Chapter 134: Mrs. Kendrick Slaps Noelle Lockwood and Stands Up for Estelle

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Mrs. Kendrick Slaps Noelle Lockwood and Stands Up for Estelle

Rose Lowell paused for a moment before it suddenly dawned on her that this doctor in the white coat was insulting her!

She immediately lashed out. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

The nurse used to work at Old Mr. Kendrick’s hospital. Most of the time, she addressed Eleanor Vance as "Mrs. Kendrick." Flustered by the commotion, she reverted to the familiar title. "Mrs. Kendrick, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop them..."

Before Eleanor could speak, Rose suddenly spoke up. "Mrs. Kendrick?" She seemed to connect the dots, sharply raising her voice. "So you’re that Mrs. Kendrick who has been protecting Yara!"

Laura Jennings caught on immediately as well. "Oh, I see! No wonder Dr. Vance has been refusing to treat Noelle! It turns out she was instigated by you and that bitch Yara! Do you have any medical ethics at all?!"

The nearby doctors and nurses were so furious they almost laughed. Even the King of Heaven would have to register for an appointment at this hospital. A top-tier specialist like Dr. Vance was nearly impossible to book. If everyone just cut the line, what would happen to the actual patients? How did this have anything to do with medical ethics?

Eleanor casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Medical ethics is a concept exclusive to human society. It doesn’t apply outside the realm of humans."

Rose struggled to understand what that meant at first. She furrowed her brows in deep thought, then her eyes suddenly went wide as she shrieked, "Are you saying we aren’t human?!"

Laura trembled with rage. "You’re just some lowly doctor! Do you have any idea who I am? You’re asking for death!" She raised her voice. "I am the wife of the Head of the Sloans! The matriarch of the Sloan Family! Who the hell do you think you are, crossing me on my turf?!"

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "Everyone here calls me Mrs. Kendrick. Do I really need to know who you are?"

The only title Laura had to throw around was "wife of the Head of the Sloans." That status might have been enough to intimidate ordinary people, but as Mrs. Kendrick, Eleanor wasn’t fazed in the slightest. She didn’t usually care to compare whose husband was more powerful, but since someone was shoving it in her face, she wasn’t about to just roll over and take it.

"You... you..." Laura sputtered, clearly infuriated.

"Mom, Aunt Laura, please calm down." Only then did Noelle step forward with a gentle, helpless expression. She bowed to Eleanor, her tone sounding utterly sincere. "I’m so sorry, Mrs. Kendrick. My mother and my aunt are just too worried about me. My right ear sustained some damage during the fire last time. Although it had nothing to do with Yara... I am truly sorry for causing trouble for the hospital. It’s fine. Dr. Vance can just see me in order. There is no need for any special treatment."

Her words were practically flawless. Contrasted with Laura and Rose’s hysterical screeching, Noelle appeared even more gentle and understanding. A nearby doctor almost spoke up to comfort her.

However, Eleanor beat them to it with an icy retort.

"Miss Lockwood, your apology is certainly perfectly timed. You didn’t apologize a second sooner or later. Instead, you waited until your mother made a massive scene and cursed out eight generations of my ancestors before finally stepping up. If you truly wanted to apologize, what exactly were you doing just now?

"Furthermore, that fire had absolutely nothing to do with Yara to begin with. It was your manager and your fans who committed arson. If anything, you’re the one bearing the most responsibility. Stop implying that you being trapped in that fire was Yara’s fault!"

Eleanor heavily emphasized the word "your."

The realization suddenly hit the onlookers. It was true. Noelle had been standing quietly in the background the entire time. If she had wanted to stop them, she could have intervened long ago. Waiting until Rose finished her tirade before putting on such a hypocritical show—who was she trying to perform for?

And as for that fire, Yara was the only innocent party. Why was Noelle still trying to shift the blame onto her? If that wasn’t deliberate, what was?

Noelle’s face paled slightly. She wondered why this trick, which had always worked flawlessly in the past, was failing now.

"I’m so sorry, Mrs. Kendrick. I just couldn’t process what was happening just now. I didn’t know my mother would go this far for my sake. I’m sorry..." Tears streamed down Noelle’s face.

