Chapter 282: "Estelle Lockwood, I want her.

Chapter 282: Chapter 282: "Estelle Lockwood, I want her.

"Young Mr. York and Theodore Lancaster don’t know each other, and they rarely interact with the Sloan family either. How could he know these secrets?"

Perhaps Young Mr. York’s very identity had offended Theodore. But what identity was that? He was the legitimate son of the York family and their rightful heir. Why would Theodore resent such a status? Because Theodore was a true illegitimate child, the son of the mistress! He was terrified that everything he wanted would be snatched away by Nathaniel Sloan—completely ignorant of the fact that those things rightfully belonged to Nathaniel in the first place. He hated his own origins and envied those who could inherit their family legacies legitimately. Therefore, Young Mr. York had simply "offended" him by existing.

Estelle Lockwood pursed her lips. She had never known who her biological parents were, but she was still searching, still investigating, and she still had hope. Nathaniel, on the other hand, knew exactly who his biological mother was, but she had passed away long ago.

Resting her chin in her hand, Estelle said, "Theodore is good at putting on a front, but he’s incredibly petty. He’s a lot like Laura Jennings. They really are biological mother and son. I think Theodore won’t be able to keep up the act much longer. He’s far too desperate to get his hands on the Sloan family."

Ironically, the very thing Theodore coveted most was something Nathaniel couldn’t care less about.

At the Sloan family villa.

Theodore sat down with a gentle smile while Laura busied herself beside him, brewing tea and bringing over plates of fruit. Several servants stood by in silence, but internally, they wondered why Mrs. Sloan treated this legitimate young master so incredibly well. Wasn’t Theodore the son of Ms. Miranda Lancaster? Why was Laura fawning over him like this? She didn’t even treat her own biological son, Mr. Sloan, with this kind of attitude on a normal day.

Ethan Sloan looked at him with gratification. "Theodore, I am so pleased that you’ve returned home smoothly. Don’t worry, and don’t rush. I will soon hand the Sloan Group over to you."

Ever since he lost over ten billion in that previous debacle, the Sloan Group had been deeply distrustful of Theodore. Every time Ethan proposed letting Theodore take over and transferring shares to him, several shareholders would jump out to oppose it. Although they claimed they just wanted Theodore to gain a few more years of experience, Ethan knew the truth: they were actually waiting for Nathaniel to change his mind!

Theodore, however, brought up a different matter. "I ran into Miss Thea York a few days ago. I’ve had some dealings with her older brother, so when she asked me for a favor, I figured I might as well help her out."

"What kind of favor?" Ethan asked.

Theodore spoke in a highly self-righteous tone. "Miss York grew up with Nathaniel. Even now, knowing that he’s about to lose his power, she is still willing to stay by his side through thick and thin. I was deeply moved. Father, don’t you want to help them fulfill such a profound love?"

Ethan looked incredibly awkward. "Well... we have thought about that..."

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t tried to play matchmaker for Nathaniel and Thea before. However, no matter how Thea expressed her feelings, Nathaniel always remained completely indifferent. What was wrong with Thea? Marrying her meant gaining the backing of the York family!

Theodore shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Father, in the past, Nathaniel simply didn’t understand how sinister human nature could be. What if he were to suffer an accident this time, and Miss York was the only one left by his side?"

Ethan’s heart stirred. "But Estelle..."

"As for Estelle..." Theodore smiled. "I want her."

"What? Absolutely not!" Before Ethan could speak, Laura had already roared from the side, glaring at Theodore with eyes wide with fury.

Estelle? Her most beloved biological son was saying he fancied Estelle?!

How could this be! Estelle was the person she despised the most. Even when the girl first married Nathaniel, Laura had felt that Estelle was an eyesore. Moreover, that woman possessed a stubborn resilience that Laura absolutely loathed.

Why, why, why?!

She had thought she could trample Estelle under her foot, but now her incredibly precious biological son was actually claiming he wanted her!

Theodore’s gaze turned icy. "Does Mrs. Sloan have an objection?"

Laura’s heart filled with bitterness. Even now, Theodore still refused to call her "Mother." But... but this was all for the sake of their plan. After all, Theodore was supposed to be Miranda’s son at the moment!

"Theodore, you..." Laura said hurriedly. "How is Estelle worthy of you? She’s been married before, she’s tainted, and she has three sons!"

Theodore’s eyes remained frosty. "Is it up to you to decide whether she’s worthy or not?"

Laura felt a bitter lump form in her throat. This was her biological son! And yet, he was speaking to her this way over some woman!

Estelle, Estelle, it was all because of Estelle. First Nathaniel, and now Theodore—both of them had been completely bewitched by her! What did he mean, "worthy"? How could a bitch like Estelle ever be worthy of her son?

"I... I just think Estelle is..."

"That’s enough!" Ethan hastily interrupted. "Theodore, she’s just worried about you. But if you like her, then Estelle will definitely be yours.

"Sigh, speaking of which, Nathaniel owes you. If it weren’t for him, you would have returned to our Sloan family a long time ago. Now, you merely want a woman. How could Nathaniel possibly disagree?"

"Since you both agree, then there’s no problem," Theodore said casually. "I’ve already made the arrangements anyway."

Two days later.

Estelle and Nathaniel went to the estate together to visit Old Mrs. Sloan. Since the estate had been left behind by Miranda, Old Mrs. Sloan had renamed it.

The moment Old Mrs. Sloan laid eyes on Nathaniel, she burst into tears. "Nathaniel, you know. You definitely know."

Perhaps it was a woman’s intuition, but she couldn’t help but feel that something about Nathaniel was different now.

Nathaniel nodded gently. "Grandma... Mom left a letter for me before she passed away."

After understanding the entire sequence of events, Old Mrs. Sloan wept even harder. "Nathaniel, so you knew all along..."

He had confirmed it ten years ago, when he was just eighteen. No, perhaps even earlier. How could someone like him fail to notice Laura’s disgust and hatred toward him? How could he not see the bizarre dynamics within the Sloan family?

Unfortunately, Old Mrs. Sloan had been ill during those early years, and Iris had spent most of her time away from the Sloan family to care for her. As a result, they had provided Nathaniel with very little care.

Old Mrs. Sloan couldn’t even imagine how Nathaniel had managed to carry such a massive secret all by himself when he was just a child. He couldn’t afford to slip up, and he couldn’t mention it to anyone. Even though he knew exactly who his real mother was, he still had to call the murderer who had killed her "Mom."

The mere thought of it made her heart ache.

After calming down, she asked, "You said Miranda left you a letter? How did she leave it for you? Back then, her belongings..."

Perhaps out of fear that some secret would be discovered, or perhaps out of sheer guilt, Ethan and Laura had burned all of Miranda’s belongings to ashes, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

But Nathaniel was saying she had left him a letter?