a second. A confused look crossed her face before she figured something out.
• Someone had saved Nelson and paid for his medical expenses; he thought it was her.
• Madeline wasn't sure if her guess was correct, so after some thought, she decided not to respond to Nelson. She neither confirmed nor denied anything.
• "Who was that?" Zoey asked.
• Madeline slipped her phone away. "Oh, just a classmate asking about something," she replied.
• With a burst of anger, Zoey sighed and said, "Tomorrow, take the necklace to school and give it back to that mixed-race girl. It seems Lindsey and Noelle aren't as rich as they appear."
• Madeline's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Mom, did you visit Aunt Lindsey?"
• Zoey responded with a 'hmph' and shared details about her visit to Lindsey and Noelle.
• Madeline smirked to herself. Considering how grand Noelle usually acted at school, she thought Lindsey had married a wealthy man abroad. Turns out it was all a show.
• Remembering this, Madeline pulled a jewellery box from her school backpack, revealing a sparkly gemstone necklace almost identical to the one Zoey borrowed from Lindsey.
• Except this one was a high-quality imitation.
• Madeline grinned, showing the fake necklace to her mom.
• Zoey was momentarily puzzled, then her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together. "Yes, return this to her ... I've worked hard all these years taking care of her parents, and in the end, she's so stingy over a necklace. I won't return it to her. This is what she owes me."