Lock You In My Heart novel Chapter 63

"Sorry to frighten you, Estelle. Unfortunately, you're the reason why my face looks like this," Gabrielle frigidly uttered. Her apathetic glare made Estelle feel like she was surrounded by ice.

If a simple stare could kill a person, her body would've been riddled with holes already.

"What are you talking about, Gabrielle? When did I ever lay a hand on your face? Also, why is Austin here with you?" Estelle calmly replied with a concerned look on her face. Pretending to be a virtuous woman in front of the upper class was something she was always good at. In fact, she was even famous for it. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. She didn't expect that Gabrielle knew Austin and would bring him along for help. Since he was there, how could Estelle get even with her anymore?

Even if it was hard, Estelle managed to keep her composure. The last thing she wanted was to disgrace herself in front of Austin.

"Gabrielle is a good friend of mine," Austin casually answered. The simple act of explaining his relationship with Gabrielle was a subtle hint for Estelle to watch her mouth. At that point, it was clear that if she did anything rude to a friend of his, he would take it as an insult directed towards him.

She wouldn't dare to offend Austin, would she?

"I see, so Miss Jones is Austin's friend. I honestly had no clue," Estelle meekly mumbled in shame.

"It doesn't matter if you knew or not. What's important is that you don't forget it. Gabrielle told me that you're the reason for the wound on her face. Is this true? If yes, do you have a reasonable explanation for doing so?" Austin asked earnestly. There was no doubt that he was determined to seek justice for his friend.

In his youth, Austin was well-known for his calm and agreeable demeanor. If something happened and it had nothing to do with him, he wouldn't care at all. Getting into trouble was something he avoided at all costs.

But once he set his sights on something, his pacifist attitude completely disappeared.

When he gave his word to Gabrielle that he would sort out her affairs, he truly meant it. He wouldn't let anything stop him from reaching that goal.

At that moment, Estelle had no idea what to do. Her original plan to deal with her foe failed miserably. The three women she ordered to attack Gabrielle got caught and ended up in jail. They wouldn't be released until the litigant allowed it. Such a move couldn't have come from Gabrielle. It was obviously Westley's doing.

Not having any information about Westley and Gabrielle's relationship made her feel anxious. To make matters worse, Austin was now involved. Weren't Westley and Austin cousins?

Gabrielle was truly an enchantress. Not only did she manage to seduce Westley, but she also had Austin on a string. With that in mind, how many more bigwigs did she have under her control? Estelle had completely underestimated Gabrielle, hadn't she?

One of the litigants was Sloane, who was lying in a hospital bed and suffering from a coma. The other one was Gabrielle. Estelle had planned to use some special means to force Gabrielle to release the three women. But since Austin made it clear that he would stand by Gabrielle's side, Estelle knew her plan wasn't an option anymore.

Frankly, Estelle couldn't help but regret messing with someone she shouldn't have in the first place.

"Estelle, haven't I made myself clear? Or do you need me to repeat it a second time?" Austin asked in an irritated tone. He got annoyed when he noticed that Estelle was glaring at Gabrielle from time to time without saying a single word.

"I heard you loud and clear, Austin. I'll explain why Gabrielle's face got injured now," Estelle calmly replied. But when she looked at his ice-cold gaze, she immediately felt nervous.

In the upper-class circle, Austin was well-known for his swe

et smile, gentle eyes, and a gentlemanly charm that could woo a thousand girls.

But at that moment, all of those traits disappeared. His frightening glare sent shivers down Estelle's spine. Was the man in front of her still Austin?

"Very well then, I'll listen to every word you say carefully. Hurting a friend of mine is a big deal. If I sense that you're not telling me everything about the incident, I'll find out the truth myself. If it has to come to that point, I can't promise that the outcome will be good for you, Estelle." Austin casually spoke, but there was a hint of malice in his voice. Understanding how important Gabrielle was to him, Estelle knew that if she couldn't give a satisfactory answer, she would get herself in a lot of trouble.

"I understand, Austin. Her injuries were caused by my three friends. I had no clue that they were planning to hurt her. If I had known about it, I would've stopped them. Now they're locked up in the police station, waiting for Gabrielle to take legal action." Estelle tried her best to prove her innocence. Being stuck in such a bad situation, she knew that the only way out was to put all the blame on her three friends. Letting Austin think that she was a scheming and manipulative woman definitely wasn't an option.

"Gabrielle, is this true?" Austin asked while facing Gabrielle. It was like Estelle wasn't even there.

"Yes, we were attacked by three unknown women. But I'm sure that Estelle was the one who told them to do it. She's always hated Sloane because of her relationship with Benny. I don't know how much trouble she's caused Sloane in the past, but telling your friends to beat someone into a coma is going too far! Don't you dare say that you're innocent, Estelle!" Gabrielle didn't listen to her nonsense. She knew that the only reason why Estelle was putting all the blame on her friends was to leave a good impression on Austin.

It wasn't her intention to ruin her reputation. She just wanted to seek justice for Sloane and herself.

"I promise you, Gabrielle, I had no clue about the attack. I won't deny that I haven't seen eye to eye with Sloane. But I'm not crazy enough to kill her because of that. My best friends did it behind my back. I don't care whether you believe it or not. But I swear I didn't tell them to do it." Estelle told the same story, thinking it was the best way to defend herself.

"I'm not that kind of a person. Austin, please believe me," she pleaded with him. Her eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Estelle, I don't care what kind of woman you are. Please do not beg for my belief. In my opinion, the innocent do not need to stoop that low. If what you're saying is true, rest assured that I won't blame you. But if I find out that you're lying to me—"

"Why would I lie to you, Austin? I'll repeat it as many times as you want. I really didn't know that my friends were going to hurt them," Estelle interrupted him in desperation. At that point, she had run out of ideas to defend her innocence.

"Let's go, Gabrielle." Austin stood up without batting an eye at Estelle.

"What?—where are we going?" Gabrielle asked in confusion. Why would they leave when they hadn't even gotten to the bottom of the issue?

"We're going to the police station right now. The women who attacked you are still locked up there, right? I think asking them will get us closer to finding out the truth," Austin replied while putting one hand in his pocket. At that moment, he felt a bit of relief. But as soon as he saw Gabrielle's face, he couldn't help but feel miserable.

It was Estelle's fault, but she still tried so hard to look innocent. How could he let her get away with it?

"Oh, I see. Let's go ask them then." Understanding what he meant, Gabrielle put on her mask and hat.

"Austin! I—" Frightened, Estelle exclaimed, hoping to stop Austin.