Chapter 174: Christian Comes to Find Daddy

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Christian Comes to Find Daddy

Nathaniel Sloan narrowed his eyes, studying Ethan Sloan with an icy gaze.

It was truly bizarre.

His father had always been a stickler for "decency." Even when Laura Jennings was hauled into the police station, Ethan had never looked so fiercely contorted.

Yet now, simply because Nathaniel had refused the plan to acquire Stella York’s shares, Ethan had completely lost his composure.

"Uncle Sloan, let me do it. Please wait a moment, I’ll go brew some tea right now," Thea York said with a smile.

Her tone carried a hint of playful reproach. It sounded as though she was merely teasing Estelle Lockwood, but in reality, she was subtly throwing her under the bus.

"It’s still so early—only eight o’clock. Estelle probably isn’t even out of bed yet. You know how young people love to sleep in. I only get up early because I picked up the habit of morning jogs while living abroad. Estelle definitely isn’t up this early, so just let her sleep a little longer. I’m familiar with Imperial Crest anyway, so I can handle brewing the tea."

Ethan sighed in satisfaction. "Thea, you really are such a good girl."

After saying that, he couldn’t help but frown. "Nathaniel, if you refuse to get a divorce, you should at least teach her some manners. So what if she likes to sleep in? I, her elder, am here—how can she still be sleeping? I’m your father, so I won’t hold it against her, but what if outsiders found out how poorly raised she is? What a disgrace!"

Thea subtly curled her lips into a smirk.

Nathaniel, however, set down his teacup. His gaze instantly turned freezing cold. Before he could speak, a woman’s voice suddenly drifted over from the staircase—casual and carrying a half-smile.

"Nathaniel, why didn’t you tell me last night that Chairman Sloan and Miss York were coming today?"

Nathaniel’s fingertips paused slightly. "It was a spur-of-the-moment decision on their part. I wasn’t aware beforehand."

Estelle feigned a complaining tone. "Then you still could have woken me up. How could we keep our guests waiting? And making a guest brew her own tea—how rude of us."

Nathaniel hummed in agreement. "They only arrived two minutes ago. There was no time to wake you."

"Ah, so Chairman Sloan didn’t notify us yesterday and has only been here for two minutes today?"

Estelle feigned surprise. "I thought Chairman Sloan had announced to the whole world last night that he was coming to Imperial Crest today, and that he had arrived bright and early this morning. That’s why I assumed he felt I was being a poor host."

Sighing, Estelle looked deeply troubled. "But Chairman Sloan didn’t give any advance notice, and the moment he walked through the door, he demanded that I have hot tea ready and waiting to serve him.

"I’d love to, but I’m only human. I can’t read your mind. It truly is my failing as a daughter-in-law for not serving you properly."

Silence fell over the room.

Ethan immediately realized that Estelle was mocking him. His expression darkened. "Such a sharp tongue!"

Estelle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks for the compliment."

Ethan turned to Nathaniel and coldly tossed out, "Regardless, you better handle this York family situation properly! Thea has been your playmate since childhood. If she can’t inherit York Group, you’ll lose face alongside her. Thea, let’s go."

Thea gave Nathaniel a helpless nod. "I’m sorry, Nathaniel. Stella has been pushing really hard lately, and Uncle Sloan is just anxious... Don’t take it to heart. Estelle, I’m really sorry. Hurry back upstairs and get some rest."

Watching Thea’s retreating back, Estelle remarked faintly, "Mr. Sloan, I suggest you go get a DNA test when you have the time."

Nathaniel withdrew his gaze and arched an eyebrow with a faint smile. "Oh?"

"Before, I thought Laura Jennings seemed like Noelle Lockwood’s biological mother. Now, I feel like Ethan Sloan is Thea’s biological father. Anyway, neither of them treats you like their own son."

Estelle shot him a meaningful, appraising look. "Are you really their biological child?"

Nathaniel’s eyes held a profound smile. "I certainly don’t seem like it."

Estelle was about to nod in agreement when she heard Nathaniel continue.

"Two idiots couldn’t possibly give birth to me."

Estelle was speechless. She thought, "How are you complimenting yourself at a time like this?!"

However, he wasn’t exactly wrong.

Ethan was one thing, but with Laura’s personality, her lack of brains, and her hysterical tendencies, could she really have given birth to a son like Nathaniel?

But if Nathaniel wasn’t Laura’s biological child, then who was his real mother?

A few hours later, at Evernight International.

Nathaniel had just finished signing a document when Luke White knocked on the door. "Sir, Miss Thea York is here."

Nathaniel didn’t even look up. "Tell her to go back."

Luke nodded. Just as he was about to relay the order, he turned around, and his expression changed. "Miss York, why did you come up?"

Thea looked completely at ease. "What’s wrong? Can’t I be here? Everyone here knows me, so of course I just came up. It’s been a while, Luke. You can step out for now; I need to have a few words with Nathaniel."

Luke instinctively tried to block her. "Miss York—"

"I’m going to inspect the twentieth floor. Luke, get ready," Nathaniel suddenly interjected.

"Right away!" Luke replied instantly. Then, he offered Thea an apologetic smile. "Miss York, Mr. Sloan is currently busy. How about you wait in the lounge, or I can have someone escort you back to York Group?"

Thea maintained her carefree, easygoing demeanor. "I can just accompany Nathaniel. It’s not like I haven’t tagged along on his inspections before. We’re like brothers; it’s fine."

Nathaniel’s voice was icy. "Go back."

Acting as if she didn’t understand, Thea followed him into the elevator. "Nathaniel, why are you being so formal with me? We’ve been close buddies for years! There’s no side of you I haven’t seen. Oh, by the way, didn’t Estelle come to the office with you?"

When the elevator reached the twentieth floor, the manager was already waiting. Seeing Thea in the elevator beside the CEO, he was thoroughly surprised.

Before long, the news that Thea had come to the office and was on incredibly intimate terms with Mr. Sloan spread through the company like wildfire.

The three little ones, carrying their adorable little backpacks, had just walked into the company when they overheard the gossip.

Christian’s brow furrowed slightly.

Mia leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, what’s going on? Who is this Miss York?"

Christian had corrected her countless times—he was her brother, not the "Young Master." But the other two just wouldn’t change their ways. By now, the title had become Zachery and Mia’s exclusive nickname for him.

He hadn’t really heard much about Thea York, but he knew she was the illegitimate daughter of the York family. His bad grandpa had brought her up time and time again and had spoken to her on the phone. Christian had secretly eavesdropped a few times, so he knew her two-faced nature rivaled that of Noelle Lockwood.

So, Christian found the most fitting description. "She’s even more manipulative than I am."

Mia immediately turned serious, straightening her posture. She thought, "More manipulative than the Young Master? Just how manipulative could she be?"

Christian walked up to the reception desk. "Where is Daddy? We want to go see him."

The receptionist already knew that these three kids were Mr. Sloan’s children. She nodded immediately. "President Sloan is on the twentieth floor. I’ll take you there right now."

On the twentieth floor.

After the manager finished reporting on the work, Nathaniel took a look around. Evernight International was massive. In the past, there had been an incident where a manager embezzled funds, pocketing the employee benefits allocated for the lounge and pantry. Because of this, Nathaniel occasionally took the time to come down and inspect things personally.

Once the inspection was complete, Thea smiled and said, "Nathaniel, why do you need to handle such trivial matters yourself? If the assistants and secretaries aren’t up to the task, you might as well let Estelle do it. If the boss’s wife comes to inspect, who would dare slack off?"