Free Web NovelChapter 59: Chapter 59: Nathaniel Sloan Punishes Noelle Lockwood
When Nathaniel Sloan finished speaking, a dead silence fell.
Estelle Lockwood snapped her head up. ’He said... that the injuries I suffered back then can’t just be forgotten?’
Noelle Lockwood was terrified; her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat!
Afraid Nathaniel Sloan would see through her, she quickly put on a show for Rose Lowell. "Mom! What are you talking about? I’m fine. How could I possibly make a fuss over such a minor injury with Yara?"
Rose Lowell came to her senses as well, her face deathly pale. Trembling, she said, "Right, right. I just got carried away for a moment."
Estelle Lockwood gave a sarcastic smile. "Noelle Lockwood, Nathaniel Sloan said he wants to settle the score with you from seven years ago, yet you’re talking about how you’re fine and won’t hold a grudge against me. He asked about one thing and you answered with something completely different. Are you just feeling guilty, or are you incapable of understanding plain speech?"
Noelle Lockwood’s expression instantly stiffened.
Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze darkened.
Noelle Lockwood took a deep breath. A vicious glint flashed through her eyes before she put on a gentle expression and said,
"Nathaniel, I know my sister’s death has always been a weight on your heart."
Noelle Lockwood looked as if she were about to faint. "When my sister was injured learning to ride back then, I felt so guilty. It was all my fault. After all this time, I have no way to prove my innocence. Just punish me... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
"Noelle, Noelle!" Rose Lowell cried out dramatically. "Noelle, what’s wrong? Nathaniel, Noelle has always been in poor health! You can’t treat her this way, no matter how angry you are! What in the world has my daughter done to deserve this? BOO HOO HOO..."
Estelle Lockwood’s smile grew even more mocking. ’After all these years, it’s still the same old trick. All this wailing and drama just to downplay their own wrongdoing, turning a huge problem into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing at all.’
’So now, Nathaniel Sloan’s going to start defending Noelle Lockwood, isn’t he?’
’Is he going to tell me, just like he always used to, that Noelle’s heart can’t handle the stress and that we should discuss this later?’
Estelle Lockwood had no interest in listening any longer. Leading her horse, she turned and entered the racetrack.
Noelle Lockwood lowered her gaze and gave Rose Lowell a gentle tug. Taking the hint, Rose Lowell shamelessly began to speak,
"Nathaniel, Estelle is my own flesh and blood. When she was hurt, my heart ached for her! I know it’s our fault as parents for letting her get injured. But you know how strong-willed Estelle is. She was determined to learn how to ride. How could we have possibly stopped her?"
Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze was somber. "So, Ms. Lowell, are you suggesting that Estelle deserved to get hurt?"
Rose Lowell cursed inwardly. ’Of course she deserved it!’
’Some country bumpkin who insisted on learning to ride a horse. Noelle was kind enough to spend her own time teaching her, and what happens? It was bad enough that she couldn’t learn, but then she had the audacity to blame Noelle for her fall!’
’Noelle was so innocent in all this! It was obviously Estelle Lockwood who was too stupid to learn, so how could anyone blame Noelle?’
"I... I didn’t mean that. But you know Estelle’s temperament. She’s the type who won’t turn back until she hits a brick wall. She couldn’t learn to ride and kept falling off, and even though Noelle tried to talk her out of it, she wouldn’t listen. Besides, Estelle never even blamed Noelle back then. Isn’t Dr. Yara overstepping a bit today?"
Nathaniel Sloan scrutinized Rose Lowell.
’In the past, both Austin Lockwood and Rose Lowell claimed they doted on Estelle Lockwood, saying she was just introverted, sensitive, and not good at expressing herself.’
’But today, Nathaniel Sloan couldn’t help but wonder—were the Lockwoods telling the truth?’
’He was almost certain that Yara Lockwood was Estelle Lockwood, and Yara’s attitude toward the Lockwood Family made him begin to suspect... After Estelle, the true daughter, returned to the family, was she ostracized?’
’Did everyone prefer the daughter they had raised for eighteen years, while they ostracized, disdained, and resented the true daughter who had just come home, hating her for returning to take Noelle Lockwood’s place?’
