Chapter 207: The Three Little Ones Discuss Countermeasures

Chapter 207: Chapter 207: The Three Little Ones Discuss Countermeasures

Nathaniel Sloan did indeed think so. Or rather, he had always thought so.

He smiled faintly. "Do you know, Mrs. Sloan, why the Lancasters burned all of Miranda Lancaster’s photos and portraits?"

The Lancaster family used to be in their prime. More than twenty years ago, Yvonne Lancaster socialized everywhere under the title of the Lancaster family’s daughter. She appeared in the entertainment news every day, but people were always more interested in the eldest Miss Lancaster.

Therefore, reporters had also managed to capture photos of Miranda. Later on, Chairman Lancaster spared no expense to destroy all of Miranda’s videos and photos on the internet.

The Lancaster family claimed they did this because Miranda had passed away and the family was too grief-stricken. However, upon closer thought, this logic made absolutely no sense.

So, the real reason was...

"The real reason is that I look strikingly similar to Miss Lancaster," Nathaniel chuckled.

Estelle Lockwood understood. In the beginning, Nathaniel probably wasn’t entirely certain that he wasn’t Laura Jennings’s son, but rather Miranda’s child. He had no proof—until he saw Miranda’s photo. How could the mistress’s son bear such a striking resemblance to the lawful wife? Combined with Laura’s suspicious behavior, it all confirmed Nathaniel’s suspicions.

Estelle pursed her lips. "If that’s the case, haven’t you ever thought about exposing them?"

"I have. But there’s no rush. Not right now," Nathaniel replied, a smile lingering on his lips.

This lie was a massive web woven together by the Sloan family and the Lancasters. When everyone around you was lying, no one cared about the truth anymore. Nathaniel could expose it, but Estelle knew without a doubt that the Sloans and the Lancasters would join forces to suppress the news. If they couldn’t suppress it, they would just smear his name.

After all, the Lancaster family was Miss Lancaster’s maiden family. If Nathaniel truly was her son, would they really just ignore him? This excuse could be used countless times, and it was undeniably effective.

And those Lancasters were absolutely heartless! It was bad enough that they favored the illegitimate daughter and forced the true eldest daughter to marry as a substitute. But they also turned a blind eye to Miss Lancaster’s suspicious death and treated her biological son like this! She refused to believe that no one in the Lancaster family had noticed Nathaniel’s resemblance to Miranda. If they really hadn’t noticed, why would they destroy the photos?

Seeing the righteous indignation in Estelle’s eyes, Nathaniel remained perfectly calm.

"Their hatred for Miranda might be one reason, but the most important factor was that Laura’s plan succeeded," he explained.

Estelle narrowed her eyes.

Nathaniel wore a faint, mocking smile. "I’ve been with Laura since birth. No matter what methods she used, she successfully stole me right from under the Lancasters’ noses.

"Then, the Lancasters took Theodore Lancaster away. It doesn’t matter what Theodore’s true identity is—whether he’s Laura’s biological son or just an orphan the family found off the streets. What matters is this:

"At that time, I was already labeled an ’illegitimate son.’ Even if the Lancasters found out that I was Miss Lancaster’s flesh and blood, they wouldn’t do anything about it. Otherwise, where would their pride be?"

It was true. If word got out that a prominent family like the Lancasters couldn’t even protect their own grandson and had been played for fools by a mistress, their reputation would be ruined. So, they simply let the error stand. They didn’t care about Miranda anyway, so if her son died, so be it. It would perfectly eliminate any possibility of him revealing the truth.

As a result, the true eldest young master became an illegitimate child, while Theodore—who was likely the real bastard—usurped his place. The mistress, the scumbag father, and the lawful wife’s maiden family all played happy families together. In the end, only Miranda paid with her life, and only Nathaniel was left to suffer.

Perhaps Old Mr. Lancaster never intended to torture his own grandson, nor did he want him dead, but none of that mattered anymore. The damage was done, and to the Lancasters, saving face was paramount.

Meanwhile, in the private dining room.

The three little ones had been led in by the waiter. They waited for a while, but their parents were still nowhere to be seen. Zachery couldn’t sit still and went out for a stroll. He left in high spirits but returned looking thoroughly irritated.

"I heard someone talking bad about Daddy!"

Christian instantly stood up. "What happened?"

The manor was vast and elegant. Zachery had walked down a floral pathway and overheard some people gossiping.

"That plot of land is going up for auction. What if Nathaniel Sloan refuses to give it up?"

"He’s just an illegitimate son. Does he really think he has a say in this?"

"If you ask me, let Nathaniel buy the land. He’s just a bastard anyway; he shouldn’t be enjoying so many resources in the first place. We can just force him to transfer the usage rights to Theodore when the time comes. Wouldn’t that solve everything?"

"Nathaniel is just too greedy! He knows he owes Theodore, and he knows he stole Theodore’s rightful place for so many years. Even Laura Jennings is trying to repent, yet Nathaniel shows no remorse at all!"

"Theodore, I don’t think we need to be polite anymore. Isn’t Nathaniel right here in Dewdrop Garden? Let’s just go over there. If he doesn’t hand it over, we’ll make a huge scene and see if he still has any shame left!"

"Exactly! That land is worth tens of billions, which is quite pricey. Why not let Nathaniel pay for it and give it to Theodore as a gift? It’s the least he could do!"

Zachery puffed his cheeks in anger. He had even filtered his retelling slightly because Mommy had said that Mia and the young master were too young to hear profanity, so he made sure to leave out the curse words. The things those people had actually said were far filthier! They were absolutely foul!

Christian was the most composed of the three. He knew exactly what "that plot of land" was. It was a parcel valued at tens of billions. Daddy had already negotiated the price and was just waiting to sign the contract! How could they be so shameless?!

Mia rested her chin in her hands, her eyes darting thoughtfully. She had been sitting right next to Grandma Kendrick the day Mommy called her, so she knew exactly what kind of trash the Lancaster family was. She also knew that Theodore Lancaster’s identity was highly suspicious. So, since they couldn’t extort him, they were resorting to outright robbery, right?

Mia’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "I have an idea."

When Estelle and Nathaniel entered the private room, the three little ones offered them sweet smiles, acting as if they knew absolutely nothing. Just as the first two dishes were served, a sudden commotion broke out outside. Mia’s eyes flashed, and she shot Zachery a knowing look.

Sure enough, the very next moment, the door to the private room was shoved open.

An arrogant, disdainful voice rang out. "I was right! Nathaniel Sloan really is here!"

Estelle narrowed her eyes.

The person at the door grew even more belligerent. "You don’t even know how to greet your elders! Even your parents have to bow down when they see us. What kind of attitude is this?!"

Acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing, Nathaniel nonchalantly raised his hand, signaling Luke White to shut the door.

The person outside instantly flew into a rage and kicked the heavy, solid door of the private room. A sharp shriek immediately followed as the attacker grabbed their foot, howling in pain.

Estelle was speechless. Was this the intellectual capacity of the Lancaster family? If so, then abandoning this family was definitely the right choice.