No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 898

Noelle paused for a moment. "Tomorrow. I'll reach out to the Liddells later and discuss it with them."

If the Liddells still didn't have some minor value left, she wouldn't have bothered involving them at all.

Cedric's hands tightened on the steering wheel. He had always known this day would come.

...

After lunch, Cedric dropped Noelle off at the campus. Then, he sat in the car alone for a long while, deep in thought, before finally dialing a number. "Mom, how's your health lately?"

"Well, look who remembered he has a mother. That's rare," Emma said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I know you don't believe what I've said before," Cedric replied, "but I've found a way to show you the truth. You'll see it for yourself soon."

Emma went quiet for a second. "I thought you'd already forgotten all about that."

"I didn't bring it up earlier because you weren't feeling well. I didn't want it to make things worse."

Cedric's tone was steady.

Emma let out a soft sigh. "Alright. I'll wait to hear from you."

After hanging up, she sat there with a strange heaviness in her chest. She was just a stepmother, and plenty of people had reminded her of that over the years.

However, Cedric was different. He was brilliant, and she was proud of him. Even when they had arguments over the Merlocks, he never disrespected her in public.

Cedric was the rightful heir of the Greene family. If he had wanted to humiliate his stepmother, there wouldn't have been anything she could've done to stop him. That was why she'd agreed to hear him out, because deep down, she did want to know if the Merlocks had truly deceived her.

Just then, Ruth walked up to Emma with food in hand and said, "It's time to eat."

"I'm getting discharged today," Emma said, gently holding Ruth's hand. "You really didn't have to bring food. The housekeepers could've handled it."

Since her husband's death, Ruth had stayed by her side. Emma never forgot that kind of friendship. Now, she found herself caught between a skeptical son and a fiercely loyal best friend.

Ruth's eyes were red as she spoke. "You're the most important person to me. Of course, I had to make sure you're okay. But I heard the Merlocks are going through something right now. Shouldn't you be dealing with that?

"What is it? Do you need funding for something?"

Ruth quickly shook her head. "It's not money. It's... that car accident years ago. Noelle and the Liddells are planning to reopen the investigation. If that happens, the Merlocks will definitely get dragged in again—and we'll be in even deeper trouble."

Emma didn't look surprised at all. "You should've never done something illegal in the first place."

"I know it was wrong, okay?" Ruth said, starting to tear up. "But Noelle won't let it go, and I didn't mean for any of it to happen. It was the driver who acted on his own. Please, you're my best friend... You have to help me."

Emma deeply regretted being involved and replied, "How can I possibly help you with this? Ced was haunted by that accident for years."

But Ruth was practically sobbing now. "If you don't help me, I've got nowhere left to turn."

Emma looked at her long and hard, then said quietly, "Then, turn yourself in."

The tears on Ruth's face froze in place. She could not help but doubt her hearing when Emma told her to turn herself in.