Chapter 184: Christian and Zachery Swap Identities Again

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Christian and Zachery Swap Identities Again

Austin Lockwood was still fuming when he received the call. Caught off guard, he nearly didn’t process the words. "Dad, who did you say died?"

Old Mr. Lockwood knitted his brows tightly.

A moment later, Austin realized who his father was talking about and quickly assured him, "I’ve checked. He and his son are both thoroughly dead."

Old Mr. Lockwood still couldn’t put his mind at ease. "Estelle said he might still be alive. Look into it when you have time."

Austin dismissed the concern. If that man hadn’t died back then, how could he have brought himself to send Estelle back? "He raised Estelle, so of course she doesn’t want him dead. She was just saying that, and you actually believed her."

Old Mr. Lockwood was still uneasy, but thinking about it, Austin’s words made sense. "Fine. You and Rose Lowell need to treat Estelle better. Don’t give anyone a reason to find fault. She will always be your daughter, and she can only be your daughter. Do you understand?! Especially Rose—if she lets anything slip, I’ll make her pay!"

Austin lowered his voice. "Of course, Dad. I’ve never told Rose the truth either. She only believes the fortune teller’s words..."

Old Mr. Lockwood hung up the phone, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as he felt everything was still under control. In the blink of an eye, he reverted to his persona as an amiable old man, grabbed his fishing rod, and went fishing with his friends.

While fishing, he repeated the same sentiment multiple times to anyone who would listen. "Of course. Estelle is my only granddaughter. Our Lockwood family’s own flesh and blood was out there suffering while they pampered an adopted daughter. What kind of nonsense is that?

"Yes, anyone can tell Estelle takes after me. She is undoubtedly my darling granddaughter!"

Meanwhile, Austin also felt a tinge of unease after hanging up. He immediately went to find Rose. He spoke in vague hints that went completely over her head, effectively leading her by the nose.

"Rose, Estelle is back now. Don’t bring up that fortune teller ever again!

"If people find out you abandoned your own biological daughter because of some fortune teller, how will the Lockwood family ever show our faces in public?!"

Austin deliberately emphasized the words "biological daughter."

Rose looked sheepish. "I know, I know. I won’t say a word. But... but surely I wasn’t wrong to do what I did back then. If I hadn’t thrown Estelle away, the Lockwood family wouldn’t have enjoyed over twenty years of glory...

"Alright, alright, don’t glare at me. Estelle is my biological daughter too. If it weren’t for the Lockwood family, why would I have thrown her away?"

Though Rose said that, she remained bitterly indignant. Estelle was a jinx to begin with; even as her biological mother, she found the girl repulsive. Didn’t many people accuse her of favoring an adopted daughter over her biological one? She would just find an opportunity to leak the truth! She hadn’t abandoned her biological daughter; she had discarded a jinx!

Seeing the look in Rose’s eyes, Austin knew exactly what she was thinking. Having achieved his goal, he withdrew his gaze and left in a hurry.

In the car.

Nathaniel Sloan asked gently, "Why did you go see Old Mr. Lockwood?"

Estelle Lockwood shook her head. "I’m just starting to doubt if Austin and Rose are really my biological parents."

Nathaniel’s Adam’s apple bobbed. It wasn’t surprising that Estelle harbored such doubts.

Mrs. Kendrick had said that Estelle was not an unwanted child. Grandpa Lockwood, who had adopted her, adored her, and the elders of the Kendrick family loved her like their own granddaughter. Besides the Kendrick family, many other affluent families who had crossed paths with Estelle deeply appreciated and cared for her.

The elders of these prestigious families were not fools. They wouldn’t treat someone well simply because they had a sweet mouth. In the deceitful and cutthroat circles of the wealthy, only genuine sincerity could move them.

This held true not only for the elders but also for the younger generation. Almost everyone doted on Estelle. Yet, the Lockwood family was the sole exception, discarding her like trash. Even after living together for two years, they acted as if they couldn’t see a single redeeming quality in her.

