Chapter 99: Nathaniel Sloan Protects His Wife, Questions Noelle Lockwood

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Nathaniel Sloan Protects His Wife, Questions Noelle Lockwood

Noelle Lockwood’s expression suddenly froze.

She realized Nathaniel had seen her. How much had he seen?!

Noelle felt cold sweat seeping down her spine. Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze was like a knife, piercing right through her. She shuddered instinctively.

Putting on a look of surprise, she gritted her teeth and spoke with difficulty, "Nathaniel... I didn’t understand the whole story just now. I didn’t realize it was actually Vivian’s fault. I originally just wanted to smooth things over..."

"Miss Lockwood’s idea of ’smoothing things over’ is pushing the blame onto me, forcing me to apologize and pay compensation while you and Vivian Lowell remain completely innocent?"

Estelle Lockwood interrupted mockingly. She looked at the store manager. "The work of the designer ’Kendrick’ is worth a hundred million. It was placed in your store, and now it’s damaged. Shouldn’t there be compensation?"

The store manager snapped back to reality. With a ghastly pale face, she suddenly looked at Vivian Lowell. "Yes, compensation! This piece is a work that took the designer Kendrick two years to complete. Its auction price is one hundred and five million!"

Estelle nodded. "Vivian Lowell, pay up."

Hearing this amount, Vivian was completely stunned.

The Lowells only managed to scrape by on a few minor favors from the Lockwood Family. They only had one mid-sized company to their name.

Forking over ten million all at once would be an astronomical price for Vivian. Where was she supposed to get a hundred million? Her legs would be broken for this!

Vivian instinctively looked at Noelle. "Noelle, please help me..."

In her heart, Noelle cursed Estelle hundreds of times, but her face remained incredibly delicate and fragile, her eyes welling with tears. "Nathaniel... this is too much money. How could Vivian possibly pay that much at once? Could you help Vivian and plead with Yara..."

"Miss Lockwood, you might be mistaken about something. This is the designer Kendrick’s work. What’s the use of pleading with me?" Estelle scoffed, "Don’t tell me you expect me to front this one hundred and five million for you?"

Noelle’s face paled slightly. She wept beautifully, making it seem as though Estelle was being incredibly unforgiving.

"Yara, I’m just trying to discuss a solution with you nicely. Please don’t be so defensive. Such a large sum of money... even if I tried to scrape it together now, I wouldn’t be able to do it on such short notice. I don’t ask for your understanding, but Yara, could you please not kick us when we’re down..."

Estelle’s face darkened.

Before she could speak, Nathaniel suddenly turned his head. His gaze was sharp as a knife, cold and merciless.

"What are your intentions in begging her?"

Noelle froze, her teardrops clinging to her eyelashes.

Nathaniel’s voice was icy. "The wedding dress is the designer Kendrick’s work. Vivian Lowell ruined the dress—what does that have to do with Yara? You’re crying and begging for her forgiveness, but then what? So what if she forgives you? Does that mean you don’t have to pay the hundred million in compensation?"

Noelle felt that things were spiraling completely out of her expectations. Even her voice trembled.

"Nathaniel, that’s not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" Nathaniel’s expression remained calm. "Beg her first, wait for her to refuse, and then cry about how malicious she is for rejecting your apology and refusing to forgive you?

"But what does this matter have to do with Yara, from beginning to end?"

Nathaniel’s tone was so cold that even the surrounding guests realized something was amiss.

Wasn’t Noelle supposed to be Nathaniel’s fiancée? Even if Noelle and Vivian were in the wrong today, surely Mr. Sloan didn’t need to be this angry, did he? However, they had to admit Mr. Sloan was right. The one who had suddenly rushed over to hurl insults at Yara was Vivian. The one who had wanted to hit someone and ruined the wedding dress was also Vivian. Did any of this have anything to do with Yara? Since it didn’t, why should anyone beg her?

Henry Kendrick’s gaze shifted back and forth between Nathaniel and Noelle. He clicked his tongue.

Sensing the strange looks from the people around her, Noelle hurriedly explained, her voice trembling and her face deathly pale.

"Nathaniel, I didn’t... I just heard that the designer Kendrick is also a member of the Kendrick Family, and Yara has close ties with the Kendricks, so... so I wanted to ask Yara to do it as a favor to me..."

Nathaniel cut her off faintly. "Why should she do you a favor? Are your favors really that valuable? Can a hundred million in compensation be written off just for your sake?

"Even if she does have close ties with the Kendricks, why should she plead on your behalf? You and Vivian Lowell target her at every turn, yet you expect her to cash in her own favors to exempt you from a hundred-million compensation?"

Sparing her no dignity whatsoever, Nathaniel raised his eyes and demanded, "Do you think she’s some kind of living saint?"

Noelle’s nails dug fiercely into her own flesh!

Estelle was a bit surprised. She never expected Nathaniel to say something like this.

Five years ago, this man had defended Noelle in absolutely everything. If this had happened back then, Nathaniel probably would have swept things under the rug long ago, or demanded that she go plead with the Kendricks!

Speaking of which, she really had done plenty of things like this in the past.

Once, an elderly lady from a wealthy family really liked her perfumes. But after Noelle offended that lady, the Lockwood Family made Estelle go and plead for mercy. She had used her own connections to secure forgiveness for Noelle. Yet everyone felt it was simply what she ought to do, and they even praised Noelle for being so blessed that she could turn any crisis into a minor issue.

Heh... Hadn’t she been exactly that—a living saint—in the past? Now, she didn’t want to be a living saint anymore. She didn’t want to sacrifice herself for others, endlessly dedicate herself to the Lockwood Family, or let Noelle bleed her dry. And yet, one by one, they were all displeased by it.

Noelle almost fainted on the spot, barely able to maintain her smile.

"I didn’t mean it like that. I just felt that blowing things out of proportion wouldn’t do Yara any good either. What if word gets out and people say Yara is unforgiving even when she’s right..."

"Since she is right, what’s wrong with being unforgiving?"

After saying this, Nathaniel made a "go ahead" gesture toward Henry, indicating that he could go collect the compensation and that he wouldn’t interfere.

Henry almost applauded her ex-husband.

That was so satisfying to hear!

Estelle pursed her lips, her feelings somewhat complicated.

Nathaniel had truly changed so much. In the past, he never would have...

Wait, why was she thinking so much about this? Even if Nathaniel had changed, it had nothing to do with her.

Henry had already stepped forward and drawled, "Miss Lowell, one hundred and five million. Card or check?"

Vivian had just snapped out of her shock. Trembling all over in disbelief, she cried, "No... No! It’s just a wedding dress! Yara, you clearly could have helped me, so why won’t you? How can you be so cruel!"

Henry couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath. "No money to pay up, huh? Then we’ll call the police. One hundred and five million, Vivian Lowell. Get ready for prison. You can come out whenever you pay it off."

"Ah, no!!" Vivian was completely panicked. "Noelle! Noelle, please help me! I did this all for you!"

Noelle lowered her head and hid behind her bodyguard, acting as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

She cursed inwardly, "Idiot! You made a fool of yourself, and now you want to drag me down with you! What a useless piece of trash!"

After Vivian was dragged away, Nathaniel walked up to Estelle and asked hoarsely, "Are you still angry? Can you take me off your blacklist now?"