Chapter 165: Confronting Ethan Sloan: Father, You’re Wrong

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Confronting Ethan Sloan: Father, You’re Wrong

The moment Mia finished speaking, dead silence fell over the entire room.

Laura Jennings’s heart skipped a beat. Realizing what Mia Lockwood was implying, her expression changed drastically, twisting into something hideous and terrifying. "You’re spout—"

Before she could finish the word, Ethan Sloan abruptly cut her off.

"Mia, how could that be?" He turned and shot a warning look at Laura. "Laura Jennings! I know you favor your brother’s grandson, but you need to be clear on one thing. Mia and Zachery are your biological grandchildren! How dare you make them bow their heads to Keith Jennings? This is the Sloan family’s home, not the Jennings family’s! Apologize right now!"

Estelle Lockwood raised an eyebrow. She wondered why Ethan was in such a hurry to interrupt Laura. Could it be... that Mia’s earlier guess was right on the money?

Unfortunately, Laura clearly failed to understand Ethan’s underlying message. Her face was still full of resentment. "I just thought that since Mia and Zachery grew up in that kind of place, they wouldn’t know the rules. I wanted to teach them some manners..."

"Shut up! You still have the nerve to say that! Mia and Zachery finally came home, what do they need rules and manners for?!" Ethan said through gritted teeth.

Laura averted her eyes, still unwilling to concede. She wondered what she had said wrong. Wasn’t her Jennings family grandson much more precious than Estelle Lockwood’s son? But since both Ethan and Iris Sloan were demanding she apologize, she could only do so with utmost reluctance. "Fine, fine, it’s all my fault. Are you happy now?"

Ethan took a deep breath and put on a smile. "Zachery, Mia, I’ve had the staff prepare rooms for you. Come back and visit whenever you have time. Miss Lockwood..." He looked at Estelle. "Now that Zachery and Mia’s identities have been exposed, it’s time for them to formally return to their ancestors. Let’s go over there and talk."

Estelle narrowed her eyes. "Sure."

Ethan led Estelle to another reception room and ordered a servant to serve tea.

The moment Estelle smelled the aroma of the tea, she understood Ethan’s intentions. Sure enough, Ethan raised his chin slightly, inadvertently revealing an air of superiority. It was a habit born from being in a position of power for a long time. In other words, he completely looked down on Estelle.

"Miss Lockwood, how is the tea?"

Estelle replied casually, "It’s not bad."

"Then does Miss Lockwood know the value of this tea?"

Estelle toyed with her teacup. "I’ve heard of it. Da Hong Pao, three hundred and fifty thousand a pound. I saw it at an auction last month. Why?"

Ethan frowned. He wondered how she knew the price of this tea. He had assumed a country bumpkin like her couldn’t possibly understand tea tasting. But it didn’t matter; that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about anyway.

Ethan gave his former daughter-in-law a meaningful look. Whether it was five years ago or now, he had never once held Estelle in any regard. So what if she was the true daughter of the Lockwood family? She hadn’t grown up in their elite circle. How could she ever be worthy of the Sloan family?

"Tea at three hundred and fifty thousand a pound is considered an astronomical price in the outside world. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to afford a single sip in their entire lifetimes. But in the Sloan family, this is just the most ordinary tea. We wouldn’t even consider serving it to guests."

Ethan was blatantly expressing his disdain. He was serving her a tea that was supposedly unfit for guests, yet presenting it as if giving her charity.

Estelle chuckled softly. "Chairman Sloan, whatever you want to say, you might as well get straight to the point."

"Miss Lockwood is a smart person indeed. Then I won’t beat around the bush. Miss Lockwood, you are not good enough for Nathaniel, and you are certainly not fit to be the mother of my grandchildren!

"For someone like you, Miss Lockwood, this kind of tea is a rarity. But for the Sloan family, it’s practically mouthwash. My grandchildren will enjoy all the resources of the Sloan family. They should not be burdened with such an ignorant mother.

"Your very existence will only drag them down!"

Estelle took another sip of tea. Three hundred and fifty thousand a pound for tea was indeed nothing to wealthy families, but where exactly was Ethan getting this sense of superiority?

"What a thing to say, Chairman Sloan." Estelle smiled faintly, her eyes showing absolutely no fear in the face of authority. "I can find them a new father, and I can find them a new grandfather, but a mother can never be replaced. Wouldn’t you agree?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ethan’s expression shifted slightly. "Miss Lockwood, are you insisting on doing this the hard way?"

Estelle rested her chin in her hand with a bright smile, completely unfazed. "By the way, Chairman Sloan might not know this, but I actually learned that concept from Ms. Jennings. Everyone says Ms. Jennings is just the mistress who successfully schemed her way to the top, but you still married her without hesitation. The reason you gave the public was that you didn’t want the child to lose their mother."

Estelle’s smile grew increasingly radiant. "So, the crime of the mistress succeeding and driving the original wife to her death was pinned right on Nathaniel Sloan’s head...

"Following your own logic, no matter the mother’s status or the methods she used to climb the ranks, the biological mother must stay by the child’s side for the sake of their upbringing. That’s why you ignored all opposition and insisted on marrying Laura Jennings."

Estelle gave him a loaded look. "In that case... Chairman Sloan, why are you so dismissive of me?"

Ethan’s expression stiffened. The flesh on his cheeks twitched and trembled as he stared a hole right through Estelle. No, he couldn’t let Estelle derail the conversation!

He took a deep breath, offering a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Miss Lockwood, I’ll be honest. Given your lack of class and questionable character, I’ll only have peace of mind if the children do not grow up with you. Just look at Zachery and Mia—look at how you’ve raised my grandchildren! But I am willing to give you a chance. If you leave Nathaniel of your own accord, I can arrange your future livelihood and give you ten million."

As Ethan spoke, a tone of contempt slipped into his voice.

"There is something you don’t know, Miss Lockwood. Nathaniel’s childhood friend, Miss York, has returned to the country. The young heiress of the York family grew up alongside him, and he unconditionally agrees to her every demand.

"Now that the Yorks are back, they’ve proposed a marriage alliance. Tell me, Miss Lockwood, do you think Nathaniel will accept?"

Ethan gave her a meaningful look. "If you leave now, you might still leave him with the impression that you’re a sensible woman. When he thinks of you in the future and mentions you to the children, he might say that you were generous and magnanimous.

"But if you insist on fighting for him, what do you think you will become in his heart?

"Miss Lockwood, you must realize that with enough time, even the most cherished and perfect loves lose their luster and become dull nuisances. Know when to quit while you’re ahead, understand?"

With that, Ethan looked at Estelle with an unfathomable expression—one that practically screamed that if she refused, she was being foolish, utterly ignorant of how the world worked, and making a massive mistake.

Estelle tapped her fingertips lightly against the table. So Ethan was trying to play psychological games with her.

As the seconds ticked by, Ethan felt certain he had the upper hand. "Getting married only to be abandoned isn’t exactly a good look for anyone. I think..."

"Father, you’re mistaken about that."

Suddenly, the reception room doors burst open, and a crisp, clear male voice echoed inside!