Chapter 171: After All, There’s a Distinction Between Miss York and Me

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: After All, There’s a Distinction Between Miss York and Me

Estelle Lockwood paused mid-bite, raising an eyebrow with a meaningful look.

Thea hurried over, looking deeply concerned. "Nathaniel, put the shrimp down right now. I’ll get some wet wipes to clean your hands."

As she fetched the wet wipes, she began to helplessly lecture Estelle. "Estelle, even though you haven’t been married long and you spend a lot of time apart, you still need to understand Nathaniel better. How could you let him do something like this?

"It’s hard for him to refuse your requests, but he’s a germaphobe. Doing this puts him in a very difficult position. As his wife, you really should..."

Before she could finish, Nathaniel Sloan grabbed another shrimp and slowly peeled it.

The man was wearing disposable gloves. Most people made a mess when peeling shrimp, completely ruining their image, but Nathaniel Sloan remained composed, his long, strong fingers moving with ease.

Thea’s words immediately caught in her throat.

Estelle Lockwood rested her chin in her hand. "This isn’t the first time Nathaniel has peeled shrimp for me. Why are you so surprised, Miss York?"

Thea’s expression stiffened slightly. She clenched her fists tightly, trembling imperceptibly.

"Why... How could Nathaniel lower himself to such an extent for this woman?! I was only abroad for a few years. Why did things turn out like this? It’s not fair!" she thought furiously.

Julian Jacobs returned at this moment and immediately frowned. "Nathaniel, is this really necessary? In the past, when Thea asked you to peel a shrimp for her, you didn’t even look at her. What are you doing now? Are you deliberately disrespecting Thea?"

"Not deliberately."

Nathaniel Sloan parted his lips and said flatly, "But surely you two understand that there is a difference between close family and outsiders?"

Thea’s face turned deathly pale, and she swayed unsteadily!

"A difference between close family and outsiders... I’m the outsider?!" she thought in shock. "But I was the one who grew up with Nathaniel! I’m the one whose family background matches his, and I’m the one who was supposed to marry him! Who does Estelle Lockwood think she is? What a homewrecker!"

However, Thea quickly suppressed the dark, venomous glare in her eyes.

"I’m not an idiot like Noelle Lockwood. I won’t wear my heart on my sleeve," she reminded herself. "Just look at Noelle Lockwood—she fought for so many years, and what did she get? The title of a fake heiress? The reputation of a homewrecking mistress? Noelle Lockwood’s mistake was being too impatient. She was too desperate to trample Estelle Lockwood underfoot, which was exactly why she lost!"

Thea forced a smile. "Julian, Nathaniel has a point. They’re a married couple, so let’s stay out of it."

Estelle Lockwood cast her a half-smiling glance.

Zane Grant gave Liam Sloan a pointed look, and Liam feigned curiosity as he asked,

"By the way, Thea, where is your fiancé? Didn’t he come back with you?"

Thea’s hand paused for a second before she feigned shyness. "Oh, him. He’s too busy abroad. He didn’t have time to accompany me this time."

"That’s right, I have a fiancé. If Estelle Lockwood continues to be ’jealous,’ it’ll just show how petty she is!" she thought. "Since I have a fiancé, Nathaniel and I are truly just good friends. Could Estelle Lockwood possibly demand that Nathaniel Sloan cut ties with all his good friends?"

Liam Sloan breathed a sigh of relief. "Since Thea has a fiancé, she couldn’t possibly be interested in my brother. Family crisis averted!" he thought happily.

He muttered under his breath, "Who does that? His fiancée returned to the country, yet he’s still fooling around abroad."

Thea put on a gentle facade. "Yes, I’m worried too. Without me there, I wonder if he’s eating and sleeping well. After all, I usually take care of his three meals a day.

"He’s a picky eater. If I don’t put the food on his plate, he won’t eat it."

