The room fell deathly silent.

Everyone was shocked by Estelle Lockwood’s words and subconsciously looked toward Noelle Lockwood. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Noelle Lockwood’s expression was utterly twisted, her gentle smile on the verge of collapsing.

"N-no... that’s not true. Miss Yara Lockwood, I know you despise me, but you don’t have to make up such lies to slander me..."

"Nathaniel, you know I’ve always felt guilty about my sister. How could I possibly torment her like that?"

Laura Jennings also snapped back to her senses and immediately muttered, "That’s right. Noelle is kind-hearted, a good girl. How could she do something like that! Besides, Estelle Lockwood was always crude. Making her a maid was letting her off easy..."

BANG.

Nathaniel Sloan slammed his teacup down, his eyes cold and severe.

"Mother, if you say one more word, I won’t hesitate to revoke your status!"

Laura Jennings’s eyes widened, a lump forming in her throat. She resentfully shut her mouth.

Inside, however, she couldn’t stop cursing them. ’One Estelle Lockwood, one Yara Lockwood... for these two vixens, Nathaniel doesn’t even care about his own mother anymore!’

’Noelle is the filial one!’

Nathaniel Sloan looked at Noelle Lockwood, his gaze sharp and scrutinizing. It made Noelle shiver. "Nathaniel, I really didn’t..."

"Yara, do you have any proof?" Nathaniel Sloan suddenly asked.

Estelle Lockwood paused.

Everyone else looked over as well. Noelle Lockwood’s eyes lit up, and a bashful expression soon graced her features.

The three little ones were about to die from anger, especially Zachery, whose face was flushed red with fury.

’He wasn’t an idiot. For his scumbag dad to ask Mommy for proof right now, it was obvious he didn’t believe what she said. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw evidence!’

’But Noelle Lockwood’s torment of Mommy back then was real. Besides, it had been nearly six years. Where were they supposed to find proof?’

’No matter how you spun it, he was still defending Noelle Lockwood!’

Estelle Lockwood had clearly thought of this as well, and her gaze turned cold. She had underestimated how much Noelle Lockwood meant to Nathaniel Sloan.

"Proof?"

Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes were placid, yet they stared at her like a deep, dark pool. His voice was hoarse. "...Yes. Do you have proof?"

’Proof would either be security footage or... Estelle Lockwood herself coming forward to testify.’

’As long as Estelle Lockwood herself was here, he would believe anything she said.’

Estelle Lockwood let out a cold laugh. "I have no proof. Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to your judgment, Mr. Sloan."

"So you don’t have any!" Laura Jennings was the first to cry out. "Well, what do you know! After all that talk, you don’t even have proof. You’re just making baseless accusations to slander someone!"

Noelle Lockwood couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. "Miss Yara Lockwood, since you can’t produce any evidence, perhaps you should refrain from saying such things in the future. You’re an outsider who doesn’t know the full story of my sister and me, so you shouldn’t be commenting on it."

Estelle Lockwood felt a cold sensation in her stomach. The mango milk tea she had just drunk was a bit too rich, and she started to feel nauseous.

She couldn’t help but mock him, "So you don’t believe what I say, Mr. Sloan? You have to see proof to believe it?"

Nathaniel Sloan didn’t back down. ’Yara has already revealed in so many ways that she is Estelle Lockwood,’ he thought. ’She’s just missing that final step. Why?’

"Besides physical evidence, if my wife herself said this to me, I would believe it too."

Estelle Lockwood’s face lit up with a sudden, mocking smile as she raised an eyebrow.

’Forget it,’ she thought. ’In the end, isn’t he just sure that I can’t produce any proof, so he can’t convict Noelle Lockwood?’

’He says he needs proof to believe it... Back then, when Noelle Lockwood claimed I pushed her down the stairs, there was no proof at all, yet didn’t Nathaniel Sloan still believe her? He let me go to my prenatal checkups alone while he was busy fussing over Noelle.’

’When I accuse Noelle Lockwood, I need proof. When Noelle Lockwood spreads rumors and slanders me, Nathaniel Sloan believes her without a second thought.’

’And to think, just a little while ago during the movie, I actually felt a flicker of affection for Nathaniel Sloan...’

