No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

They would never find Noelle!

Since the Merlock family was trying to suppress the videos and photos to control public opinion, she wasn't going to back down. She would make sure those files were leaked online, forcing the Merlocks to try to delete them endlessly.

Noelle thought of how Samantha and Xenia had schemed for her. Now, only Xenia remained. She knew she couldn't restore the deleted videos by herself, but she had to get her hands on that video evidence.

After a lot of hesitation, Noelle logged into a platform she hadn't visited in years. She used to enjoy exploring the dark web and learning new things. In fact, the firewall system for Donovan's company had been created after brainstorming with contacts from the dark web.noveldrama

However, Donovan despised people from that world, so she'd never told him about her connections.

She had almost been discovered once, and she'd severed all ties with them after that, never logging into the platform again. Since she was no longer connected to the Liddell family, she didn't need to worry about that anymore.

Noelle quickly posted a bounty. "Looking for J's contact information!"

J was someone she'd known a long time ago—they were highly skilled. But after so many years, she wasn't sure if they still used this platform.

She posted the bounty publicly, hoping they would see it. Would they help her for old times' sake?

The news spread quickly across the dark web.

At a private club, Alfred approached Cedric, placing his phone in front of him. "Someone's looking for you!"

Cedric glanced at the username of the poster, 'MM Bean,' and found it vaguely familiar.

"The codename 'J' is from ages ago, isn't it? Why would anyone still use it to look for you?

"Could it be some unresolved romantic debt of yours, Cedric?" Alfred teased.

Cedric thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, there was someone like that. Young but exceptionally talented, always asking basic questions on the dark web."

"Yeah, that kid even wanted to be your apprentice, but then they just disappeared and never showed up again."

Cedric looked at the post and felt a twinge of curiosity. Why had that person disappeared back then? Did something happen?

At the time, he'd been impulsive, teaching the kid a lot, worried they might take the wrong path.

Cedric logged into the platform and sent a private message to the kid. "You've been gone all these years. What do you need me for now?"

Noelle kept her phone close, afraid of missing any messages. When she heard the notification, she quickly opened it and saw he had actually replied to her.

A surge of excitement rushed through her as she typed. "I need your help with something!"

"Let's hear it."

Upon seeing his response, Cedric couldn't help but wonder if the kid had gotten into trouble.

Noelle quickly replied, "I need help restoring a deleted surveillance video. I have the original data."

"What's in the footage?"

"Evidence of a friend being harmed. It could help put the perpetrator in jail!"

Cedric read the message carefully. "Send it over. Let me take a look."

Noelle immediately packaged the surveillance data and sent it to him.

Cedric brought out his computer and opened the files she had sent. His brows furrowed slightly. "Isn't this the surveillance footage from the second floor of that bar?"

"It really is. Weren't you trying to get that footage before, but the Merlock family deleted it? You thought backing up the data for recovery might work, but then the data just vanished.

"And now it's here. Who is this 'MM Bean,' anyway?"

Cedric's expression grew more serious as he studied the video files on the screen. This 'MM Bean' definitely knew Noelle, but what exactly was their relationship?