No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

"I recorded the entire incident of your harassment on my phone. So, what am I doing? Making sure you end up behind bars-how does that sound?" Noelle shot back, her voice sharp.

She then pulled Grace to her feet. "Since we clearly can't enjoy this dinner with you, we'll take another room."

Laura and Samantha walked in just as the tension peaked. The moment they entered, the middle-aged men in the room visibly straightened up, their earlier bravado fading.

Laura picked up a glass of wine and said, "Ms. Liddell, there's no need to be so upset. Socializing involves a drink or two."

Noelle, however, was having none of it. She grabbed a bottle and filled Laura's glass to the brim. "If that's the case, Ms. Merlock, why don't you finish this first before saying anything else?"

Samantha, standing beside Laura, glared at Noelle. "Who do you think you are telling Laura what to do? If it weren't for her generosity, you wouldn't even be allowed to step foot in L Bistro!"

Noelle ignored Samantha and turned to Laura. "These men work for the Merlocks, don't they? One of them just sexually harassed my teammate. Your family's reputation will take another hit if this gets out."

The man in question immediately protested, "That's a lie! I didn't touch anyone!"

Noelle held up her phone. "I have proof." She smirked at Laura. "Do you like this little gift?"

Laura's composure cracked. She turned to the man and slapped him across the face. "Apologize. Now."

Samantha looked confused. "Laura, why are you making him apologize? These girls are probably just gold diggers looking for rich men. They're probably asking for it!"

Laura snapped, "Enough, Samantha!"

She knew better than to underestimate Noelle, especially after how she had handled Samantha in the past. Now that Noelle knew about Cedric's background, Laura knew she had to tread carefully.

Noelle chuckled. "Ms. Merlock, you're a smart woman. As long as he apologizes sincerely, we'll let this go."

The man reluctantly muttered an apology to Grace, but the mood in the room had already soured.

Laura's tone was icy. "You've ruined tonight's celebration."

Noelle shrugged. "The celebration hasn't even started yet. We'll just take another room."

Then, she signaled for a server.

Samantha sneered. "This is L Bistro, not some cheap diner. Do you think you can just waltz in and get another room? Without Laura, you wouldn't even be allowed in here!"

Laura added, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Why don't you just stay and eat

with us? No need to make a scene."

Noelle pulled out the membership

card Mia had given her earlier. Samantha's eyes narrowed. "There's no way someone like you could have a membership card for L Bistro Did you steal it or buy it off some shady website?" noveldrama

Laura, however, looked shaken. She wondered if it was Cedric's card.

The server hesitated. "Is this card yours?"

Noelle replied calmly, "No, it's not."

The server explained, "If it's not your card, we'll need to verify the owner's identity."

Noelle tried calling Mia, but there was no answer.

Samantha smirked triumphantly. "See? I told you she stole it!"

Just then, the restaurant manager, Bobby, rushed over. Samantha

pointed at Noelle and said, "net

Fuentes, this woman is using a stolen membership card. Throw her out!"

Instead, Bobby bowed slightly to Noelle. "My apologies, Ms. Liddell. The new server didn't know. Your VIP suite upstairs has been ready for you."

Laura's face fell, unable to believe what was happening.