The air grew increasingly oppressive, and she felt a wave of nausea.

Estelle Lockwood shot to her feet. She couldn’t stand to be here for another second!

"Miss Lockwood can refuse to admit it, and Mr. Sloan can refuse to believe it. However, it just so happens that the restaurant where that party was held is now under my name. Restoring the surveillance footage from five years ago won’t be difficult."

Noelle Lockwood’s face turned deathly pale!

The three little ones exchanged a look. Zachery gave the other two a meaningful glance, and after a moment’s hesitation, Christian followed Estelle along with Mia.

Laura Jennings was practically seething. "What does she mean by that? Slandering Noelle and then just walking away?"

Noelle Lockwood bit her lower lip and shook her head meekly. "Auntie, you don’t have to be angry on my behalf..."

Nathaniel Sloan watched Estelle Lockwood leave. Hearing Noelle’s words, he was just about to speak when he saw ’Christian’ give a sarcastic, mocking laugh.

Zachery, putting on a high-pitched voice, said, "Grandma, wasn’t Aunt Noelle anxious to see the proof? Aunt Yara went back to find it, so what are you so worked up about?"

Laura Jennings subconsciously raised her voice. "What proof? It’s all fabricated..."

"Yes, yes, of course. Usurping the real heiress’s identity was fabricated. Usurping the real heiress’s room was fabricated. Usurping the real heiress’s engagement was fabricated. So a trivial little thing like treating the real heiress as a maid must de~fi~nite~ly be fa~bri~ca~ted~ too!"

"After all, who is Aunt Noelle? She’s the purest, most innocent little white lotus, isn’t she~"

Laura Jennings was momentarily choked speechless by ’Christian’s’ sarcasm.

Before she could retort, Zachery had already put down his chopsticks. "Daddy, I’m full."

With that, he bolted, disappearing in less than half a minute.

As he ran, however, he failed to notice Noelle Lockwood’s hand brush imperceptibly over the top of his head.

Laura Jennings was half-dead with anger. She slammed down her chopsticks. "I’m not eating! Every last one of you... I’m full from anger!"

Nathaniel Sloan rose calmly. "Since you’re not eating, I’ll have someone escort you back to Sloan Manor."

Laura Jennings was displeased. "Just like that? You’re just letting that Yara Lockwood go? She should at least be made to apologize to Noelle!"

Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes were calm, but his gaze cut across Noelle Lockwood like a knife. "It won’t be too late to talk about apologies after the surveillance footage is checked."

"You..." Laura Jennings wanted to press the matter, but Nathaniel Sloan had already left without a backward glance.

The area was full of people. Some believed Yara Lockwood’s words, some didn’t, but regardless, there were plenty of whispers and pointed looks directed at Noelle Lockwood.

Laura Jennings was truly about to explode with rage. "Nathaniel is like this, Christian is like this... every single one of them has been bewitched by that Yara Lockwood!"

Noelle Lockwood shed helpless tears. "I don’t know what Miss Yara Lockwood said to Christian, but ever since she arrived, he’s grown to despise me, his mother, more and more. I really don’t know what to do..."

Laura Jennings hid the disgust she felt.

She had never liked Christian Sloan.

’I don’t know why Nathaniel prizes this son so much.’

’If he wants a son, why not have one with Noelle? Why insist on raising the one that woman left behind...’

Suddenly, an idea flashed in Laura Jennings’s mind, a possibility lighting up her thoughts—’What if this little bastard isn’t even Nathaniel’s biological son!’

’If Christian Sloan isn’t Nathaniel’s son, then he can be kicked out! And correspondingly, Yara Lockwood would have no reason to live at Imperial Crest!’

Suddenly, Laura Jennings spotted a few strands of hair on Noelle Lockwood’s sleeve. "Is this Christian’s hair?"

A flicker of something crossed Noelle Lockwood’s face. "Ah, it must have gotten on me by accident just now."

Laura Jennings’s eyes darted around. She took the strands of hair and made a call to a hospital. "Hello, help me run a paternity test."

...

Meanwhile, Zachery caught up with Estelle Lockwood, complaining in a low voice to Mia, "That evil woman must have lost her mind just now. She pulled out two of my hairs. She’s crazy!"