Chapter 160: Ahem, I’ve Decided to Go Out and Cheat on Him

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Ahem, I’ve Decided to Go Out and Cheat on Him

In the dining room of Imperial Crest, Estelle Lockwood drew in a sharp breath. Ah, relationship problems...

She hadn’t even resolved her own relationship issues. How could a complete amateur like her offer advice to anyone else?

However, Mr. Lynch had helped her out so many times. It didn’t feel right to leave him hanging now. She and Mr. Lynch were merely pen pals. If he was resorting to asking her for help, the situation had to be dire—it meant he had absolutely no one else in his life to turn to!

Estelle instantly felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.

Just as she was about to type her reply, she caught sight of Nathaniel Sloan out of the corner of her eye. His gaze was dark as he stared at his phone. He seemed to glance in her direction a few times before looking back down at his screen, his expression solemn.

She wondered, "What is wrong with this man? He’s still working so hard during dinner. What a workaholic."

She returned her attention to her phone. It was her first time acting as a relationship guru for a senior. She had no idea where to begin.

Racking her brain, Estelle typed: [Perhaps you could do something to grab her attention? Didn’t you mention that before she left, she used to prepare all three meals for you? Assuming you’re having dinner right now, why don’t you say you’ve lost your appetite and see how she reacts?]

The moment she put her phone down, a noise came from across the dining table.

Nathaniel had only asked for a bowl of congee. Confused, Ms. Riddle asked, "Mr. Sloan, is that all you’re going to eat? Will a single bowl of congee be enough to fill you up?"

Nathaniel’s gaze discreetly landed on Estelle. "I don’t have much of an appetite," he said coolly.

Ms. Riddle grew anxious. "Mr. Sloan, you barely touched your lunch either. You can’t just skip dinner! Are you feeling unwell? Should I have Dr. Zane Grant come over and take a look?"

Nathaniel pressed his lips into a tight line, observing Estelle’s reaction. "Miss Lockwood is also a doctor. Perhaps she could take a look at me?"

Hearing her name, Estelle looked up with a brief "Ah" of surprise. "No appetite? The digestive pills are in the second drawer under the TV cabinet in the living room. Go get them yourself."

With that, she lowered her head and went back to her phone. Nathaniel fell silent.

Estelle didn’t have to wait long before Mr. Lynch replied: [She doesn’t care at all.]

Estelle curled her toes in secondhand embarrassment. What should she do now? It felt like she had inadvertently let her senior down. She hurriedly typed out some comfort: [That’s okay, just take it slow! Utter sincerity can crack even the hardest of stones. One day, she’s bound to forgive you.]

Right after sending that message, Estelle heard Nathaniel’s breath hitch, followed by the scrape of his chair moving abruptly. She looked up at him. She wondered why Nathaniel was acting so out of character today.

Before she could figure it out, a new message from Mr. Lynch popped up.

Lynch: [Apologies for only talking about my own issues. How are things on your end with your ex-husband?]

Estelle raised an eyebrow. Ah, the ex-husband... She replied: [Ahem, you know the situation with my ex-husband, right?]

Lynch: [Yes. He’s an irresponsible scumbag, but for certain reasons, you can’t divorce him yet.]

Estelle felt that Mr. Lynch truly understood her: [Where do you think his bottom line is? He might be catering to my every whim right now, but who knows if some long-lost first love or alluring old flame will suddenly show up one day? Tsk...]

Nathaniel furrowed his brows.

Lynch: [If he really is that irresponsible, you might as well leave him. Since you want to test his bottom line, perhaps you could try throwing a little tantrum to make him back off.]

Estelle’s eyes lit up. [You make a great point!]

Across the table, Nathaniel wondered who Estelle was texting. She was tapping her screen so rapidly it made a loud TAP TAP TAP sound. He wondered if it was a business partner.

Before he could deduce the answer, Estelle set her chopsticks down. Raising her brows slightly, she wore a languid expression. "I suddenly want to eat a meal cooked by Mr. Sloan. What do you think we should do about that, Mr. Sloan?"

Nathaniel’s fingers paused. He lifted his eyelids slightly. "What do you want to eat?"

Without missing a beat, Estelle began rattling off a list of dishes.

