Chapter 213: Scamming Noelle Lockwood Out of 200 Million

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Scamming Noelle Lockwood Out of 200 Million

Ian Perry nodded at Nathaniel Sloan, then cleared his throat. "As Miss Lockwood is an Angel Member of our charity foundation, we have decided to present her with a medal. With this medal in hand, Miss Lockwood will be treated as an honored guest at any location affiliated with our organization from now on."

Austin Lockwood and Rose Lowell were thrilled!

Regardless of Noelle’s previous reputation, with the charity foundation’s backing, who would dare speak a word against her now?!

"Noelle, did you hear that? You’re an honored guest of the foundation. Hurry up and go on stage!"

Suzi Lowell’s face flushed with excitement, looking as though she shared in the glory.

Noelle Lockwood bit her lip gently before finally stepping onto the stage under everyone’s expectant gazes. She offered Ian a gentle smile, but her eyes fell upon Estelle Lockwood in the audience.

"Estelle, I’m sorry. Mom and Dad didn’t mean it like that. Please don’t be mad, okay? If you don’t want me to, I can refuse the medal..."

Rose’s eyes darted around, and she immediately chimed in. "Estelle, you shouldn’t act like this. You’re always jealous of everything. It’s one thing to be jealous of Noelle, but behaving like this now—aren’t you just offending the charity foundation?"

Austin sighed as well. "Estelle, the family still considers your feelings. Look, just because you don’t agree, Noelle doesn’t even dare to accept the honor she rightfully deserves. You... sigh!"

Estelle tapped her fingertips against the table, wondering if they were trying to guilt-trip her.

Her gaze shifted smoothly. "Is Chairman Lockwood absolutely sure he wants Noelle to accept this medal?"

Austin frowned slightly. Something felt... a bit off.

However, Rose didn’t even pause to think. She raised her chin with immense pride. "Of course! The medal belongs to Noelle. There’s nothing you can do about it, no matter how jealous you are. It’s not her fault she is the Angel Member!"

Estelle showed her respect for their decision. "If you all agree, then naturally, I have no objections."

She couldn’t help but wonder if the Lockwoods would still want the medal if they knew what it truly represented.

Austin made the final call, his tone self-righteous. "No matter what, this medal belongs to Noelle! Mr. Perry, please proceed."

Ian smiled faintly. "Since you both have no objections, very well."

He looked toward a waiter nearby who stepped forward carrying a tray covered with a red silk cloth. In the center of the tray lay a jade pendant, engraved with the foundation’s iconic emblem.

This jade pendant was undoubtedly the token the charity foundation was presenting to Noelle.

Ian bowed slightly and offered the jade pendant with both hands. "Today, with everyone here as our witness, I represent the charity foundation in presenting this jade pendant to our Angel Member, Miss Lockwood. We thank Miss Lockwood..."

Noelle watched the jade pendant draw closer and closer, her heart leaping into her throat.

Almost there. She was almost there!

As long as she got her hands on this jade pendant, every scandal, every piece of blackmail, the arson framing, the fake heiress rumors... all of those negative stories would completely vanish.

In the future, when people mentioned her, they would only think of her as beautiful and kind-hearted, the officially designated Angel Member of the charity foundation!

So what if Estelle had reclaimed her identity? She couldn’t even protect that old geezer’s things, letting them become stepping stones for Noelle’s success!

The audience held their breath. Austin and Rose were clearly ecstatic as well.

Suzi couldn’t hold back. "Do you see this, Estelle? This is what it means to be naturally blessed with good luck. No matter what situation she’s in, she can always turn misfortune into fortune!

"How could a Jinx like you ever compare to Noelle? She is kind-hearted. What about you? You probably came to the charity event just to loiter without spending a dime. I bet you aren’t even willing to make a donation!"

The jade pendant was already pressing against Noelle’s palm.

She couldn’t resist glancing down at Estelle, her desire to show off evident on her face.

