Chapter 268: Marry Off Noelle Lockwood! Dog Bites Dog

Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Marry Off Noelle Lockwood! Dog Bites Dog

Princess Avery’s expression was grim.

Estelle Lockwood nodded. "That’s true. Besides, Princess, as the saying goes, a forced union is never a happy one. I’m a married woman. If Mr. Reno insists on marrying me and this affair gets out of hand, it’s a crime in Innerland. But Noelle Lockwood... she doesn’t have that particular concern."

Noelle Lockwood shrieked hysterically, "Estelle Lockwood, shut up! Just shut up!"

Estelle Lockwood said leisurely, "I was under the impression my sister Noelle held Mr. Reno in high regard. After all, if it weren’t for Noelle’s recommendation, Mr. Reno never would have taken an interest in me."

"To me, the Lockwood family sang Mr. Reno’s praises. But the Lockwoods and Prince Avery have never had any dealings, so how would they know anything about Mr. Reno’s character? It must have been you who told them, Noelle."

"Since you hold Mr. Reno in such high esteem and know him so well... and since you two have a ’marriage contract’... isn’t it a perfect fit?"

Now *this* was a taste of her own medicine.

For someone like Noelle Lockwood, even if the entire world condemned her, she would still see her actions as a great deed. ’Getting rid of the Estelle Lockwood she despises to the benefit of herself and the Lockwood family... how is that not a good thing?’

Only by becoming the victim herself would she ever understand pain and fear!

Nathaniel Sloan asked coolly, "Old Mr. Lockwood, the Lockwood family has already accepted the bride price. So, is this biological daughter of Austin Lockwood getting married or not?"

Noelle Lockwood trembled like a leaf, her face deathly pale. She shook her head frantically. "No, no, I don’t..."

Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression shifted repeatedly. "Mr. Sloan, the affairs of the Lockwood family are not for you to—"

Before he could finish, Princess Avery stepped forward with a light laugh.

"So you’re the renowned Mr. Sloan. You may be powerful, but I am a British noble. Are you certain you want to go head-to-head with me?"

A reporter sneered, "So what if you’re nobles? Does that give you the right to abduct a married woman? People who know might realize you’re nobility, but anyone who doesn’t would think you’re just a pack of robbers!"

Princess Avery’s gaze was contemptuous. She truly looked down on Noelle Lockwood. Looking from one to the other, Estelle Lockwood was clearly the better choice, but her orders were clear: the bride had to be a biological daughter of Austin Lockwood...

So, Princess Avery came up with what she believed was a clever proposal.

"How about this: you can both marry my son. He’s a fine figure of a man, so it’s not as if either of you would be getting a raw deal."

Reno’s eyes lit up. Noelle Lockwood was a beauty, after all; she couldn’t have lasted so many years in the entertainment industry otherwise. Practically drooling, he started to reach for Noelle’s hand.

"AHH!!" Noelle Lockwood shrieked through her tears. "Get away! Get away from me!"

Estelle Lockwood, however, remained as calm as ever. "I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Princess Avery."

"What? You refuse?!"

Princess Avery’s voice turned shrill. "My son is a fine man with a noble title! I suggest you don’t be ungrateful!"

Estelle Lockwood spoke slowly. "Your arrival in Innerland is no secret. You’ve also publicly announced your intention to have Austin Lockwood’s biological daughter marry into your family. But... have you ever stopped to wonder how I know so much about Mr. Reno’s exploits back in Britain?"

Princess Avery’s expression changed.

Estelle Lockwood continued, "Not long ago, while in Britain, my second brother, the award-winning actor Arthur Kendrick, sought an audience with the Queen. He happened to mention me."

"My apologies, Your Highness. You see, Her Majesty the Queen of Britain is aware that I am a married woman."

"So, tell me, if Mr. Reno ends up marrying me, Nathaniel Sloan sues you, and Her Majesty finds out... how do you think she will view the matter?"

Princess Avery’s face was a mask of fury. She forced the words through gritted teeth, "Why didn’t you... say so... earlier..."

’The Queen actually knows Estelle Lockwood is married? Why didn’t she say so earlier?! The Queen must not find out about this. Her Majesty is already... displeased with the Avery family... No, no, no!’

Princess Avery’s head snapped toward Old Mr. Lockwood!

’She had already made her announcement, and the two billion was already paid. If the Lockwood family backed out now, God only knew how many people were waiting to see her become a laughingstock!’

’Since Estelle Lockwood was out of the question, it could only be Noelle Lockwood. It *had* to be Noelle Lockwood!’

"Old Mr. Lockwood, don’t blame me for being discourteous! This marriage contract should have been for Noelle Lockwood from the start. I won’t press the matter of your deception. Now, I’m giving you half an hour. Have Noelle Lockwood come with me!"

Princess Avery added menacingly, "Otherwise, you can deal with the consequences for the Lockwood family yourselves!"

Noelle Lockwood immediately started crying and shaking her head frantically. "No, Grandpa, please don’t! I’m begging you..."

Rose Lowell also pleaded, "Noelle is still so young! She’s so naive and kindhearted. If she goes to Britain all by herself, she won’t survive..."

Austin Lockwood hesitated as well. "Dad..."

The other relatives remained silent.

Princess Avery chuckled softly. Suddenly, one of the relatives answered a phone call. Her expression changed, and she lunged forward, slapping Noelle Lockwood hard across the face!

"What are you doing?!" Rose Lowell shrieked.

Estelle Lockwood watched the dog-eat-dog spectacle with great interest. She recognized the woman who had slapped Noelle as the family’s Third Aunt.

When Estelle had first returned to the Lockwood family, that same Third Aunt had looked her up and down with disdain before fawning all over Noelle.

But now, the way this Third Aunt looked at Noelle, it was as if she wanted to eat her alive.

"You will marry him! You have to marry him! Our company is bankrupt! And it’s all your fault!"

Rose Lowell shoved the Third Aunt away, her voice shrill. "You bitch! It’s obviously your own bad luck! What does your company’s bankruptcy have to do with our Noelle!"

But in the next moment, another person’s phone rang.

The relatives, who had been impassive just moments before, could no longer sit still.

This group of so-called Lockwood relatives was a sanctimonious and selfish bunch to begin with. Otherwise, the thought of splitting two billion by selling off Estelle Lockwood wouldn’t have so readily tempted every single one of them.

Now, with their own businesses under Princess Avery’s thumb, Noelle Lockwood was still sniveling behind Austin Lockwood and Rose Lowell, petulantly refusing to get married like a spoiled little heiress.

The more they watched, the angrier they became!

A menacing-looking man lunged forward and grabbed Noelle Lockwood by the hair. "Just marry him! Won’t you be satisfied until you’ve destroyed this entire family?!"

"Noelle Lockwood, are you going to marry him or not? Aah! My studio, my house! They’re all gone!"

"If you ask me, *you’re* the real Jinx! Look what you’ve done! Because of you, the whole Lockwood family is finished!"

Old Mr. Lockwood paid no mind to the interests of these relatives—not until he received a call himself.

For some unknown reason, the cell signal, which had been blocked for some time, was suddenly restored.

Old Mr. Lockwood’s phone was nearly drowned in a flood of text messages and missed calls.

He answered one instinctively. "Sir... we’re finished..."