Chapter 172: Warped Morals Are an Illness That Must Be Cured

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Warped Morals Are an Illness That Must Be Cured

Estelle Lockwood stood to the side, enjoying the drama. Truthfully, she had never paid much attention to the York Family’s affairs, so she had no idea what Julian Jacobs meant by "that woman."

But the more Julian spoke, the more aggrieved he felt on behalf of Thea York. "Thea has lived at the Yorks’ home since she was born. She is the rightful Heiress of the Yorks. Suddenly, some woman showed up with a child and drove her out. How aggrieved must Thea feel!

"Now that that woman is dead, and her child is despised by Uncle York, it should be a good thing. Yet people out there are saying that Thea stole someone else’s status and position. Isn’t that complete nonsense? Don’t they understand the concept of first come, first served?

"If you ask me, Uncle York should have kicked that woman’s daughter out as well and left the York Family entirely to Thea! Now look at the situation—Thea has a home she can’t return to. What a bitch! Even in death, she’s still causing trouble for Thea!"

Estelle felt something was increasingly wrong the more she listened. She looked at Zane Grant, only to see him frowning. Liam Sloan wore an expression of sheer disbelief, as if his entire worldview had just collapsed.

Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes were veiled in a coldness akin to the bitterest winter. "Julian, are you saying that to welcome the illegitimate daughter, Thea, back to the country, and to celebrate Chairman York’s mistress finally taking power after twenty agonizing years, Chairman York should have kicked out his legitimate daughter born of his lawful wife?"

Julian acted as if it were a matter of course. "That’s exactly how it should be! That woman refused to get a divorce and hogged the position of Mrs. York. Wasn’t that just a deliberate obstacle for Thea? She should have died a long time ago!"

Estelle understood now and sneered inwardly. She knew Julian’s moral compass was skewed, but she had never expected it to be this twisted!

Thea was an illegitimate daughter who had enjoyed the best the York Family had to offer since birth, while the true lawful wife and the legitimate eldest daughter were left to wander on the outside. After they returned to the Yorks’ home, Chairman York was forced to accept his lawful wife back, yet Thea was the one acting wronged. The lawful wife’s bones weren’t even cold yet, but Chairman York couldn’t wait to bring his mistress and illegitimate daughter back. That action alone was chilling enough. And what was Julian saying? He was saying the lawful wife and the legitimate daughter deserved to die, that they should have died earlier. If they had died earlier, Thea would have long since been the proper eldest daughter of the York Family. What a joke!

Nathaniel was aloof, his gaze sharp. "Is that what both you and Thea think?"

Julian didn’t notice that Nathaniel had addressed Thea by her full name. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with his mindset at all. "Yeah, Thea told me that when she was abroad. Damn them, that wretched woman and her daughter stayed with the York Family to enjoy a life of luxury while Thea was chased out of the country..."

"I see." Nathaniel slowly curled his lips into a smile. "So there is a massive discrepancy between what Thea York told me and her true thoughts."

Julian froze for a moment. "Nathaniel, what do you mean?"

"Chairman York built his fortune relying on his lawful wife. Yet, after his father-in-law passed away, he frequently cheated on her and had Thea with his mistress. Everything in the York Family truly should belong to Stella York," Nathaniel said, his tone calm and his face devoid of emotion. "Building a fortune on Mrs. York’s backing and leaving the estate to Mrs. York’s daughter is entirely fair and reasonable. Where do an illegitimate daughter and a mistress get the audacity to demand a piece of the pie?"

Julian was absolutely shocked! He was also an illegitimate child. For as long as he had lived, he had always firmly believed that everything in the Keaton Family should be his. After all, his father loved his mother so much. Marrying that wretched lawful wife had just been for the money! The unloved one was the true mistress. Therefore, Julian felt that he was inherently a cut above Young Mr. Keaton—after all, it wasn’t his fault that Young Mr. Keaton’s mother had fallen out of favor! Julian considered himself and Thea to be two of a kind. They were supposed to be the rightful heirs, but they were hindered by societal norms that ordinary people simply couldn’t comprehend.

But Nathaniel should have understood!

Furious beyond belief, Julian snapped, "Nathaniel, what do you mean? The York Family should belong to Thea. Did I say something wrong? Those so-called lawful wives and legitimate children aren’t even loved. People like that have no value living in this world!

"On the contrary, Thea and I were born out of love! We are inherently destined for greatness! Besides, Nathaniel, aren’t you an illegitimate child just like us?!"

After Julian finished speaking, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction in his heart.

However, Nathaniel scoffed. He coldly lifted his gaze. "Indeed, I am an illegitimate child, which is why I have never asked for a single cent from the Sloan Family. What about you?"

Julian’s expression suddenly stiffened, his momentum instantly halving. "But... but without Aunt Jennings, you would... you would..."

Liam couldn’t hold back anymore. He was utterly appalled, his fists itching for a fight. How had he not realized before that Julian was such a scumbag? Anyone who said something like that had to have suffered from a decade of brain damage!

"Laura Jennings?" Nathaniel sized Julian up impassively. It was as if he had suddenly figured out the purpose of his visit today. Aside from pleading on Thea’s behalf, there was probably another reason. With a slight narrowing of his eyes, Nathaniel said, "Go back and tell Laura Jennings to stop dreaming. She should read more books when she has the time. Don’t be so uncultured after being in power for over twenty years, ignorant of everything and bringing shame to the Sloan Family she cherishes so deeply."

"You... you—" Julian’s throat felt as if something was blocking it. "You have no conscience! Aunt Jennings is so good to you, how could you..."

"Nathaniel, let’s find a time to have Julian do a paternity test with Mom and Dad," Liam suggested amicably, feigning an innocent expression. "Who knows, maybe he’s also my mom’s long-lost illegitimate son. Otherwise, how could he know things that even I don’t? When was Mom ever good to you? Does Dad know about this?"

Estelle was speechless. She didn’t want to laugh, but Liam’s words were simply too sarcastic! Julian’s entire face contorted in anger.

Seemingly unable to out-argue Nathaniel, Julian gritted his teeth, panting heavily. "Nathaniel, I mean well! Even if Aunt Jennings using her position as the mistress to usurp power is despicable, you’re her son! You’ve reaped so many benefits; you can’t mistreat her!"

Nathaniel slowly curled his lips. That much was true. If Laura Jennings was his biological mother, he truly couldn’t mistreat her. Or rather, everyone else could point fingers at Laura, but he, as her son, could not. But what if... he wasn’t?

These thoughts swirled in his mind for a few seconds before Nathaniel casually averted his gaze. "See the guest out."

"Nathaniel, you—" Julian looked as if he had suffered a monumental insult. "You don’t need to chase me out! I’ll leave on my own!"

Nathaniel nodded. "Then get lost."

"You—"

Julian finally left the villa, cursing under his breath. The moment he got into his car, he couldn’t wait to call Thea. "Thea, Nathaniel doesn’t care about you at all! He actually thinks the York Family should be left to Stella York. He’s changed... What? You’re saying you don’t want to fight for it? You want to be friends with Estelle Lockwood?"

Thea sounded helpless as she said, "You shouldn’t hold so much hostility toward Estelle. She’s not a bad person..."

Back in her room, Estelle looked up the situation with the York Family and clicked her tongue. It was obvious that the person Ethan Sloan wanted Nathaniel to marry was Thea, not the true eldest daughter of the York Family, Stella.

Right then, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Penelope Sullivan: "You’re trending online. What’s going on? How did you get involved with the York Family?"

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Estelle tapped into the trending topics.