After memorizing the list, Nathaniel gave a faint nod. "Alright. Eat something else to line your stomach first." To her surprise, he stood up and headed straight for the kitchen.

Estelle was shocked. She grabbed her phone and hastily typed: [Mr. Lynch, I told him to go cook for me, and he actually agreed to it!]

Nathaniel was planning to whip up a few simple dishes first so Estelle wouldn’t go hungry. However, upon seeing this new message from Miss Kendrick, his hand froze.

He wondered if this was a little too much of a coincidence. But then again... according to Miss Kendrick’s descriptions, her ex-husband was an absolute, irredeemable scumbag. Nathaniel furrowed his brow tightly, then relaxed. He concluded that it definitely couldn’t be him. Too many details didn’t match up. Not to mention, Miss Kendrick had said her marriage was a business arrangement between families, and that her ex-husband was old and ugly.

It was probably just a coincidence.

Cooking an entire meal took time. Nathaniel busied himself in the kitchen for two hours before finally finishing. Estelle took a few bites before putting her chopsticks down. Recalling Mr. Lynch’s advice, she cleared her throat and feigned an unreasonable attitude. "How did you cook this? The meat is completely overdone."

Nathaniel lifted his gaze and gave her a mild look. Accepting all of her complaints, he replied in a calm tone, "I’ll do better next time."

Estelle clicked her tongue. She thought to herself that this wasn’t right—Mr. Lynch’s advice was completely wrong! So much for making things difficult for him so he’d back off. Did Nathaniel look like a man who was backing off?

Chewing on the end of her chopstick, Estelle let out a huff. "I’m done eating. I’m going upstairs."

She jogged upstairs and furiously tapped on her phone: [No, these methods are way too mild! He’s currently feeling guilty, so he’ll definitely indulge my every whim. I need to know where his bottom line is, so I’ve decided to pull off something massive!]

Watching her retreating figure, Nathaniel slowly arched an eyebrow. He looked entirely satisfied. "Not bad. She’s finally learning how to throw a tantrum."

Zane, who had just rushed over, almost tripped and fell upon hearing this. His eyes widened in absolute disbelief. He wondered what kind of lovesick fool he was dealing with. Wearing a complicated expression, he asked, "Estelle throws a tantrum at you, and you’re... happy about it?"

Nathaniel nodded, letting out a soft chuckle. "Knowing Estelle’s personality, if she were truly and utterly disappointed in me, she would only try to find a way to leave. Just like she did five years ago."

In Nathaniel’s eyes, a minor temper tantrum like this was essentially just her acting coquettish.

Zane was rendered speechless. Pulling out his phone, he said, "Hold on a second. I cannot comprehend this twisted logic of yours. I’m calling Liam Sloan."

Nathaniel was indeed in a rather good mood. He even found the time to send a reply to Miss Kendrick: [What do you plan on doing?]

Upstairs, having just returned to her bedroom, Estelle stared at her closet with a conflicted frown. Seeing Mr. Lynch’s reply, she gave a soft cough. Since the person on the other end of the screen was a senior, she felt a bit embarrassed to say this, but she couldn’t hold herself back:

[I want to see exactly how far his tolerance stretches. So, ahem, I’ve decided to go out and cuckold him.]

Lynch: [...]

Estelle was a woman of action. She picked out a blue backless mermaid dress and prepared to head out.

Upon coming downstairs, she saw Nathaniel, Liam, and Zane in the living room, discussing something amongst themselves. She paid them no mind. Her red lips curled up slightly as she threw a fleeting glance in their direction. "Ms. Riddle, I won’t be coming home tonight," she said languidly.

Ms. Riddle called out to her, "Madam... I mean, Miss Lockwood, where are you going? Should I book a hotel for you?"

Estelle’s expression was bold and flashy. "No need. A friend invited me to a club, so I’ll just crash there for the night."

When his gaze fell upon the large swath of exposed skin on Estelle’s back, Nathaniel’s expression darkened instantly, his eyes turning increasingly dangerous. A moment later, just as he was about to say something, he looked down at his phone with a frown and re-read the message: [I’ve decided to go out and cuckold him.]

He wondered how it could possibly be this much of a coincidence.