Chapter 31 C’mon, that was Jasper Schnabel! His secretary couldn’t even get a glimpse of him, let alone meet him. Meeting Jasper required proof of funds, and the poor were simply not worthy of his legal representation! How on earth did Noella get in touch with him? Vincent was gobsmacked! Jasper, seething, said, “Mr. Lambert, even if you did take care of Noella in the past, you’re nothing to her now! Noella has her own family. Mrs. and Ms. Lambert aren’t her mom and sister, so watch your mouth!” Vincent, choking up, “We raised her for eighteen years, and she turns her back on us over some tiny tiff? What’s the big deal about asking her to release my wife and daughter?” And he’d been camping out there for days, just waiting for Noella! Jasper couldn’t help but let out a snort. “Mr. Lambert sees kidnapping as only a ‘tiny tiff“?” “Kidnapping? My wife was just worried sick about her, wanting to send her back to the boonies. out of the goodness of her heart. Mr. Schnabel, don’t say I didn’t warn you – Noella’s broke as a joke. Don’t let her con you out of your fees!” Jasper was about to burst out laughing! He managed to keep his cool, turned to Noella with a gentle tone. “Noella, if I happen to do something ‘kind‘ in a bit, just pretend you didn’t see anything, okay?” Noella nodded obediently. “Alright, but I still have some questions for him.” Vincent eyed Noella warily, his tone frosty. “What do you wanna ask? If you’re thinking about crawling back to us, you can kiss that dream goodbye! I don’t need a heartless daughter like you! If you don’t help me get your mom and sister out, I’ll dig up your grandma’s grave, and she won’t be able to rest in peace!” Noella felt a flicker of anger. Old Mrs. Lambert was Vincent’s own mother, who had worked hard to raise him. How could he say such a thing? She was the kindest soul in the Lambert family. When the Lambert couple were too busy to care for her, it was Old Mrs. Lambert who had raised her with love, rocking her in the wicker chair those were the warmest moments of her childhood. When Noella was poisoned by the sweets Briony gave her, and the Lambert couple didn’t bother to check on her, it was Old Mrs. Lambert who, despite her age, carried Noella in search of doctors and took care of her herself! And when Vincent was struggling to start his business, it was Old Mrs. Lambert who supported him with all her savings. 12:24 Chapter 31 The thought of Vincent uttering such words made Noella feel sad for Old Mrs. Lambert. “If you do that. I’ll make you regret it. Whether Grandma’s spirit rests in peace is not up to me – it’s on you!” Vincent felt a twinge of guilt. He was just trying to scare Noella with those words, not truly planning to desecrate Old Mrs. Lambert’s grave. “Grandma? She’s not your grandma, she’s Briony’s!” Noella calmly asked, “What’s your connection with the director of Heartfelt Orphanage?” Vincent was speechless. How did this brat know to ask about Heartfelt Orphanage? Did she find something out? “Must I give you updates on my college friends? Listen, Noella, if you refuse to come back with me today. I’ll publicly disown you tomorrow! You ungrateful child! Do you have no conscience whatsoever?” Noella ignored his rant and walked back behind Jasper. “I’m all done asking.” Jasper clapped his hands and a bunch of burly men in black suits emerged from behind his Porsche Cayenne, circling Vincent. “Since Mr. Lambert is all about good intentions, I’ll return the favor – time to send Mr. Limbert back to his roots!” The goons stepped up, picked up Vincent like he was a featherweight, and chucked him into a van! Vincent, over fifty and worn out from daily schmoozing, was no match for these beefy bodyguards. He couldn’t struggle free even as his arm was nearly dislocated! Noella tugged on Jasper’s sleeve. Jasper immediately looked down at her, his voice soft, “Anything you want me to note. Noella?” “His hometown’s in Linefort City.” Vincent made it big from a little southwestern town even poorer than Emerald County, a place he hadn’t set foot in for twenty years. Getting from Linefort City to Tranquility City was a trek- ride a bullock cart out of the village, then hop on a tractor to the town, catch a bus to the city. and finally grab a train to the airport. All in all, it took a good three or four days! Jasper’s eyes lit up with pleasure, “Roger that! I’ll make sure he gets home sweet home. Let’s buy you a brooch, a hundred of ‘em! I heard Master Azure’s got new stuff. I’ll buy it all for you!” Noella was speechless. Last time, Beckett had emptied Azure’s inventory just to gift her clothes! Chapter 31 She knew exactly what was new at Azure’s- those were the designs she’d whipped up on the plane back to the Schnabels‘, casual sketches that had skyrocketed in popularity among the high society ladies of Imperial City. Kitai, standing in the shop and spotting Jasper in his bespoke suit, had his smile stretching all the way to the back of his head! There came the big spender, the money god himself, demanding a private shopping session! Kitai caught sight of the stunning girl trailing behind the money god and was instantly at a loss for words. Wasn’t that his cutthroat boss? Could this be the boss’s latest tactic for inspecting the stores? Noella shot Kitai a look, signaling him to zip it about their connection. “I want all the latest brooches from your store. Gonna snag ‘em all for my sis!” The clerk zipped into action, hauling out all the brooches they had, even the ones from last year. Jasper, with a wave of his hand, declared, “Wrap ‘em all up! And the clothes too; let’s see what fits my sis and get those as well!” Noella was left speechless. Why did she need all these clothes? “Jasper, I’m already drowning in clothes at home; my walk–in’s bursting at the seams. I’m good for now.” “Walk–in’s overflowing? I’ll just snap up a new house for you. How about this property? I’ve got a place there too, might as well hand it over to you.” Jasper whipped out his phone and showed Noella the swanky South Mansion in the heart of Celestial City, right next to Imperial City. Noella hurriedly said, “Jasper, that’s alright, I kinda love sticking with Mom, Dad, and you guys.” “You’ve got a point, but I’ll get it for you anyway; let’s call it a birthday present.” Kitai was too shocked to speak. This dude, buying houses like he’s picking up groceries, was the big boss’s family? His boss was actually the heiress of a top–dollar dynasty! Jasper, eyeing the fountain of clothes, stroked his chin. “Still gotta buy the clothes. Girls love glamming up, and we’ll take the shoes and accessories too. Charge it all and send it to the Schnabel Manor.” Kitai’s grin was blooming like spring flowers. “That’ll be 150 million, but for you, a friendly discount to 100 million. Paying with cash or card?” Chapter 31 Master Azure never offered discounts, but with Noella present, Kital feared his bones would be the ones getting slashed if he didn’t slash the price. Jasper asked, “100 million in cash?” Even if he could withdraw that much, where would the store even put it? Kitai smoothly presented the card reader. “Here you go.” The big boss was a legend, dragging her own brother to the store just to boost sales. Brilliant! Thinking about this, Kitai felt he couldn’t be the drag. Time to haul his own family in for a shopping spree!