This was it. She was going to trample Estelle completely underfoot—

She fully accepted the jade pendant and was just about to express her thanks when Ian spoke up loudly.

"The jade pendant, as a token of our gratitude, has been presented. Thank you so much to our Angel Member, Miss Lockwood, for donating two hundred million to the charity foundation! May I ask, Miss Lockwood, when will the two hundred million be transferred to our account?"

...

...

A single sentence plunged the entire venue into dead silence.

Noelle’s mind went blank. She thought, "Two hundred million?!"

With a THUD, the jade pendant slipped from her grasp and hit the floor. Fortunately, it landed on a thick carpet and didn’t shatter.

She thought in a panic, "What did Ian just say?! A two hundred million donation? When did I ever agree to donate money? That’s two hundred million!"

Ian, acting as if he didn’t know what had just happened, leaned over and picked up the jade pendant. His tone remained respectful. "Miss Lockwood, is something wrong? Wasn’t the two hundred million donation agreed upon from the very beginning? Did you just forget because you were too nervous?"

She had absolutely no idea what agreement he was talking about, nor who had made such a promise to the charity foundation!

Austin and Rose’s eyes widened. Rose almost rushed onto the stage, but luckily, Austin was quick enough to hold her back.

Noelle remained speechless, and the rest of the Lockwoods stayed completely silent as well. The venue descended into a prolonged quiet.

"You were right, Suzi. Your precious Noelle really is much kinder. Offering two hundred million just like that."

Amidst the dead silence, Estelle broke the quiet. Propping her chin on her hand, she wore a half-smile. "But, where’s the money?

"Oh, how could I forget? The current Lockwood Group probably can’t cough up two hundred million. What should we do now?"

Estelle smiled playfully. "You’ve already accepted the jade pendant, but you can’t produce the promised donation. My dear sister Noelle, why don’t you ask Chairman Lockwood and Mrs. Lockwood to figure out a way?"

Noelle’s face paled, her gentle smile barely holding up. "Estelle, I don’t know what you’re talking about..."

"You don’t know?" Estelle feigned surprise. "They arranged a donation ceremony today. Even an ’outsider’ like me heard about it, yet you, the Angel Member herself, didn’t know?"

Not far away, Liam Sloan decided to help out. Even though he hadn’t heard a thing about it either, he didn’t feel guilty lying at all. "Exactly, I heard about it too! Didn’t they say the beautiful and kind-hearted Angel Member decided to make a donation? So, where are the funds?"

The bystanders looked at each other in confusion. They genuinely didn’t seem to know... but since Young Mr. Sloan had said so, there must have been rumors. Thus, they subconsciously nodded in agreement.

"It seems like it really is true..."

Noelle clenched her hands tightly into fists, her nails digging into her flesh as she forced a smile onto her face. "H-how could I forget..."

"That’s right. Noelle was just a little surprised. Of course she wouldn’t forget."

Austin felt more and more that something was wrong. Everyone was staring at Noelle. If she said she wasn’t going to donate the money now, the Lockwood Family and Noelle would lose all their face!

The only explanation Austin could think of was that his father had promised this donation, considering the title of Angel Member was left behind by Old Mr. Lockwood.

"Mr. Perry, I have already instructed my subordinates to coordinate with the charity foundation. I’m sure the funds will arrive in the account very soon."

Austin was smiling on the outside, but his heart was bleeding. "As her family, we will undoubtedly support Noelle’s kindness."

Rose’s eyes widened in sheer fury, glaring fiercely at Estelle!

She was a Jinx! She truly was a Jinx! The moment she opened her mouth, she cost them two hundred million! Where were they supposed to find that much money?!

After waiting a brief moment for the donation to arrive, Ian spoke up, his tone deeply meaningful. "Chairman Lockwood’s deep love for his daughter is truly admirable. However, I still have a question. I wonder if Chairman Lockwood could answer it for me?"

"Why do you all call this Angel Member ’Noelle,’ but on the token proving the Angel Member’s identity, it says..."

Ian paused for a moment. "...Her name is Estelle?"