Chapter 290: Nathaniel Is About to Meet Her

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Nathaniel Is About to Meet Her

Meanwhile, Theodore Lancaster walked into the surveillance room.

A man stood up respectfully. "Sir."

Theodore’s eyes were arrogant. "Has Estelle Lockwood been acting unusually these past few days?"

"No, sir. We’ve been watching her twenty-four hours a day. Except for the bedroom, we have a clear view of all Miss Lockwood’s activities. She usually just reads in the study."

Theodore asked cautiously, "Which books?"

"Miss Lockwood is probably just bored. She doesn’t stick to any specific genre; she started from the top shelf of the first bookcase.

"If she likes a book, she reads a bit more. If not, she puts it back and grabs the next one," the man replied.

With such a slow and steady reading pattern, no one could have guessed that Estelle had been putting on a show in the study all these days just for that copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Theodore observed the monitors for a while. Not noticing anything suspicious, he turned and left the villa.

Just as he stepped outside, he received a call from Yvonne Lancaster and Old Mr. Lancaster.

"Theodore, you’ve blown this out of proportion all for Estelle Lockwood. It’s like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! That woman isn’t worth it! This is highly inappropriate!" Old Mr. Lancaster’s disapproving voice came through the line.

"What’s inappropriate about it?" Theodore asked, his expression indifferent.

Old Mr. Lancaster frowned. "She’s just a woman, and one who has already given birth to three children at that. How is she worthy of you? You can have any woman you want!"

Theodore replied meaningfully, "But Nathaniel Sloan only has this one woman."

Old Mr. Lancaster paused. "You mean..."

"Everything that belongs to Nathaniel is mine. Don’t you agree, Grandpa?" Theodore said casually.

Old Mr. Lancaster fell silent for a few seconds. Indeed, that had been his original intention in grooming Theodore.

He hated Miranda Lancaster. He hated the son she had given birth to, Nathaniel. He hated them so much that, even after all these years, he still eagerly looked forward to seeing Nathaniel lose absolutely everything.

And taking away everything Nathaniel had didn’t just mean his company, wealth, reputation, and status—it also meant his wife and children.

How could Old Mr. Lancaster not know about Nathaniel’s deep feelings for Estelle?

If Nathaniel were to find out that Estelle had become Theodore’s woman... Old Mr. Lancaster found himself tempted by the idea.

"Good, as expected of my wonderful grandson! Theodore, let’s do it your way!"

Theodore smiled.

He couldn’t wait to flaunt his trophy in front of Nathaniel.

He wondered how he should show her off. How could he make everyone else believe Estelle was dead, yet exclusively flaunt her to Nathaniel?

He would wait until the whole world thought Estelle was dead, and then tell Nathaniel that not only was she still alive, but she was also now his woman.

What would Nathaniel do then? Would he go completely mad? And what would everyone else think?

They would think Nathaniel had truly lost his mind, going crazy over a woman. How could a mentally unstable person inherit the Sloan Group? How could he manage Evernight International?

A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Theodore’s eyes. Those who deserved to die should just go to hell!

Theodore threw his head back and laughed aloud before quickly calming down. A sinister glint crossed his eyes as he instructed his assistant.

"Nathaniel must be in a terrible mood lately. As his younger brother, the least I can do is show some concern. How about this? Invite him to the villa for a small gathering so I can properly comfort him."

"To your villa, sir?" the assistant asked. "Which one?"

"North Manor," Theodore replied casually.

The news of Estelle’s accidental death, announced by the Sloan Family, had long since made the headlines. Naturally, Nathaniel had seen it too.

Zane Grant sneered. "The Sloan Family sure has some nerve. I can’t believe there are such shameless people in this world! Using Estelle’s death to make themselves look good. What is Laura Jennings even crying about? Isn’t she the one who wanted Estelle dead the most..."

At this point, Zane suddenly caught himself. Nathaniel was the one most devastated by Estelle’s passing. The Sloan Family shouldn’t be putting on a show online, but even more so, Zane shouldn’t keep bringing it up and triggering Nathaniel.

However, Nathaniel’s expression remained exceptionally calm.

He had a dream last night.

Ever since Estelle had faked her death and left five years ago, Nathaniel rarely dreamt at all, let alone about her.

But last night, she had suddenly appeared in his dream.

He dreamt that Estelle was peeling a tangerine. She took a bite, her expression shifting slightly, before pretending nothing happened and offering a piece to his lips. "This tangerine tastes pretty good. I peeled it just for you. Try a piece."

In the dream, Nathaniel opened his mouth without a second thought.

Immediately, an overpowering, tart sourness flooded his entire mouth.

Seeing that she had succeeded, Estelle let out a laugh, raising her eyebrows with a hint of smugness in her eyes.

Nathaniel smiled softly.

Upon waking up, he suddenly remembered something. A few days ago, when fresh tangerines had just hit the market, Estelle had bought a few unripe green ones. She had peeled one and stuffed a piece right into his mouth.

It was just an ordinary dream, but it left Nathaniel with an exceptionally clear realization—Estelle wasn’t dead. She was still alive.

"Nathaniel? Nathaniel?" Zane called out.

Nathaniel snapped back to reality and calmly stated his theory. "Estelle should be fine. She is most likely in Theodore’s hands."

Zane frowned. "Are you sure?"

Nathaniel gave a mocking smile. "There were two groups of people chasing after Estelle and me. I investigated afterward—one group was sent by Laura Jennings, and the other was sent by Theodore.

"I don’t know exactly whose hands Estelle ended up in, but based on my understanding of Laura, her behavior these past few days doesn’t seem like someone who successfully captured Estelle.

"Therefore, Estelle must be with Theodore."

Nathaniel scoffed. "What is Theodore’s background?"

Zane looked disgusted. "A shameless illegitimate son who usurps what isn’t his and twists the truth! He’s cut from the same cloth as the Lancaster Family and Laura Jennings—they’re all scum!"

Nathaniel hummed in agreement. "Old Mr. Lancaster detested his first wife, Old Mrs. Lancaster, so he found a mistress and deliberately paraded her in front of Old Mrs. Lancaster to show off. Yvonne was jealous of my mother, Miranda, so she used her status as an illegitimate daughter to steal my mother’s fiancé and inheritance.

"If someone raised by people like them took Estelle, what do you think he would do?"

Zane understood. "He would use Estelle to provoke you! He would show off to you that what was originally yours now belongs to him. Theodore would be dying to flaunt a living, breathing person like Estelle in your face.

"Following Theodore’s logic, now that he has her, he will definitely show her off to you!"

Nathaniel slowly closed his eyes.

"Yes. So, until Theodore is fully satisfied with his flaunting, Estelle will be perfectly safe."

But his heart still ached terribly. He didn’t even know if Estelle was doing well right now.

However, he couldn’t afford to break down. He had to rescue Estelle.

"I’m guessing Theodore will send me an invitation. He might even hint that Estelle is still alive just to drive me crazy. After all, to outsiders, Estelle has already passed away. If I insist that she is still alive, wouldn’t everyone think that I’m mentally unstable and completely insane?"

Just as Nathaniel finished speaking, Luke White suddenly walked in. "Mr. Sloan, Theodore’s assistant just delivered an invitation for you."