Chapter 239: Noelle Lockwood, Forsaken by All

Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Noelle Lockwood, Forsaken by All

Kian Winslow instinctively looked at his phone and froze. He wondered, "Wait, what is this nonsense?"

Kian Winslow wasn’t an idiot. Noelle clearly knew the children were at his house, yet she was playing dumb on Weibo!

She claimed she had no idea how the children went missing. She said she was minding her own business at home and didn’t know who she had offended. She stated that she hadn’t contacted the children in a long time and was completely unaware of their whereabouts. She even alleged that someone had staged the whole thing, hiding the children to frame her.

But now, a video of Kian Winslow forcefully taking the three children from the kindergarten had spread across the entire internet.

Noelle Lockwood’s fans were all saying that Kian Winslow was the sole mastermind behind this. They accused Kian Winslow of intentionally kidnapping the children, claiming Noelle was entirely innocent and barely even knew him. As a result, the public directed their fury at Kian Winslow, severely impacting the Winslow Group in the process.

But Kian Winslow genuinely hadn’t thought that far ahead. The only reason he agreed to help Noelle was because he considered her a friend. He sincerely believed she was doing this for the children’s own good! Who could have predicted that taking the children would lead to such a massive disaster?

Nathaniel Sloan caught sight of Kian Winslow’s deathly pale face and asked flatly, "Have you seen it?"

"I... I..." Kian Winslow was at a loss for words.

"So, did you kidnap the children, or is Noelle Lockwood framing you?" Nathaniel Sloan sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. "I don’t have much time. Make your choice."

Kian Winslow simply couldn’t choose. He wouldn’t kidnap Nathaniel’s children even if his life depended on it. He really was just trying to help... But Noelle...

RING RING RING! A frantic phone call interrupted Kian Winslow’s thoughts. "Young Mr. Winslow! Why on earth would you kidnap Mr. Sloan’s children? Do you have any idea how much you’ve screwed over the company?

"No one said anything about your usual incompetence, but now you’ve resorted to kidnapping!"

Being scolded by one of his own shareholders, Kian Winslow immediately protested, "I didn’t kidnap them!"

"Save it. Noelle Lockwood personally said that you held a grudge against Estelle Lockwood and wanted to teach Estelle Lockwood a lesson, which is why you kidnapped her children. What’s left to explain? You’ve completely doomed the company!"

Kian Winslow froze for a couple of seconds, his face full of disbelief. "Did you say Noelle... claimed I hold a grudge against Estelle Lockwood?"

He wondered, "Why would I hold a grudge against Estelle Lockwood? Wasn’t it because Noelle said she was constantly bullied by Estelle Lockwood?" But now, Noelle Lockwood seemed to have completely vanished from the narrative.

The shareholder angrily hung up. Kian Winslow hurriedly checked the stock market. Sure enough, the Winslow Group’s shares had taken a massive hit! He had only meant well, so why did things turn out like this?

"Young Mr. Winslow, have you made up your mind?" Estelle Lockwood tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Kian Winslow’s lips twitched. He hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of betrayal, but he knew everything he currently possessed was given to him by the Winslow Family. He couldn’t do anything to harm their interests. Looking at his parents, he opened his mouth to speak. "Nathaniel, about this matter, I..."

"Kian!" Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out from the doorway. Noelle Lockwood ran in, her face etched with anxiety. "Kian, are you alright? I’m so sorry, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t expect my fans to react this way. I came specifically to apologize to you..."

Kian Winslow’s eyes lit up. "Noelle!" He knew it. Everyone must have misunderstood Noelle. How could Noelle possibly be that kind of person?

Before Kian Winslow’s smile could last for even two seconds, Noelle Lockwood looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Kian, I’m really sorry. I originally wanted to take the blame for you, but I didn’t expect the video of you kidnapping the children to spread all over the internet..."

