Wait, hold on a second.
Shit! How did Nathaniel get here so fast? And where’s Noelle?
Noelle was the one who told him to bring the three little ones over today for an in-person apology. So where is she?
Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes narrowed. "Were you just saying Noelle Lockwood’s name?"
Kian Winslow’s expression froze. He had promised Noelle he’d keep it a secret. "N-No, it’s nothing."
A glint appeared in Estelle Lockwood’s eyes. Her phone buzzed twice. She glanced down, her eyes narrowing slightly, and then let out a soft chuckle. "Nathaniel, as long as Mia and the others are okay, that’s all that matters."
Nathaniel Sloan raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately—there was definitely more to Kian Winslow taking the children than met the eye.
Estelle Lockwood had received a message from Penelope Sullivan.
She was asking if Zachery and Mia had been kidnapped. Estelle paused. Kidnapped? When she’d gotten the call from the driver earlier, for a split second, she had also worried Mia had been kidnapped.
But she quickly realized Mia hadn’t been kidnapped—Kian Winslow didn’t have the guts to abduct the three little ones.
So Estelle was a little stunned, wondering where Penelope’s question came from. Besides, Mia had only been "missing" for a short while, not even an hour... How did Penelope know about this?
Penelope Sullivan was also stunned. [It’s all over the internet. Everyone’s worried sick about Mia and the others’ safety. The police have even been dispatched to search for them.]
Estelle Lockwood realized something was wrong. She pulled up Weibo and took a look, her expression immediately darkening.
—Mia was perfectly fine, yet everyone online was saying the three little ones had been kidnapped, their fate unknown.
’This isn’t normal!’
[I hope the three kids are okay. I’m so worried.]
[That bitch Noelle Lockwood just keeps crying and saying she didn’t kidnap the kids. Bullshit! Someone already called the police. If it wasn’t her, who was it?!]
[Boycott the law-breaking celebrity! Why isn’t Noelle Lockwood in jail yet?!]
[What if Noelle Lockwood refuses to talk? Will they be able to find the kids? I’m so scared the kidnappers will do something to them.]
[I can’t believe it. Austin Lockwood and Rose Lowell won’t talk either. They just keep shouting that they believe Noelle Lockwood, but isn’t Estelle Lockwood their daughter too?]
[The three little ones are their grandchildren! How can they be so cruel? What will happen to such young children in the hands of kidnappers? They might be sold off...]
The online comments grew more and more outrageous, and the police seemed to be cooperating fully, hoping to find the children as soon as possible.
Estelle Lockwood scoffed.
The situation had blown up to this extent, with people calling the police and filming videos, yet how was it that not a single person...
...had contacted her, the children’s legal guardian?
Estelle Lockwood seemed to understand Noelle Lockwood’s plan. While it appeared risky, if it succeeded, it would be... all gain and no pain.
When Kian Winslow saw Estelle Lockwood, he felt a pang in his chest. His memories of this woman were far from pleasant.
"Wh-What do you want...?"
"Nothing much." Estelle Lockwood smoothed her hair and had the three children come back to her side. Then she asked, "Young Mr. Winslow, have you been online?"
Kian Winslow was confused. "No, why?"
Estelle Lockwood smiled. "Since you haven’t been online yet, it’s best you don’t look at the comments for now. Young Mr. Winslow invited my children over as ’guests’... but this doesn’t look much like a guest visit, does it?"
"Besides, even if you were going to invite them as guests, they’re only five years old. Shouldn’t you have at least informed us, their guardians?"
Because of Noelle, Kian Winslow looked down on Estelle Lockwood. Even though Estelle was the true heiress, Noelle had been enduring everything and was constantly bullied. It was only natural that the Lockwood Family didn’t choose Estelle.
Seeing Estelle being so aggressive now, Kian immediately wanted to retort.
But with Nathaniel Sloan standing behind Estelle, exuding an intense, silent pressure, Kian swallowed hard and lost his nerve. "I... I just did it on a whim. I didn’t have time to tell Nathaniel. We’re all friends, there’s no need to make such a big deal out of it, right?"
Estelle Lockwood nodded with a smile. "Mm, you’re right."
"I hope Young Mr. Winslow can still say the same thing later."
After saying this, Estelle Lockwood casually sat down on the sofa, a smile playing on her lips. "Since you invited Mia to be your guest, Young Mr. Winslow shouldn’t object to me crashing the party."
Kian Winslow grew impatient. He was still waiting for Noelle.
But Mrs. Winslow and Chairman Winslow seemed to understand something. They exchanged a look. "Nathaniel, Estelle, if you don’t mind, please stay for a meal with the children."
Kian Winslow opened his mouth to protest—Noelle was about to arrive. If she saw Estelle, how was she supposed to mend her relationship with the children?
But he couldn’t ruin Noelle’s plan...
...
Estelle Lockwood didn’t contact anyone to respond to the online comments.
Because Noelle Lockwood was already "at the police station." At this point, whether Estelle announced the children were safe or that they had been found, Noelle could still clear her name.
In other words, this was Noelle Lockwood’s plan.
’Mia wasn’t kidnapped, so why do so many people online know that Mia was "kidnapped"?’
’And why do they know that Noelle Lockwood is the culprit?’
Because this was all part of Noelle Lockwood’s scheme.
Once Mia was "found," or when Kian Winslow stepped forward to explain that Noelle had done none of it, all the criticism Noelle was currently enduring would turn into pity for her.
Noelle Lockwood was setting a trap, and so was she.
Estelle Lockwood’s lips slowly curved into a smile as she waited for Noelle Lockwood’s next move.
Fortunately, Noelle Lockwood didn’t keep her waiting for long.
Just as Rose Lowell was tearfully telling interviewers that her daughter was innocent, someone announced that Noelle Lockwood had confessed.
As if not wanting to drag the Lockwood Family into the eye of the storm because of her, she shook her head, shedding helpless tears as she spoke to the camera:
"It’s all my fault. I’m the one who kidnapped the children. Please, stop bothering my parents... They’re your parents too. How could you be so cruel? I’ll admit it’s my fault, okay? I’m willing to go to jail and stay far away from you forever. Just let me go..."
This display of confessing, but not quite fully confessing, piqued the curiosity of netizens.
[Why do I get the feeling Noelle Lockwood was forced to confess? It looks like she’s trying to protect Chairman and Mrs. Lockwood.]
[And who is the ’you’ Noelle Lockwood mentioned... She said Chairman and Mrs. Lockwood are also ’your’ parents... Could it be Estelle Lockwood?]
[Noelle Lockwood kidnapped Estelle Lockwood’s kids, and now she’s playing the victim and telling Estelle to back off? What’s wrong with her?]
With Noelle Lockwood’s "confession," the matter seemed to have reached a conclusion.
However, a video immediately sent the entire incident spiraling back into the public eye!
The video’s title was: [I found the three kidnapped children! But they don’t look like they’ve been kidnapped at all.]
Clicking on it revealed a video filmed on a phone. It was taken from a distance, and the zoomed-in footage was blurry, but it was clear that the child in the lead was Christian Sloan.
The three children were walking in a garden, which appeared to be the backyard of some wealthy family’s mansion.
When Noelle Lockwood saw this video, a triumphant smile spread across her face.
...
Meanwhile, Estelle Lockwood tapped her fingers idly on the table. With a small smile, she asked, "Young Mr. Winslow, you keep looking toward the door. Who are you waiting for?"