Page 20 of The Sins of Noelle

Elena had always encouraged her to play and be like other kids. As the only girl in the family, their mother had been awfully excited at pampering her and teaching her how to be a lady.

But Noelle wasn't receptive to any of that.

She didn't like to play. Shehatedother kids. Sometimes she came across like an adult in a child's body—jaded about every aspect of life.

Even her clothes exemplified that.

Elena had always tried to get her to wear girly clothes in light, cheerful colors, but Noelle had been entirely adverse to the idea. Though she was just nine, she would not let anyone dictate how she dressed.

At first, Elena had taken it as a sign of a strong personality, allowing her to have an input into her wardrobe. But when she'd seen all Noelle wanted to wear were gray and black clothes, she'd put her foot down.

Easier said than done, because that was exactly when Noelle'sstrongpersonality had poked its head to the surface.

When Elena had forced her to wear a pink dress to school, Noelle had simply used the school's art supplies to paint it black.

Elena had been incensed when she'd been told by the principal what Noelle had done. She'd been even more taken aback when she'd seen her daughter smeared with black paint from head to toe. And though she'd chastised her, threatening her with all types of punishments, Noelle had simply looked into her eyes with a blank expression. Slowly, the corners of her mouth had tipped up in ayou can do whatever you want, I'll still find a way around it.

And that was the core of Noelle's personality. She was tenacious and too clever for her own good, circumventing any and all restrictions placed on her.

Ultimately, Elena had simply stopped trying. If she couldn't change her daughter, then she could bemoan about her to anyone listening—and that happened to be Cisco at the moment.

"I don't know what to do about her anymore," Elena released a dramatic sigh.

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" he muttered dryly.

That was what everyone had done with him, giving him a wide berth. He supposed it was another advantage of being born a male. He was celebrated as ruthless and intelligent in the business world, and though Noelle showed the same promise, she was chastised and put down for it.

"Cisco," Elena gasped. "She's my daughter. ADeVille," she mentioned in a scandalized tone. "She needs to uphold our family's standards. Just thinking what others must be saying about her and I'm getting a headache," his mother muttered, bringing two fingers to her temple.

Cisco gave her a side glance but refused to respond. He usually refrained from commenting when said comment would likely offend his mother. He might love her, but that didn't mean he agreed with her.

She'd never been so unyielding with him, or his brothers. As the first born, she'd attempted to fuss over him until she'd realized it was all in vain. Cisco lived in a completely different world, and it was impossible to change his ways. She'd mellowed a little for Thadeo before going in full force over Amo, coddling him to the point that when he'd broken off, he'd gone off the rails—stillwasoff the rails. When Noelle had been born—a surprise to everyone—Elena had seen it as her last chance to fulfill her parenting dreams. Even better that she was a girl, since he knew his mother had wished for one all along. Too bad that Noelle wasn't a team player.

Cisco's lips curled up at that thought. He couldn't blame his sister. Not when their mother had very rigid ideas of what being a DeVille girl meant, and Noelle didn't fit any.

Elena might have wanted her little princess. Instead she'd gotten a little devil.

"There's this school I've been reading up on," his mother suddenly said. Cisco lifted a brow in question. "It's structured like a camp, so the kids live on the premises. The school promises to teach the kids discipline and manners…"

"Mamma, don't," he shook his head. "Thoseschoolsare nothing more than prisons. And with Noelle's personality, you would just be doing her a disservice. You know how stubborn she can get. If you send her away to have some discipline nonsense drilled into her she is more likely to rebel than turn into the perfect lady."

Elena pressed her lips into a thin line. She was about to say more when the recital began. In the order announced, the kids played their pieces one by one. When it was Noelle's turn, the difference in the audience was visible.

No one moved, not even one inch, their attention riveted on the stage as her hands glided over the piano keys, each note richer than the previous.

"She's so talented, isn't she?" Elena whispered, her eyes moist with tears.

"She is," Cisco grunted.

He refrained from adding that by interfering with who Noelle was at her core, Elena would also be interfering with the way she played. The two were irreversibly linked, and Cisco had noted from the beginning that music was an extension of her. What Noelle couldn't express with words or actions, she did so through music.

She may be aloof and seemingly unfeeling. Not her music.

There was something almost palpable in the way she played. And by God, she was just nine. He knew that with age and maturity, her talent would only develop more.

She could very well bethemusician of her generation.

Besides her skillful handling of the piano keys, there was also the added fact that she personalized her pieces.

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