Kian Winslow stopped dead in his tracks. He thought, "Why is it that I know every word Noelle is saying, but when put together, I don’t understand them at all?"

Knowing that Estelle Lockwood was live-streaming, Noelle Lockwood deliberately spoke loudly, tears streaming down her face. "Kian, please don’t blame me. I don’t know how the video got leaked either. I’m truly, truly sorry..."

"I knew Noelle was innocent! It turns out she was taking the fall for this guy named Kian Winslow!"

"Who does this Kian Winslow think he is? Having a conflict with Estelle Lockwood and kidnapping her children is bad enough, but framing Noelle? What if something happens to our Noelle!"

No matter how slow Kian Winslow was, he finally caught on. His face paled, and his voice trembled. "Noelle... are you saying that I intentionally kidnapped them today?"

Tears rolled down Noelle Lockwood’s cheeks as she shook her head helplessly. "Kian, there’s no shame in just admitting it."

With that, she turned to the three little ones, crying with "genuine emotion." "Christian, I’m sorry. Aunt Noelle arrived too late. If I had stopped Kian earlier, you wouldn’t have had to suffer such an ordeal. It’s all my fault..."

Rose Lowell hastily interjected, "Noelle, how could anyone blame you! You’re a victim of circumstance too. Sigh! If you ask me, Estelle has just offended too many people. If Estelle hadn’t offended Young Mr. Winslow, why would he ever do something like this!"

"No, it’s my fault," Noelle Lockwood quickly replied. "Kian only did it for me..."

She looked at Kian Winslow through tear-filled eyes, her words heavy with suggestion. "Kian, the children are safe and sound. Since you’re Nathaniel’s friend, he won’t do anything to you. Just apologize to the children."

Apologizing would be an implicit admission that he was the one who orchestrated the kidnapping.

Kian Winslow caught the hidden meaning in Noelle Lockwood’s words, but he refused to believe that Noelle would push all the blame onto him. With a trembling voice, clinging to a sliver of hope regarding Noelle Lockwood, he asked, "Noelle... do you have any idea how much the Winslow Group has been impacted since that kidnapping video was released?"

He had done all of this for Noelle Lockwood. If Noelle Lockwood still had any conscience left, she wouldn’t continue down this path.

"Kian, running away is useless."

Noelle Lockwood shook her head in sheer resignation, looking deeply heartbroken. Deep down, she was incredibly annoyed. Kian Winslow was far too dense. At a time like this, he was still haggling over some minor losses for the Winslow Group. How could the Winslow Group even compare to her?

"Kian, just confess," Noelle Lockwood sighed. "There has to be an explanation for this. I’ll make it up to you later, okay?"

Didn’t Kian Winslow like her? She could always lower herself to be with him later. Surely that would be enough to satisfy Kian Winslow, right?

To her surprise, Kian Winslow’s eyes widened drastically. He abruptly took a step back, as if Noelle Lockwood were some terrifying monster.

Noelle Lockwood was disgusted that Kian Winslow wasn’t confessing fast enough. Although her fans were desperately trying to control the narrative online, the vast majority of the public was still questioning her. Thus, Noelle Lockwood frowned impatiently. "Kian, you made a mistake, yet you refuse to admit it? Do you have any idea how much this has impacted me?"

Kian Winslow instinctively looked toward Estelle Lockwood. Estelle Lockwood had called him an idiot long ago. At the time, he just assumed she had it out for Noelle and was lashing out at him. But looking at it now, Estelle Lockwood wasn’t just maliciously insulting him—she was speaking the absolute truth. He really was an idiot.

A moment ago, when he told Noelle that the Winslow Group was suffering, she reprimanded him. Yet now, she was forcing him to confess because she was suffering. He thought, "How can a person have such double standards?"

"Kian..." Noelle Lockwood tried to say something more.

"Heh." Suddenly, Mrs. Winslow scoffed lightly from nearby. "Kian, do you finally see this woman’s true colors?"