Rose Lowell tried to speak again, "Nathaniel—"
But Nathaniel Sloan cut her off. "Ms. Lowell, are you telling me you don’t know why Estelle didn’t blame Noelle Lockwood back then?"
A sense of foreboding suddenly washed over Rose Lowell.
Nathaniel Sloan said flatly, "Because she had just returned home and was, in your own words, a ’country bumpkin,’ while Noelle Lockwood was the Lockwood Family’s pampered daughter. Even if she had blamed her, do you really think Ms. Lowell would have punished Noelle for her sake?"
Rose Lowell was instantly flustered. "I, I didn’t..."
Noelle Lockwood also bit her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head desperately. "Nathaniel, it’s not like that..."
Nathaniel Sloan had no desire to listen to their excuses. "Since Estelle didn’t lay any blame back then, I will."
He waved his hand, and Luke White instantly understood what he meant and dialed a number.
Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze was cold. "You brought this upon yourselves."
With that, he turned and walked toward the track.
Noelle Lockwood truly felt like she was about to pass out!!
’Estelle Lockwood... It’s always Estelle Lockwood! After all these years, the one on Nathaniel Sloan’s mind is still Estelle Lockwood!’
A few onlookers cast discreet glances in their direction, their eyes filled with disdain. Having grown up in wealthy circles themselves, they knew exactly what Rose Lowell was thinking. Wasn’t it simply that she looked down on her biological daughter for coming from the countryside and felt she was inferior to the adopted daughter?
That’s why when her own daughter was injured, Rose Lowell not only didn’t blame the adopted daughter but actually felt her biological daughter was being difficult.
Waves of dizziness washed over Noelle Lockwood. Rose Lowell quickly grabbed her hand, whispering through gritted teeth, "Noelle, it’s all right, it’s all right. You saved Nathaniel’s life once; he wouldn’t be this heartless..."
...
「Inside the racetrack.」
Estelle Lockwood rode two laps around the track. It was only when she returned to her starting point that she noticed Nathaniel Sloan standing there. She had no idea how long he’d been watching.
Estelle Lockwood couldn’t be bothered with him. She swung herself off the horse and prepared to head back.
As she walked past Nathaniel Sloan, she heard him ask, "Miss Lockwood, how long have you been riding?"
Estelle Lockwood raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to ask?"
Nathaniel Sloan said calmly, "Your form is very skilled, Miss Lockwood, and you handle the horse well. However, certain small tells reveal that you haven’t been riding for very long—no more than three years." frёewebηovel.cѳm
Estelle Lockwood’s expression darkened. ’He’s right. I have only been riding for three years.’
’The first year, I had just given birth and gone through a major ordeal. After Old Mr. Kendrick saved me, I spent every day recuperating, just drifting by in a daze.’
’The second year, for the sake of my child, I found the will to live. But my health was still too poor, so I could only focus on quiet recovery.’
’It wasn’t until the third year that Henry Kendrick took me to his family’s stables for fun, and that’s when I learned to ride.’
A slight smile touched Estelle Lockwood’s lips. "So, what are you getting at, Mr. Sloan?" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Nathaniel Sloan toyed with the string of Buddha Beads on his wrist, his dark eyes deep and unreadable. "When you were mounting the horse, Miss Lockwood, you hesitated for a moment. Your movements are exceptionally careful. Is it because you were thrown from a horse many times in the past?"
’That would explain her subconscious caution. Small, inadvertent tells that she probably isn’t even aware of herself.’
Estelle Lockwood remained noncommittal. "It’s normal for a beginner to be thrown once or twice, isn’t it?"
Nathaniel Sloan closed the distance between them, one step at a time. "Is that right?"
Estelle Lockwood beamed. "What exactly are you suspicious of, Mr. Sloan? Don’t tell me you found out your wife was thrown from her horse a few times back then and now you’ve had a crisis of conscience and want to make it up to her."
"But your ex-wife is long dead. Your conscience won’t be clear if you don’t offer compensation, so you’ve turned to me—"
At this, Estelle Lockwood shot back without a shred of courtesy, "You don’t still think I’m your ex-wife, do you, Mr. Sloan? How many times do I have to tell you? If you’re delusional, you should go to a hospital. Want me to book you an appointment with a specialist?"