Pausing here, Thea seemed to suddenly realize something. "Oh, right, Estelle. Why haven’t I seen you put any food on Nathaniel’s plate? In a marriage, it can’t just be one-sided. Nathaniel peeled shrimp for you, so you should return the favor. That’s how a couple’s relationship lasts longer."

Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes darkened.

Estelle Lockwood, however, raised an eyebrow and casually picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks.

Thea hurriedly said, "Estelle, Nathaniel doesn’t eat fish. Hurry up and change it to something else! Really, how can you be so bad at taking care of Nathaniel? No wonder Uncle Sloan is worried..."

Taking matters into her own hands, Thea used the serving chopsticks to place some food onto Nathaniel Sloan’s plate.

"I remember Nathaniel has always preferred light dishes... Sigh, I’m just so used to taking care of people. I worry about others wherever I go. Estelle, please don’t mind me."

The dining table fell silent once more.

Estelle Lockwood curled her lips into a smile and slowly asked Nathaniel Sloan, "You don’t eat fish?"

Nathaniel Sloan calmly swallowed the fish before raising his gaze slightly. "I only found out today that I apparently don’t eat fish."

Estelle Lockwood shrugged. "Miss York seemed to understand you so well and appeared so good at taking care of people. I thought she was right."

Thea choked on her words. "Is Estelle Lockwood actually mocking me?!" she thought in disbelief.

Forcibly suppressing her anger and impulses, she looked up again, having transformed back into the gentle, elegant eldest daughter of the York family.

"Ah, it seems Nathaniel’s tastes have changed. I’m so sorry, Estelle, I didn’t mean it. I just assumed... Well, so many years have passed, it’s only normal for tastes to change.

"Please don’t mind me, Estelle. Among our group of friends in the past, I was the only girl. They were all my brothers, so I took care of them as much as I could. For a moment, I forgot he was already married. I’m truly sorry."

As she spoke, Thea quickly finished her meal, as if deliberately trying to hide her disappointment. "I’m done eating, and it’s getting late. Well, Nathaniel, I’ll be leaving first."

She stood up and lowered her head, wearing a brave smile. It was as if she had suffered a massive injustice at Imperial Crest, but out of respect for her "good friend" Nathaniel Sloan, she wasn’t going to hold it against them.

Before leaving, she acted exceptionally generous. "Oh, right, Nathaniel. I didn’t know you were married before, so I didn’t prepare a wedding gift. How about this? I’ll make it up to you both in a few days."

With that said, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she walked away, looking thoroughly wronged.

Julian’s heart ached at the sight. He unconsciously raised his voice. "Nathaniel, are you really just going to watch Thea leave like this?! She just returned to the country and hasn’t arranged anything yet. She doesn’t even have a place to stay tonight, and you’re just letting her go?"

Estelle Lockwood tapped her fingertips against the tabletop, finding this rather amusing.

"Julian knows exactly what Thea’s intentions are, yet he’s still trying to play matchmaker between her and Nathaniel Sloan," she thought. "Is it because he himself is an illegitimate child, so he’s eager to act as a pimp, hoping to produce more illegitimate children in high society?"

Nathaniel Sloan didn’t even look at Julian as he replied indifferently, "The eldest daughter of the York family has returned. Does the York family suddenly lack a place for her to stay?"

Julian tried his best to hold back his temper. "It’s not like you don’t know the situation with the York family! In that house, she... she can barely even survive! How could Thea possibly go back there to live?!"

Nathaniel Sloan, however, quietly glanced at Julian. "How can she barely survive?"

Julian raised his voice. "Nathaniel, you’re asking a question you already know the answer to! Why did Thea go abroad in the first place? Wasn’t it because that woman showed up at their door and forced Uncle York to kick Thea out?! The only reason Thea can return to the country now is because that woman finally died!

"Even though she’s dead, the York family’s villa is still filled with her people, and she even left behind a daughter. If Thea goes back, she’ll definitely be bullied!"