Chapter 293: Found: Nathaniel’s Plan

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Found: Nathaniel’s Plan

The villa was massive. If he were to search it meticulously, an hour would absolutely not be enough to find anything.

Moreover, Estelle was undoubtedly hidden away by Theodore Lancaster right now; she couldn’t give him any hints herself.

In that case, Nathaniel Sloan had to think: was there any place that both he and Estelle would naturally think of?

Suddenly, his gaze landed on a massive study.

Lately, Estelle had been deeply curious about the letter Miranda Lancaster left for him, so she had been constantly reading that copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. And in this study...

Nathaniel’s breath caught slightly.

The book was here!

If the book was here, then Estelle must have left him a clue using a cipher.

Nathaniel’s gaze darkened as he turned and headed toward Estelle’s room.

Back when she was studying that letter, Estelle had loved lounging on the bay window.

Without hesitation, he walked straight toward the bay window in her room.

Outside the villa, Theodore frowned as he watched Nathaniel’s seemingly purposeful movements. "Did you check everything?"

"Yes, Mr. Lancaster," the subordinate replied. "Every area has been thoroughly inspected. Miss Lockwood didn’t leave a single mark behind."

Theodore’s brow furrowed deeper. "Estelle Lockwood is clever and cunning. What if she left a sign that you fools just didn’t spot?"

The subordinate shook his head. "That’s impossible, Mr. Lancaster. We conducted a rigorous check and found nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, Miss Lockwood didn’t have access to paper, pens, or even a carving knife. She had no way to write anything down."

With a pen and paper, she could write; with a knife, she could carve messages into the walls or floor. But Estelle had absolutely nothing. Even if she wanted to leave a clue, her only option would have been arranging objects in a specific way—perhaps communicating a secret only she and Nathaniel shared through the placement of a few items. However, before leaving, the subordinates had completely restored Estelle’s room to its original state. Thus, they could guarantee that no marks or hidden messages were left behind.

Theodore asked no further questions.

Just as expected, Nathaniel merely did a lap around the room, found no clues, and walked back out.

Theodore finally relaxed.

Upon seeing the clearly tidied room, Nathaniel immediately understood. Naturally, Theodore wouldn’t leave any obvious clues lying around.

Yet, whatever Estelle had left behind absolutely wouldn’t be so easily erased.

He figured that since she lacked pens, paper, and carving tools, if she wanted to leave a sequence of numbers, writing them down was her only option—especially since all the clocks in the room had been confiscated.

But... who said there were no "pens" here?

He remembered a time before a banquet when the stylists had been bustling around Estelle. He had spotted a pen-like object, raised an eyebrow, and asked if it was also makeup. The makeup artist had respectfully replied, "Yes, Mr. Sloan. This is an eyeliner pencil."

Nathaniel looked toward the vanity table.

The makeup pencils on the vanity were all brand new, still bearing their barcode stickers. Beneath the barcodes was a string of factory-printed numbers, but...

Among them were a few digits that had clearly been handwritten!

His heart pounded. He instantly realized how Estelle had left her clue.

He quickly scanned the items, committing the numbers to memory.

45-11-20

16-18-03

Pretending that nothing had happened, Nathaniel acted as though he had merely rummaged around casually. He soon left the room to search elsewhere.

He behaved exactly like someone who had come up empty-handed, continuing his earnest search in other areas.

An hour passed. Theodore walked in with a faint smile. "Time is up, Nathaniel. It seems you didn’t find anything."

Nathaniel intentionally put on a dark, frustrated expression.

"Now you should believe me when I say Miss Lockwood isn’t here, right?" Theodore said.

"But Estelle is definitely still alive!" Nathaniel replied coldly.

"Perhaps," Theodore said with a half-smile. "I truly wouldn’t know."

Nathaniel stormed off in a huff.

It was the first time Theodore had ever seen Nathaniel so exasperated, and it brought a delighted chuckle to his lips.

He headed down to the basement, where he found Estelle sitting on the floor. "Nathaniel was just here. What a shame he didn’t find you, isn’t it?"

A bodyguard ripped the tape off Estelle’s mouth, earning a deeply unceremonious eye roll from her.

Satisfied, Theodore ordered, "Take Miss Lockwood back to rest."

When Estelle returned to her room and saw that her vanity had been rummaged through, she knew Nathaniel had gotten the message.

Nathaniel quickly returned to Imperial Crest and deciphered the words corresponding to those six numbers: Funeral.

He wondered if Estelle meant she would find a way to attend the funeral, and they would handle everything then.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the heartache welling up inside him. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with sharp, ruthless determination.

A few days later, the eve of the funeral arrived.

The Sloan Family had already made public announcements, drawing the entire internet’s attention to the event.

After all, the scandals between Estelle and the Lockwood Family had only recently died down before she unexpectedly passed away. The Sloan Family’s display of grief for their daughter-in-law and their grand arrangements for her funeral earned them widespread praise for being compassionate and loyal. Even their company’s stock prices had rebounded significantly.

Of course, there were some who claimed it was merely a PR stunt, but even if it was, the family had at least gone through the immense effort of hosting a proper funeral.

Tomorrow, Nathaniel would attend as Estelle’s husband, and Theodore—the "true young master" of the Sloan Family—would naturally make an appearance as well!

On the eve of the funeral, Theodore asked Estelle with a taunting half-smile, "Tomorrow is your funeral, Miss Lockwood. Once tomorrow passes, Estelle Lockwood will cease to exist in this world. Don’t you want to go and take a look?"

Estelle kept her eyes glued to her book, not sparing him a single glance. "No. What’s so interesting about attending my own funeral?"

Theodore sneered. "Very well. If you don’t want to go, then you won’t."

Estelle gave a faint nod and said nothing more.

Theodore narrowed his eyes.

He had wondered previously if she would be resentful and try to pull some stunt at the funeral.

Yet, after all these days, she hadn’t once asked to accompany him.

Did she truly have absolutely no interest in going?

His paranoia flared up again as he stood up, preparing to leave.

However, the more disinterested she acted, the more unwilling he felt to accept it. How could she accept her fate so calmly? Why wasn’t she furious?

He wanted to watch Estelle and Nathaniel break down. If she didn’t attend the funeral and witness her own "death" with her own eyes, wouldn’t all of his meticulous arrangements have been in vain?

Theodore refused to accept this!

He waited until his patience wore thin, but Estelle still didn’t say a word.

Two hours later, at eleven o’clock, she was getting ready for bed when he suddenly spoke up.

"Tomorrow, you are coming to the funeral with me."

In the dim light, a slow smile crept onto Estelle’s face.

She thought, "He really is a fool."

The next day.

The Sloan Family had fully prepared the mourning hall.

They had announced to the public that Estelle had been knocked into a river during a car accident, leaving no body to recover, which meant there would only be a cenotaph.

Many people attended to show their respect for the Sloan Family and Nathaniel.

The funeral venue was bustling with people.

Laura Jennings wore a black dress, but there wasn’t a hint of sorrow on her face; her heart was filled only with boundless exhilaration.

After today, Estelle Lockwood would truly be "dead"!