Chapter 199: It Seems Miss York’s Elders Are Unscrupulous

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: It Seems Miss York’s Elders Are Unscrupulous

Mrs. Keaton stammered, "M-Mr. Sloan, I’m not just slandering her out of nowhere. I have proof! If she isn’t a kept woman, why would Estelle Lockwood be so intimate with this old man?"

Estelle’s smile deepened.

Nathaniel scoffed, his gaze lightly shifting to Thea. "Does Miss York think so too?"

Thea bit her lip lightly. "Nathaniel, I don’t want to believe Estelle is that kind of person either, but seeing is believing..."

"Does Miss York not have any elders in her family?"

Interrupted, Thea feigned surprise. "Nathaniel, what do you mean? Of course I do, but..."

"Seeing a middle-aged man buy clothes for Estelle and immediately assuming she’s being kept—I suppose it’s because Miss York lacks elders at home that your thoughts went astray."

Nathaniel spoke slowly and meaningfully. "However, I heard Mrs. York has an older brother, and Chairman York has a younger brother. Yet, it seems Miss York doesn’t take them seriously. The York family’s relations with their relatives don’t seem very harmonious."

At his words, both Thea and Mrs. York froze, their faces draining of color!

Mrs. York anxiously blurted out, "No, Nathaniel..."

"No?" Nathaniel’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Could it be that when Mrs. York saw Estelle, it never crossed your mind that Mr. Kendrick is her elder?"

Mrs. York’s face turned blue, then white. A lump formed in Thea’s throat, forcing her to step forward.

"Nathaniel, of course we considered that. It’s just that we usually see so many of these affairs where women are kept, so my mom made a preconceived judgment. It’s our fault. We apologize to Estelle."

Nathaniel nodded faintly and turned to Estelle. "It seems the York family as a whole has an upbringing issue. Stay away from them, lest they be a bad influence on you."

Enzo Kendrick was speechless. He thought, "Wait, say that again. Who is a bad influence on whom?"

Estelle brushed her hair back. "That makes sense. The first time Mrs. York and Miss York saw my uncle, they assumed he was my sugar daddy. It’s probably because Miss York’s uncles are all that kind of men, which is why they jumped to that conclusion."

Thea forced a stiff smile. "Estelle, I’m really sorry, but I didn’t mean any harm..."

"I know. How could Miss York harbor any ill intentions? How could you intentionally drive a wedge between Nathaniel and me? You’re his ’good brother’, after all."

Estelle nodded, looking thoroughly innocent. "Nathaniel, you mustn’t blame Miss York either. She didn’t do it on purpose. Her comments about me being a kept woman were definitely influenced by the elders in the York family. What did Miss York do wrong? She just trusts her elders too much and assumes all men in the world are exactly the same."

"PFFT..." Someone nearby couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Thea was speechless.

She was so furious that her vision swam, and her hands trembled. If these words got out, her uncles would absolutely despise her!

Mrs. York also began to panic. She was at a loss, cursing Estelle and Enzo in her heart.

In Mrs. York’s world, it was perfectly normal for men to be playboys. Although her brothers were married, they all kept a few young mistresses on the side. So, wasn’t it completely normal for her to misunderstand when she saw Estelle walking with a man who was over twenty years older than her? Why did Estelle have to blow things so out of proportion!

Mrs. Keaton was also flushed with embarrassment, wishing she could shrink into nothingness.

Thea grabbed the two older women and hurried away. As they exited, they bumped right into Julian Jacobs, who was just arriving.

Seeing their pale faces, Julian didn’t even spare a glance to check on his own mother before fussing over Thea.

"Thea, who bullied you? Why do you look so awful?"

Thea’s eyes flickered, and she feigned evasion. "No one, Julian. Please don’t ask."

Mrs. Keaton immediately piped up loudly, "Julian, you have no idea! That Estelle Lockwood is too much of a bully! Thea was just trying to be kind and warn her not to get too close to older men. But instead, Estelle actually went and complained to Nathaniel! Now look what happened—Nathaniel refuses to even acknowledge Thea as his good brother anymore!"

Thea shook her head desperately. "Julian, that’s not it. Estelle is just worried. She’s afraid that by hanging around Nathaniel, I might steal her spot, so she used his mouth to warn me. It’s my own fault. I really didn’t know how to keep my distance, which is why Estelle..."

"Estelle is bullying you like this, and you’re still making excuses for her?!"

Julian was absolutely livid.

What was wrong with being good brothers? They were good brothers to begin with! His mother, as well as Mrs. York, were originally the "good brothers" of his father and Chairman York! Only good brothers could last forever! Why couldn’t Nathaniel understand this logic?

Julian said fiercely, "That woman really is unpresentable—petty and full of schemes! Thea, you’re just too straightforward; that’s why you fell for her tricks! And Nathaniel, honestly! In our circle, hasn’t it always been an unspoken rule that you are the most important person?

"Take the original two women in the York family and my family. They married Uncle York and my dad but still insisted on sticking their noses into everything. They refused to let Uncle York and my dad socialize with their good brothers, and that’s exactly why those two women were kicked to the curb. I can’t believe Estelle hasn’t learned from their mistakes and still dares to target you!"

"I know, that’s why I feel so helpless," Thea sighed. "I explained it to Estelle so many times, but she just can’t understand. What else can I do?"

Julian cursed his bad luck. "We’ll teach her a good lesson when the time comes!"

After the group left, Estelle slowly popped her head out, raising an eyebrow.

No wonder. No wonder Mrs. York and Mrs. Keaton, those two mistresses who managed to marry up, supported this "good brother" excuse so much. It turned out they had both usurped the original wives under the guise of being "good brothers."

That evening, Enzo returned to the Kendrick family home, and Estelle got into the car heading back.

Nathaniel rubbed his fingertips together. "What is Mrs. Sloan thinking about?"

Estelle cast a glance at him. "Thinking about the news I just heard."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Enzo had been excited all day. After buying clothes, he had taken Estelle to dine at a high-end private restaurant.

The patrons of that private restaurant were all either wealthy or influential. Several of them had recognized Enzo, having clearly sought him out at his Daoist temple for fortune-telling.

They had all flocked to Enzo with questions. They heard there would be excellent items at an upcoming auction but also caught wind that the Sloan Group wanted to curry favor with Mr. Lynch. They were worried that if they attended, they might step on the Sloan Group’s toes.

Estelle pulled her thoughts back. Resting her chin on her hand, she said slowly, "It seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t know Mr. Sloan is Mr. Lynch—the Sloan Family doesn’t know either."

Nathaniel narrowed his long, phoenix-like eyes.

Estelle looked at him with a beaming smile. "So, what’s going to be at that auction?"

Mr. Lynch was hosting the auction, and the Sloan Family wanted to cozy up to him. If they planned to curry favor with him there, they would inevitably have to spend a fortune on an item just to give the host face.

A faint gleam flashed in Nathaniel’s eyes.