Her eyes darted around slightly as an idea came to her. Yara was Mrs. Kendrick’s adopted daughter. Since Mrs. Kendrick clearly doted on her own adopted daughter, wouldn’t they have some common ground?

Noelle spoke with pointed intent. "Mrs. Kendrick, I am truly sorry. My mother was simply too worried about me... You might not know this, but I’m not the Lockwood Family’s biological daughter. I’m just a lowly adopted daughter."

Rose began to bawl. "Oh, my poor daughter!"

Mrs. Kendrick looked at them in disbelief. She thought, "Why are they suddenly throwing a pity party? Are they insane? If you’re so ’lowly,’ then what about the true heiress you chased out of your house? Is she not lowly?"

Desperate to build rapport with Mrs. Kendrick, Noelle bit her lower lip slightly. "Mrs. Kendrick, you have an adopted daughter as well, so you must understand. An adopted daughter is rarely welcomed or truly valued in a family... I’ve always been overlooked in the past, which is why my mother got so worked up over my injury this time."

Rose chimed in, suddenly catching on. "That’s right, Mrs. Kendrick! Yara is your adopted daughter, and Noelle is mine. Put yourself in our shoes—don’t you think my Noelle is pitiful?!"

Mrs. Kendrick was practically laughing at the sheer absurdity of their logic.

The Lockwood Family had driven Estelle out entirely for Noelle’s sake. Mrs. Kendrick’s heart had ached for Estelle, which was why she had taken her in. To hear them tell it now, were Estelle and Noelle supposed to be the exact same type of "unpresentable adopted daughter"? Why exactly was Estelle left with no home to return to, unable to reunite with her biological parents?

How did this mother and daughter have the audacity to spout such shameless garbage?

Mrs. Kendrick scoffed. "Miss Lockwood, there is quite a difference between you and my Yara.

"First, my Yara didn’t change her surname to Kendrick. Second, she hasn’t monopolized the Kendrick Family’s assets. And third, she has never caused any conflict with my biological children.

"However, I’ve heard quite a different story about you, Miss Lockwood. The biological eldest daughter of the Lockwood Family actually returned home, yet she was chased out simply because you didn’t like her."

The surrounding nurses’ expressions immediately shifted. Scandals involving wealthy families were always a juicy treat.

So, not only was this famous celebrity an adopted daughter, but she was also so jealous of the true heiress that she had her driven away! An adopted daughter chasing out the rightful heiress, only to turn around and cry about being "lowly"? Was she out of her mind?

Eleanor scrutinized Noelle, her gaze so sharp it could have pierced a hole right through her. "You may both be ’adopted daughters,’ but my Yara has integrity and high moral character. The two of you are completely incomparable. If you can’t grasp that concept, Miss Lockwood, I certainly don’t mind teaching it to you."

Noelle’s expression instantly froze. She never expected Mrs. Kendrick to show her so little respect in public!

She thought, "Who is she to call me unpresentable? Why would she say I can’t compare to Yara? So what if I look down on Estelle? So what if I think Estelle deserves to die? Every man for himself!"

Still needing to maintain her gentle, polite persona, Noelle had no choice but to swallow her pride. Gritting her teeth, she forced a stiff smile. "...I apologize, Mrs. Kendrick. I wasn’t thinking things through just now... Thank you for your guidance."

"Mm." Eleanor nodded.

Normally, any reasonable person would reply with "you’re welcome." But Eleanor didn’t bat an eye. "You should be thanking me."

Noelle choked on her own fury!

The more Laura watched, the more outraged she became. They had brought Noelle here for medical treatment, not to be publicly humiliated!

"Talk all you want, but you aren’t Dr. Vance! Are you, the esteemed Mrs. Kendrick, going to strong-arm the doctor into refusing us? I refuse to believe Dr. Vance won’t treat our Noelle. My Noelle is so incredibly kindhearted—I’m sure Dr. Vance knows that!"

Having had her fill of putting them in their place, Eleanor signaled for security to throw them out.

Just then, however, she caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye. Eleanor paused, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

It was Nathaniel Sloan. She wondered just how genuine Nathaniel’s concern for Estelle truly was. If Nathaniel were forced to make a choice right now, what would he do?