Chapter 129: "I Gave Her That Evidence.

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: "I Gave Her That Evidence.

She was hinting to Nathaniel that during the fire five years ago, she had risked her life to save Christian, which left her with psychological trauma.

So, how could she dare use arson to harm others?

Noelle Lockwood finished speaking, her eyes harboring a hidden glimmer of anticipation.

Estelle looked at Nathaniel with a half-smile, raising an eyebrow as she leisurely waited for his answer.

Nathaniel’s face was ice-cold. "You wouldn’t dare?"

Thinking he believed her, Noelle hastily said, "Nathaniel, of course I—"

"But I only believe in evidence." Nathaniel interrupted faintly, his voice slightly hoarse but devoid of any emotion.

Noelle clenched her hands into tight fists, gritting her teeth desperately to keep her face from contorting hideously.

"Why?!" she screamed inwardly. "Why won’t Nathaniel help me? I already brought up the fire from five years ago. Why won’t he help me?!"

"What should I do? I absolutely cannot admit that this fire has anything to do with me..." she thought.

Suddenly, Noelle’s eyes flashed. She whipped her head around and viciously slapped her manager across the face!

"It was you! You lied to me!"

The entire venue fell dead silent.

Noelle acted as though she couldn’t control herself, her face streaked with tears. "Nathaniel, those fans back then were all sent by my manager. They said there was no one left in the fire, so naturally, I believed them. I truly didn’t know that Yara was still inside!

"I never expected that this fire was intentionally set by Rosalie Carter. I’m so sorry to Yara, and to everyone... I’m sorry, it’s all my fault..."

After speaking, Noelle abruptly turned back to Rosalie, silently signaling with her eyes, "What else do you have to say for yourself!"

Estelle let out a mocking sneer.

When she saw that the person who bribed the arsonists was the manager and not Noelle herself, she knew Noelle would pin everything on her. This manager was Noelle’s right-hand woman who regularly helped her handle all sorts of dirty work. She was truly ruthless to throw her under the bus so easily.

Having been slapped out of nowhere, Rosalie was completely dazed. She wanted to deny it, but her entire body suddenly ran cold.

Her family still worked for the Lockwood Group, and Noelle had blackmail material on her. She... had to confess, whether she wanted to or not!

Rosalie’s gaze darted away evasively. "Y-yes, it was me..."

Noelle let out a huge sigh of relief. Feigning sorrow, she said, "I understand now, Rosalie. At Aunt Iris’s banquet, you were the one who prepared that counterfeit *Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting*. Yara exposed you, so you harbored a grudge. Isn’t that right?"

Rosalie gritted her teeth fiercely. "Yes..."

Noelle’s eyes were red. "How... how could you do such a thing?"

Rose Lowell charged forward, punching and kicking Rosalie. "Noelle trusted you so much, yet you harmed her! It’s all your fault! Nathaniel, the truth is out now. This... this truly has nothing to do with Noelle!"

The venue instantly quieted down.

After a long while, Nathaniel slowly raised his cold gaze. "You’re saying that you were the mastermind behind this fire?"

Taking the blows, Rosalie gritted her teeth. She knew her value to Noelle, and she knew that even if she went to prison, Noelle would find a way to bail her out! Thus, she stubbornly insisted, "It was me. It was me. It has nothing to do with Noelle."

Nathaniel suddenly let out a light chuckle. "In that case, let’s settle the accounts with Ms. Carter right now."

He casually raised his hand, and Luke White bowed slightly before speaking. "The area affected by the fire is quite large. Fortunately, the evacuation was timely, so there were no casualties. However, the direct property damage amounts to nine hundred million, and the indirect property loss is as high as three and a half billion. All of this..."

Luke paused. Before he could continue, Nathaniel spoke up.

"All of this will need to be compensated by you, Ms. Carter."

Rosalie stiffened, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief.

"So... so much?!" she thought.

She subconsciously looked toward Noelle, who guiltily averted her gaze.

Estelle was somewhat surprised by Nathaniel’s actions. She blinked but said nothing.

Nathaniel continued, "Aside from that, this fire also requires compensation for the emotional distress of all the guests and shop owners present. That will be another massive sum.

"How much in assets does Ms. Carter currently hold? If you cannot pay off this money, the debt will be borne by your family."

Nathaniel paused, a half-smile on his lips. "I recall that Ms. Carter’s family is quite well-off."

Rosalie sprang to her feet. "Ah! No, no!"

Nathaniel feigned confusion. "What are you saying ’no’ to, Ms. Carter? Since you are the mastermind, you naturally have to pay the compensation. Oh, and by the way, there’s also prison time awaiting you next."

Estelle curled her lips and chimed in, "That’s right. You shouldn’t hold onto any delusions, Ms. Carter. The entire country is keeping an eye on this case. It won’t be that easy to get out. In fact, once you go in, you might never come out for the rest of your life."

Rosalie looked at Noelle once again, her eyes brimming with disbelief.

If she went to prison and could never get out, and if her family had to pay billions in compensation on her behalf, then what was the point of confessing to everything and taking the fall for Noelle?!

Upon realizing this, Rosalie sprang to her feet with a shriek. "Noelle Lockwood!! You promised me! You can’t go back on your word! You can’t just abandon me—AH!!"

Rose shouted in panic, "Somebody, drag her away! Quickly! Don’t let this woman go crazy!"

True to her status as a superstar, Noelle’s acting skills exploded. On the verge of tears, she sobbed, "Ms. Carter, what are you even talking about? You made a mistake yourself, yet you’re trying to pin it on me. I... I misjudged you..." She broke down crying.

"Noelle, Noelle, oh my poor daughter! You’ve been so wronged!" Rose plopped down onto the floor, hugging Noelle as they both wailed loudly, acting as if the two of them were the real victims.

Rosalie was forcefully dragged away by the bodyguards. A flash of anxiety crossed Noelle’s eyes, though her face maintained a weak and kind expression.

"Nathaniel, I truly don’t know what Ms. Carter meant..."

Rose shielded Noelle behind her. "That’s right, Nathaniel! This was all Rosalie’s doing! It has nothing to do with Noelle! Just now... Noelle was just too anxious, which is why she mistakenly thought Yara was the culprit. In reality... Noelle is very kindhearted!"

As Rosalie’s screams gradually faded into the distance, Rose felt safe again. Her tone couldn’t help but carry a hint of resentment.

"All those transfers, the bribery, those videos—maybe they were deliberately released by someone with an ulterior motive to frame our Noelle! Since *certain people* are so capable, why couldn’t they find out that Rosalie was the culprit? Why did they insist on dragging our Noelle down?!"

As she said this, Rose glared daggers at Estelle, making sure everyone knew that the "certain people" she was referring to was Estelle.

"Noelle only acted that way because she was too worried at first. But certain people..."

"Ms. Lowell," Nathaniel suddenly interjected. "I was the one who gave her that evidence."

The rest of Rose’s words caught completely in her throat.

Noelle’s expression changed drastically!

Estelle smiled. With an ice-cold voice, she said leisurely, "Ms. Lowell, the press conference is over. You may take Noelle and leave.

"However, even though Rosalie confessed, whether or not she is the true mastermind... I believe everyone here can weigh the facts for themselves."