Chapter 267: Noelle Lockwood’s Attempted Murder

Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Noelle Lockwood’s Attempted Murder

Phoebe Hale finished recounting her memories and stared quietly at Noelle Lockwood.

The sight of that severely burned face, paired with a gaze as placid as a corpse’s, sent a violent shudder through Noelle. She shrank back in terror. "D-Don’t come any closer!"

"Noelle, are you afraid of me?"

Phoebe’s voice was terribly hoarse. The fire had destroyed both her face and her vocal cords. In her youth, she possessed a beautiful singing voice—her grandfather used to say she sang like a nightingale—but now, her raspy croak was grating to the ears.

Noelle shrieked in absolute terror, "I don’t know you! Get away! Get lost!"

Phoebe said calmly, "Noelle, perhaps you haven’t forgotten. In order to gain my trust, you agreed to take a DNA test with me. At the same time, you gave me a copy of the paternity test between you and Austin Lockwood."

Noelle’s terrified shrieks caught in her throat.

Phoebe looked at her daughter, enunciating every word. "I still have it."

Phoebe had long given up on her daughter. Now, all she wanted was to drag everyone who had harmed her grandfather down to hell. She laid everything bare, including the chilling words Noelle had spoken to her: "It’s not the first time I’ve started a fire anyway, so just die in there!"

"No!!" Noelle shrieked.

Austin grabbed the swaying Noelle to steady her, his sinister gaze locked onto Phoebe. "You didn’t die, so why did you come back?! Do you really think you alone can get revenge for yourself and that old man?!"

[Holy crap, Austin admitted it!!]

[After all, he doesn’t know it’s being live-streamed right now. He thinks Phoebe is all alone and easy to bully.]

[What a scumbag! He killed her grandfather and ruined her life, yet he still acts so high and mighty!]

[If you ask me, Noelle is a bad seed too! She knew everything! Noelle’s fans, open your eyes and look closely! Noelle knew early on that she was Austin’s illegitimate daughter and that Phoebe was her mother.]

[She knew perfectly well how Austin had ruined her mother. She knew her great-grandfather died at Austin’s hands, yet for the sake of wealth and glory, she actually tried to kill her own mother!]

[Did you guys miss what Noelle just said? She said it wasn’t the first time she started a fire—]

[Phoebe was disfigured three years ago. By then, Estelle had already left because of a fire. That was Noelle’s first fire!]

[Noelle’s second fire was meant to kill Phoebe, so five years ago, it’s obvious she wanted to kill Estelle too!]

[Noelle’s fans are still defending her? I’m gonna throw up. Does she have no shame?!]

The shareholders of the Lockwood Group had been frantically trying to contact Austin, but now, reaching him would be entirely pointless. Austin was finished. Noelle was finished. The Lockwood Family was finished.

Nathaniel Sloan gave Phoebe a slight nod. The woman seemed to breathe a heavy sigh of relief, her body going limp.

Estelle caught her. "Take a seat over there and rest for a bit."

Nathaniel said meaningfully, "Princess Avery."

No one expected Nathaniel to suddenly address Princess Avery. Everyone had been so immersed in the shock of Noelle’s true parentage that they had completely forgotten she was still in the room. A sudden, ominous premonition washed over Noelle.

Sure enough, Nathaniel said flatly, "Princess Avery, the daughter-in-law you want is Austin’s biological daughter." The man paused before asking nonchalantly, "So tell me, who exactly is Austin’s biological daughter now?"

Finally, everyone remembered the true purpose of this recognition banquet—to marry off "Austin’s biological daughter" to Mr. Reno.

"Since Noelle is Austin’s biological daughter, doesn’t that mean she should be the one marrying Mr. Reno?"

Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression instantly darkened as realization struck, and Austin sprang to his feet. All the color drained from Noelle’s face, and she trembled like a leaf in the wind.

Just moments ago, everyone in the Lockwood Family had emphasized countless times that Austin’s biological daughter had to marry into Avery Manor. At the time, Noelle was absolutely certain her true parentage would never be exposed! But now, Noelle was indisputably proven to be Austin’s biological daughter! Estelle, on the other hand, had become entirely irrelevant to the arrangement.

Noelle glared at Nathaniel, her eyes wide with rage. "Nathaniel, how could you be so cruel!" she thought frantically. She knew it! She finally understood! This was his goal all along!

Ms. Lowell suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a piercing scream, "No... No! Noelle can’t marry him!"

"Why can’t she?" A reporter who had arrived with Estelle scoffed as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. "Didn’t Ms. Lowell just say earlier that all illegitimate daughters deserve to die?"

Earlier, when she believed Estelle was Austin’s illegitimate daughter, she had relentlessly hurled insults at her, cursing her as a Jinx and a slut who seduced men. But now that the illegitimate daughter turned out to be Noelle, Ms. Lowell was suddenly fiercely protective.

Ms. Lowell’s face alternated between flushed red and deathly pale. "How can Noelle and Estelle possibly be the same?!" she thought indignantly. "Even if Noelle is an illegitimate daughter, I’m the one who raised her! Besides, Austin is a good man. How could he possibly cheat? That shameless Phoebe must have thrown herself at him!"

The reporter shook his head, knowing that Ms. Lowell was entirely beyond saving.

Noelle shook her head in abject terror. "No, Dad, I don’t want to! I don’t want to marry him! Grandpa, save me!" She knew exactly what awaited her if she married Mr. Reno. She would be tortured to death! Just like all the other women who had perished at his hands, she would definitely die!

Estelle spoke with a slow, leisurely drawl, "Noelle, I really don’t understand. Why are you so unwilling?"

The crowd’s gaze immediately snapped to Estelle. She flawlessly parroted a phrase that everyone present found incredibly familiar:

"Mr. Reno is a man of striking appearance and elegant demeanor. You couldn’t possibly find a better man in the entire world, right? If you even look down on a man as wonderful as him, Noelle... what should I even say to you?" It was verbatim what Noelle had said to her earlier!

Noelle’s face was deathly pale. "You..."

Estelle continued in her unhurried tone, "All those flaws you mentioned? Mr. Reno will change them. He genuinely cares for you. Can’t you just look past his exterior and see his inner beauty?

"You haven’t forgotten saying those words, have you? Since you think Mr. Reno is such an incredible catch... why are you refusing to marry him?"

Sobbing uncontrollably, Noelle shrank behind Ms. Lowell.

Although Ms. Lowell now knew the truth, she had fiercely protected Noelle for so many years that she simply couldn’t flip a switch and stop. "H-How can Noelle marry him? The most suitable woman for Mr. Reno is Estelle! Our Noelle... she’s still too young!"

Nathaniel blatantly ignored Ms. Lowell’s distress, looking at Princess Avery with a faint, mocking smile.

"You spent two billion and brought countless betrothal gifts all to secure a marriage with Austin’s biological daughter—" Nathaniel paused for dramatic effect. "If the person you bring back to Avery Manor isn’t Noelle... wouldn’t you find that utterly humiliating, Your Highness?"