Chapter 340: The Three Little Ones Help with the Face-Slapping

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: The Three Little Ones Help with the Face-Slapping

So what if the waiter did it on purpose and Zachery Lockwood hadn’t even bumped into him?

Zachery was just a child. What could he possibly say? Would people believe him just because he said he didn’t do it?

As long as everyone believed Zachery was a brat who intentionally bumped into people and caused the waiter to make a mistake, they would think Estelle Lockwood, as his mother, had failed to discipline her child and instead blamed the innocent waiter, costing him his job. If she just found someone to post the video online, it would undoubtedly spark a heated discussion. After all, topics about bratty kids were guaranteed to attract massive traffic. When the time came, Estelle would be dragged down and cursed at right alongside him.

Zachery hadn’t bumped into anyone... but so what? She was framing him, but so what? Who could prove otherwise?!

Thinking of this, Claire Yeats pursed her lips and spoke gently to the waiter kneeling on the floor. "You can get up now. I’ll explain things clearly to Estelle. It’s fine, don’t worry."

The waiter thanked her through his tears. "Thank you, you’re such a good person. Thank you! I never thought you’d help me. I thought... I thought today..."

His voice grew softer, but everyone could hear the implication: he thought Estelle was going to demand he be fired today.

Claire bit her lower lip gently, hesitating for a moment before speaking up for the waiter.

"Estelle, look, you aren’t hurt. This trench coat is stained with coffee and can’t be worn anymore, but... how about this? I’ll compensate you on his behalf and buy you a new one. Could you just be the bigger person and let this go?

"Estelle, we are sisters, after all. Sometimes... you really need to rein in your temper. Before things blow up, just take a step back and let this matter drop.

"No matter what, you have to consider Mrs. Kendrick and Mr. Sloan. Even if you don’t care about that, you also have your children to think about," Claire sighed, her words laden with hidden meaning.

Estelle’s eyes instantly turned sharp. Was the waiter truly "careless"? Absolutely not. Then why would someone suddenly spill coffee on her, then kneel and beg for mercy, right before Claire showed up? Why would it be such a coincidence? There was only one possibility—Claire had arranged all of this.

Estelle looked at her calmly for a moment and suddenly smiled. "Miss Yeats, are you implying that I’m being unforgiving despite being in the right?"

"I am..." Claire looked utterly helpless, as if she were looking at an unreasonable younger sister. "Estelle, you just returned to the Yeats family. I know the family dotes on you and will agree to whatever you want to do. However, you can’t use that as an excuse to throw your weight around using the Yeats family’s power."

The reason Mrs. Kendrick had chosen this restaurant was that it was a quiet, secluded, and upscale establishment. Since it was upscale, the prices were naturally far from affordable. Therefore, the guests who frequented this place were either rich or aristocratic, and they had all, more or less, heard about the recent events involving the Yeats family.

Estelle’s identity was the eldest daughter of the Yeats family who had been lost to the outside world, while Claire was a wealthy daughter from a branch of the family. The two were indeed cousins. And since Estelle had only just returned to the family and had only just come into contact with such overwhelming power, she had gotten carried away in her momentary triumph...

Seeing everything developing exactly as she wanted, Claire spoke softly to placate her. "Estelle, although I’m siding with reason rather than family, I still genuinely want the best for you. After all, there are so many people here. I’m afraid that if word of your behavior gets out, Grandpa will be worried. Don’t you agree? Why don’t we just let this go?"

Claire believed her acting was absolutely flawless.

"Huh?" Right then, a surprised voice sounded from the side.

The three little ones seemed to have "just reacted." Mia widened her dark, grape-like eyes and asked hesitantly, wearing an expression that suggested she thought she had misheard. "Aunt Yeats, are you saying my mommy is being unforgiving?"

The corners of Claire’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

Idiot. Estelle’s daughter was an idiot, just as expected. She had already steered the narrative to paint these three idiots as "brats." It would have been fine if they had kept quiet, but by speaking up, hadn’t they just handed her the perfect opportunity?

Claire feigned helplessness. "You’re still young, so you don’t know how important a job is to an ordinary person. But your mommy, she..."

Mia put down her milk and blinked her eyes, speaking with pure innocence.

"But Aunt Yeats, Mommy hasn’t said a single word since the coffee was spilled on her.

"She didn’t say anything, so I don’t know how you came to the conclusion that she wanted to drive this man to a dead end. Is it telepathy? Mommy didn’t speak, but you knew what she was thinking?"

The child’s innocent words were like a breath of fresh air, sobering up everyone present. Wait a minute... it seemed they really hadn’t heard Miss Lockwood say a single word! It was entirely this man begging for mercy!

Mrs. Kendrick also chimed in with a smile. "Indeed, the child sees things clearly. Miss Yeats, our Estelle hasn’t said how she wants to punish him, nor did she even ask for an apology. Yet, the two of you sang the same tune and immediately convicted her. I just don’t understand it. Estelle was the one who had coffee spilled on her, so how has the victim suddenly become the sinner?"

Claire’s expression shifted slightly, and she forced a stiff smile. "Estelle, he didn’t do it on purpose. Besides, maybe your expression scared him. Not to mention, Zachery bumped into him first, which was why he..."

"Mommy." Zachery pretended to be aggrieved, yet remained very strong. "Mommy, I didn’t do it. When he bumped into us just now, I was by Daddy’s side."

Claire shook her head. "Estelle, look. Even now, your child is still lying. He has no sense of responsibility at all, pushing all the blame onto others..."

Christian interrupted. "Aunt Yeats, you believe whatever this waiter says, yet you refuse to listen to Zachery’s explanation. Actually, it’s very easy to clear this up. There are blind-spot-free security cameras here. We just need to go pull the footage."

Claire’s lips curled up again. Vincent Ford was the young master of this establishment. If he refused to hand over the footage, who could force him?

Sure enough, the manager hurried over to announce that the security cameras were broken.

Claire sighed. "Zachery, Christian, look. The cameras are broken, so no one can prove anything. Besides, the man is about to lose his job. There’s no need for him to slander two little kids..."

"The restaurant’s cameras might be broken, but Mia has footage!" Suddenly, the little girl blinked her eyes obediently and looked at Mrs. Kendrick. "Grandma was just recording a short video of Mia! She should have caught it right on camera!"

Mrs. Kendrick nodded, pulling out her phone with a faint, knowing smile. "I just love recording my little Mia. As it happens, I was just about to record a video of her eating when this waiter suddenly stepped into the frame."

The video started playing.

It clearly showed that Zachery hadn’t touched the waiter at all from start to finish. Instead, the waiter had suddenly changed direction, throwing a cup of coffee straight at Mrs. Kendrick and Estelle!

Claire’s face turned deadly pale!

"S-So I made a mistake. I never thought..."

"Miss Yeats, there’s no rush. I have a few questions," Estelle interrupted.