Back then, Rose constantly complained about her aching shoulders. Out of love for her mother, Estelle went out of her way to learn a complete set of massage techniques. However, instead of feeling gratified, Rose was disgusted. She called Estelle unpresentable, declaring that she wasn’t fit to arrange things for her and had no right to be her daughter.

When the Lockwood Group faced a crisis, Estelle stayed up all night designing several pieces of jewelry. Austin was highly satisfied upon seeing them, but he immediately turned around and gave all the credit to Noelle Lockwood.

Was this something biological parents would do?

Even if they favored their adopted daughter, there should be a limit. It was Rose who had lost Estelle in the first place, yet instead of feeling remorseful, the woman constantly talked about why Estelle hadn’t just died out there. Looking at it now, no matter how one analyzed it, these were not the actions of biological parents.

"What do you want to do?" Nathaniel asked.

Propping her chin on one hand, Estelle narrowed her eyes. "At the very least, I need to figure out their motive. They loathe and despise me this much, yet they insist on acknowledging me as their biological daughter. What are they after?"

After saying that, Estelle suddenly thought of something. Her eyes lit up with profound meaning. "Mr. Sloan, I suddenly don’t want to acquire the Lockwood family’s assets anymore.

"I want them to personally hand the Lockwood Group over to me.

"Aren’t I their ’biological daughter’? Then choosing me as their heir is only natural, isn’t it?"

She was going to force the Lockwood family to expose their true colors. Estelle’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She had originally thought they were just biased toward Noelle, but the more she thought about it now, the more chilling it became. Perhaps Grandpa Lockwood’s death was also connected to the Lockwood family!

Two days later.

Mrs. Kendrick called Estelle. "Estelle, your three little darlings are missing you."

Estelle’s heart softened. "Okay, I’ll go pick them up now."

Mrs. Kendrick nodded and went to look for the triplets, but they were nowhere to be found. She grabbed a nanny to ask, and the nanny replied, "The Sloan family sent someone to pick them up."

Mrs. Kendrick instantly frowned. She glared at the nanny, her tone stern. "The Sloan family came to pick them up, and you just handed them over?! Did I or did I not say that you must notify me about anything concerning them?! How long ago were the children taken?"

"T-Three... three hours ago..."

The nanny’s eyes darted away evasively. She had taken a small bribe from Mrs. Sloan, Laura Jennings. "W-Well, isn’t the Sloan family their grandparents’ home? I-I figured their grandparents were just missing their grandchildren, so..."

Mrs. Kendrick let out a laugh of pure anger.

Three hours ago? Three hours ago, the triplets had gone upstairs to nap, which was why Mrs. Kendrick hadn’t bothered them. That meant before they could even take their afternoon nap, this nanny had woken them up and handed them over to Laura!

"You don’t need to come in tomorrow. Go find the butler and settle your wages," Mrs. Kendrick interrupted sharply.

The nanny immediately filled with regret. "Ma’am, Ma’am, please give me one more chance..."

Through the phone, Estelle gathered the gist of the situation. "Laura took the triplets?"

Grabbing her coat, Mrs. Kendrick replied, "I’m heading to the Sloan family’s home right now to bring the children back."

"I’ll go too," Estelle said. "It’ll take me about an hour to get there."

"Same here!" Mrs. Kendrick said anxiously. "Sigh, Lockwood Manor is a bit far. Don’t panic just yet, Estelle. Laura and Ethan Sloan might be out of their minds, but Iris will definitely look after the triplets."

Estelle sent a message to Aunt Iris, then quickly got into her car.

Meanwhile, Iris Sloan sighed after receiving Estelle’s text message. She looked at Mia and "Zachery." "Your mommy is so worried about you. Why did you let Christian go with that woman?"

Mia and "Zachery" exchanged a glance. Great-aunt Iris didn’t know, but they were well aware of the truth. The one who had left with that woman wasn’t Christian at all. The real Christian was standing right in front of her, currently disguised as Zachery!