Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Nathaniel Shakes Off Noelle
Nathaniel’s footsteps paused. "A keepsake?"
Rose’s face crinkled into a sycophantic smile. "Yes, it’s a diary. The maids were careless and hadn’t found it until now."
Nathaniel swept his gaze over the group. "Where is it?"
"Oh, what’s the rush? The diary is right there, it won’t grow legs and run away." Laura Jennings ignored her son’s indifferent expression and warmly beckoned him. "Let’s eat first. Come, Nathaniel, sit next to Noelle."
Noelle Lockwood stood up with a bashful smile, pulling out the chair beside her. "Nathaniel..."
The next moment, Nathaniel casually picked a random seat and sat down. Far from being next to Noelle, he was entirely out of arm’s reach.
Noelle’s face paled, her body swaying as if she might faint.
Nathaniel showed absolutely no regard for her feelings. "There’s no need to eat. Mother just mentioned that Estelle’s death anniversary is approaching. Having lunch with Estelle’s sister would inevitably invite misunderstandings."
Noelle’s eyes rimmed red.
"Nathaniel!" Laura immediately stood up. "Fine, you want to see the diary? I’ll let you read it. See for yourself what Estelle wrote in it."
A slightly yellowed notebook was tossed in front of Nathaniel.
Nathaniel’s gaze softened for a fleeting second before he slowly opened it.
Laura was still frowning. "Estelle begged you to take care of Noelle. Have you done that? In the past, you always had excuses to avoid marrying Noelle, but look now. Look at Estelle’s own wishes.
"She clearly stated in her diary that by marrying you, she felt she had stolen Noelle’s engagement. Plagued by a guilty conscience, she hoped to return the position of Mrs. Sloan to Noelle in the future.
"Nathaniel, I’m asking you. Estelle is dead; are you still going to refuse to fulfill her dying wish?!"
In the adjacent room.
Christian pressed himself tightly against the wall, listening to Laura’s words.
"So Daddy brought Noelle into our home because of Mommy’s ’wish’?" he thought. "How despicable! Mommy isn’t dead at all. These people are spouting total nonsense! Mommy hates Noelle so much, why would she ever willingly hand over her engagement?"
Suddenly, Christian’s small phone flashed twice. It was a phone his daddy had given him, specifically meant to ensure he could always be reached when he was out.
Just then, the butler sent a voice message. "Young Master, where are you? A lot of reporters have gone to Dewdrop Garden. I’m worried about you."
A gleam flashed through Christian’s dark eyes. "A lot of reporters have come to Dewdrop Garden? What is there to report about at Dewdrop Garden today?"
Even with his five-year-old brain, it was obvious enough. Those reporters must have been called over by Noelle and his wicked grandmother.
However... Christian’s eyes lit up. "They came at the perfect time!"
Inside the private dining room.
Nathaniel flipped through the diary at an excruciatingly slow pace, page by page. It was Estelle’s handwriting. Judging by how much the ink had faded, it had likely been written five or six years ago.
There weren’t many pages. They mostly contained Estelle’s observations and experiences right after she had returned to the Lockwood family. And she had indeed written that she worried marrying him meant stealing Noelle’s marriage.
It took no more than twenty minutes to read through the entire diary. Nathaniel gently traced the words with his fingertips.
Seeing that he had finished reading, Rose sneakily shot Laura a sycophantic look.
Laura cleared her throat. "Nathaniel, I can’t control you anymore. I have no objections if you don’t listen to me, but are you going to ignore Estelle’s words too?
"Five years ago, she wanted you to marry Noelle, but you refused. Now that we’ve found her diary... you’ve disappointed her for five whole years. Are you going to continue letting her down?
"Besides, you and Noelle have known each other since childhood. You know her inside and out. She has given her whole heart to you, and she’s both obedient and gentle. Take advantage of today to set a date for the engagement. It’ll also serve as an answer to Estelle on her death anniversary."
Noelle pursed her lips into a faint smile.
"That’s right," she thought. "Announcing my engagement to Nathaniel on that bitch Estelle’s death anniversary would indeed be a fantastic answer. I must marry Nathaniel!"
Rose chimed in with a sigh of pity, "This is my daughter’s dying wish, Nathaniel. To fulfill her sister’s request, Noelle hasn’t even considered marrying anyone else for the past five years. Do you... do you truly have the heart to let Estelle rest uneasily in her grave?"
Nathaniel let out a light scoff, his cold gaze landing squarely on Rose. "You want to fulfill Estelle’s wish?"
For some inexplicable reason, a chill ran down Rose’s spine under his stare. "Y-yes..."
"You really are quite fascinating, Mrs. Lockwood. When Estelle was alive, she never received an ounce of a mother’s love from you. You showered all your affection and pampering on Noelle, the fake heiress. Yet now that she’s dead, you’re constantly clamoring about ’fulfilling her dying wish’."
Both Noelle and Rose instantly froze!
Rose’s facade nearly crumbled. She let out a few awkward laughs. "That... That was indeed our failing. Estelle was inherently insecure and didn’t want to get close to us, so we... we ended up neglecting her...
"But she’s passed away now. As her mother, how could I not be heartbroken? Because of that, I want to compensate her doubly!"
Nathaniel shot her a glacial look before turning directly to Laura. "Mother, I’ve told you before that I don’t need you meddling in my affairs. It seems you haven’t taken my previous warnings to heart."
Having been completely ignored, Rose’s face stiffened in embarrassment.
Laura’s expression faltered. This was her own son, yet he was openly declaring she had no right to interfere in his life. People already whispered behind her back, calling her a failed mother, but everything she did was clearly for his own good!
"Nathaniel, even if you won’t consider Estelle, you have to think about Christian! Do you have the heart to let people keep whispering that he’s a motherless child?
"Look at Noelle. She’s treated Christian like her own flesh and blood all these years. Plus, she’s his aunt. She’s the only one who will treat him this well. What if you marry someone else and they despise him?"
Treats Christian well, treats him like her own flesh and blood, and is someone Christian actually likes...
Somehow, Nathaniel found himself thinking of Yara.
He furrowed his brows sharply, forcing Yara out of his mind.
Noelle bit her lip. She couldn’t let today’s opportunity slip away. Steeling herself, she stood up and walked over to Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, I know you’ve always held misunderstandings about Mom, Dad, and me. You think it was my presence that made my sister lose hope in our parents and our family, leading to her early death...
"But my sister’s passing was unavoidable. Because of that, Nathaniel, Christian deserves to have a complete family even more. Do you want Christian to follow in my sister’s footsteps?"
Nathaniel’s gaze darkened instantly.
Noelle’s eyes flickered. "Nathaniel, Christian is only resisting me now because he’s sick. Once he’s better and starts wanting a mother, he’ll naturally warm up to me..."
"Daddy!"
Before Noelle could finish her sentence, a childish voice suddenly cut her off. Everyone instinctively turned to look.
Christian pushed open the door and ran straight into Nathaniel’s arms, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing. "Daddy, what are you all talking about?"