Chapter 59: Nathaniel Punishes Noelle

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Nathaniel Punishes Noelle

As Nathaniel Sloan’s words hung in the air, a dead silence fell over the area.

Estelle Lockwood snapped her head up. Did he just say... the injuries she suffered back then wouldn’t be let go either?

Noelle Lockwood was terrified. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest! Terrified that Nathaniel might notice something amiss, she hastily put on a fake act and turned to Rose Lowell. "Mom! What are you saying? I’m fine. How could I possibly hold a grudge against Miss Yara over such a minor scratch?"

Rose also realized her slip-up. Her face turned pale as she stammered, "Yes, right. I just wasn’t thinking straight for a moment."

Estelle let out a mocking laugh. "Noelle, Nathaniel said he wants to settle the score with you from seven years ago, yet you’re blabbering about being fine and not holding a grudge against me. Are you answering a completely different question because you’re guilty, or do you just not understand human speech?"

Noelle’s expression instantly stiffened, and Nathaniel’s eyes darkened.

Noelle took a deep breath. A brief flash of malice crossed her eyes before she feigned a gentle tone. "Nathaniel, I know my sister’s death has always been a heavy burden on your heart.

"When she got injured learning to ride a horse, I felt terribly guilty too. It was all my fault. So much time has passed, and I have no way to prove my innocence anymore. Just punish me... COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

"Noelle, Noelle!" Rose cried out in exaggerated dismay. "Noelle, what’s wrong? Nathaniel, Noelle has always been in poor health. No matter how angry you are, you can’t treat her like this! What did my daughter ever do wrong? SOB SOB SOB..."

Estelle’s smile grew increasingly cynical. After all these years, they were still using the same old trick. By weeping and wailing, they forcefully minimized their own wrongdoings until they were brushed off entirely.

Next, Nathaniel would probably start defending Noelle, wouldn’t he? She wondered if it would be just like before, where he would tell her that Noelle’s heart couldn’t take the shock and that they would discuss it later.

Estelle had no interest in listening any further. She took her horse by the reins and turned toward the racetrack.

Noelle lowered her eyes and gave Rose a gentle tug. Getting the hint, Rose shamelessly spoke up. "Nathaniel, Estelle was my biological daughter! When she was hurt, it pained my heart! I know that allowing her to get injured was a failure on our part as parents. But you know how stubborn Estelle was. She was determined to learn horseback riding back then—how could we possibly stop her?"

Nathaniel’s gaze was heavy. "So, Ms. Lowell, are you saying that Estelle deserved to get hurt?"

Rose cursed inwardly, thinking that the girl absolutely deserved it. She was just a country bumpkin who insisted on learning to ride a horse. Noelle was kind enough to take the time to teach her. Not only did she fail to learn, but she even had the audacity to blame Noelle for falling off the horse! Noelle was so innocent! It was clearly Estelle’s own stupidity, so how could anyone blame Noelle?

"I... I didn’t mean it like that," Rose quickly backpedaled. "But you know Estelle’s temperament. She never gave up until she hit a brick wall. She couldn’t get the hang of riding and fell off time and time again. Noelle tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t listen. Besides, Estelle didn’t even blame Noelle back then. Isn’t Dr. Yara overstepping her boundaries today?"

Nathaniel scrutinized Rose.

In the past, both Austin Lockwood and Rose Lowell had always claimed how much they doted on Estelle. They insisted she was just introverted, sensitive, and bad at expressing herself. But today, Nathaniel couldn’t help but reflect—were the Lockwoods telling the truth?

He was almost certain that Yara was Estelle. And her attitude toward the Lockwood family made him start to suspect things. After the biological daughter returned to the Lockwood family, had she been ostracized? Did everyone love the adopted daughter they had raised for eighteen years, while they excluded and despised the newly returned biological daughter, hating her for coming back and threatening to steal Noelle’s place?

Rose wanted to say more. "Nathaniel..."

But Nathaniel cut her off. "Does Ms. Lowell truly not know why Estelle didn’t blame Noelle back then?"

Rose suddenly had a bad premonition.

Nathaniel spoke indifferently, "Because she had just returned home and was the ’country bumpkin’ you all saw her as, while Noelle was the pampered heiress of the Lockwood family. Even if she had blamed her, would Ms. Lowell really have punished Noelle for her sake?"

Rose immediately panicked. "I, I’m not..."

Noelle bit her lower lip tightly, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head desperately. "Nathaniel, it’s not like that..."

Nathaniel had no desire to listen to their excuses. "Since Estelle didn’t hold her accountable back then, I will do it for her."

He waved his hand. Luke White immediately understood Mr. Sloan’s intention and made a phone call.

Nathaniel cast them a cold glare. "You had best watch yourselves." With that, he turned and walked toward the racetrack.

Noelle felt like she was truly going to faint this time!

Estelle... It was Estelle again! After all these years, the person Nathaniel held in his heart was still Estelle!

A few bystanders discreetly glanced over, their eyes filled with disdain. Having grown up in wealthy families, they perfectly understood what was going through Rose’s mind. Wasn’t it just her disliking her biological daughter for coming back from the countryside and deeming her inferior to the adopted daughter? Therefore, when the biological daughter got hurt, Rose not only refused to blame the adopted daughter, but even felt that her biological daughter was being a nuisance.

Waves of dizziness washed over Noelle. Rose quickly grabbed her hand and gritted her teeth, whispering, "Noelle, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay. You saved Nathaniel’s life once. He won’t be that heartless..."

Inside the racetrack.

Estelle rode her horse for two laps. It wasn’t until she returned to her starting point that she saw Nathaniel. She had no idea how long he had been standing there. Too lazy to acknowledge him, she dismounted and prepared to leave.

As she walked past him, she heard him ask, "How long have you been learning to ride, Miss Lockwood?"

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

Nathaniel replied calmly, "Your movements are very practiced, and you control the horse well. However, some minor habits still show that you haven’t been riding for very long. No more than three years."

Estelle’s eyes darkened. It had indeed been exactly three years since she started learning.

In her first year away, she had just given birth and suffered a terrible ordeal. Although Old Mr. Kendrick had saved her, she spent every day recovering from her illnesses, living in a complete daze. During the second year, she found the will to live for the sake of her children. However, because her health was still exceptionally poor, she could only rest quietly. It wasn’t until the third year that Henry Kendrick took her to his family’s private racetrack, where she finally learned how to ride.

Estelle’s red lips curled into a slight smile. "So, what are you trying to say, Mr. Sloan?"

Nathaniel rubbed the string of Buddha Beads on his wrist, his dark eyes profound. "When you mounted the horse, there was a brief moment of hesitation. Your movements were exceptionally cautious. Is it because you’ve been thrown from a horse multiple times in the past?"

That was why she subconsciously acted with such care. These tiny, inadvertently revealed details were things she herself might not have even noticed.

Estelle was noncommittal. "It’s quite normal for a beginner to take a few falls, isn’t it?"

Nathaniel took a step toward her. "Is that so?"

Estelle smiled radiantly. "What exactly are you suspecting, Mr. Sloan? Don’t tell me you found out your wife took several falls back then, and suddenly growing a conscience, you want to compensate her.

"But your ex-wife has been dead for a long time. Unable to soothe your guilty conscience without offering compensation, you turned your sights on me—"

At this point, Estelle retorted without holding back, "You don’t still think I’m your ex-wife, do you? I’ve told you so many times—if you suffer from delusions, go to a hospital. Do you need me to book you an appointment with a specialist?"