Chapter 339: Estelle, You’re Injured?

Chapter 339: Chapter 339: Estelle, You’re Injured?

Claire Yeats’s eyes grew red. Then, as if realizing what she had just said, she quickly wiped away her tears. "It’s nothing. I’m sorry, Vincent. I need to go rest for a bit..."

"Claire!" How could Vincent Ford bear to see his goddess cry? "Tell me, what exactly happened!"

Claire looked hesitant but eventually let out a helpless sigh. "Estelle is the true eldest daughter of the Yeats family. It’s just that she seems to have an issue with me, so at the banquet... Never mind. She thinks I stole her identity, so let’s just say it’s my fault."

Vincent’s veins bulged with anger. "You were originally one of the Yeats! What does she mean by ’stole’? And she even set you up to embarrass you at the banquet! Claire, how can you be so kind?!"

Claire shook her head. "It’s fine. Estelle is right. I was an outsider to begin with... Estelle has three children, and then there’s her—you know her, right? That’s Mrs. Kendrick. Estelle has so many people who love her by her side. How could I... how could I possibly compete with her?"

"She already has so many people who love her! Doesn’t she already have the Kendrick family backing her? Yet she still wants to fight you for Old Mr. Yeats’s favor!"

Vincent gnashed his teeth. No, he had to teach Estelle Lockwood a lesson!

"Don’t worry, Claire. I’ll definitely teach her a lesson!"

Claire said hypocritically, "Vincent, please don’t do anything rash."

"Leave it to me!"

Vincent turned to leave. Claire looked at his retreating back with a worried expression, still urging him not to act impulsively. However, the moment Vincent’s figure disappeared, the corners of Claire’s lips curled up. The worry in her eyes instantly turned sinister, like someone whose dark scheme had just succeeded.

Meanwhile, inside the restaurant.

Nathaniel Sloan walked over to Estelle Lockwood’s table. Seeing that Mrs. Kendrick and Estelle were sitting on one side, he naturally sat down with the three little ones and scooped Zachery up into his arms.

Mrs. Kendrick teased, "Is Mr. Sloan that worried?"

Nathaniel nodded. "I happened to have some free time, so I came over. You don’t mind, do you, Mrs. Kendrick?"

"Of course not." Mrs. Kendrick waved her hand.

Right at that moment, a waiter came in to serve their dishes. However, for some unknown reason, as the waiter was setting down a cup of coffee, his grip suddenly slipped, and the scalding liquid flew straight toward Mrs. Kendrick’s face!

Estelle stood up instinctively, pulling Mrs. Kendrick into her arms and shielding her from the coffee. As a result, the entire cup spilled onto Estelle’s trench coat.

Nathaniel draped his suit jacket over Estelle’s shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Enveloped by his lingering body heat, with his warm breath brushing against her neck, Estelle’s racing heart calmed down significantly.

Before Estelle could speak, the waiter began apologizing in terror. "I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Miss Lockwood! I didn’t mean to..."

Estelle narrowed her eyes. A cup of coffee spilled on her clothes was no big deal, of course. But the waiter’s timing was a little too perfect, and the spill happened a little too flawlessly. Not to mention...

Nathaniel gave the man a meaningful look. "You know Estelle?" If he didn’t know her, he wouldn’t have addressed her as "Miss Lockwood" right off the bat.

The waiter stiffened. He looked like he wanted to shake his head, but then he quickly nodded. "Of course, of course! Miss Lockwood is a VIP guest specifically mentioned by our manager. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to! Miss Lockwood, please be the bigger person and let me off! This job is very important to me. Please let me go! I can pay for the damages!"

The waiter grew increasingly terrified as he spoke, looking as if he were about to drop to his knees. "I know you are of noble status, Miss Lockwood, and I shouldn’t have offended you, but I beg you to show some mercy..."

They were seated in the main dining hall, where the tables were only separated by decorative screens. As a result, the waiter’s loud pleas quickly reached the ears of the other patrons, who began to look over curiously.

After figuring out what had happened, someone couldn’t help but advise, "Mrs. Sloan, I’m sure he didn’t do it on purpose. Making him pay for the damages should be enough. There’s no need to drive him to a dead end..."

Another person frowned, their tone unfriendly. "If he made a mistake, the restaurant will naturally punish him. You want to ruin his livelihood and force him onto the streets right off the bat? Are you a tyrant, Mrs. Sloan? Isn’t that going too far?"

It was at this exact moment that Claire Yeats walked in, looking for all the world like just another patron coming in for a meal. As she passed by their table, she feigned surprise. "Estelle? Mr. Sloan? What happened here?"

The waiter’s eyes suddenly widened. Acting as if he had found a savior, he crawled over on his knees. "Miss, do you know Miss Lockwood? Please help me beg for mercy! I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please ask Miss Lockwood to let me off. I have elderly parents to support and children to feed. I really didn’t mean it! I-I’m willing to kowtow and apologize!"

The waiter wept bitterly, his words a tear-jerking performance. Almost everyone in the restaurant was watching them now, and a sudden silence fell over the dining room.

Acting as if she knew absolutely nothing, Claire put on a look of sheer bewilderment. As though startled by the waiter, she hastily took a step back and looked at Estelle with deep concern. "Estelle, are you hurt? Did this man injure you?"

Estelle studied Claire with a meaningful gaze. She and Claire were certainly not on such good terms that they could comfort one another. In an instant, she figured out what was really going on with this waiter and why Claire had shown up at this specific moment. They were trying to ruin her reputation.

Claire stepped forward, anxiously looking Estelle up and down before letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness, you’re unharmed."

The waiter nodded frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Yes, yes, Miss Lockwood is fine! Please, miss, help me plead with her. My mistake doesn’t deserve a death sentence! I really didn’t do it on purpose! I just wanted to pour Miss Lockwood some coffee, but I didn’t expect one of her children to bump into me. That’s why I accidentally spilled it. Miss Lockwood, please spare me!"

Claire’s heart seemed to soften. After hesitating for a long moment, she pursed her lips and spoke. "Estelle... Look, he hasn’t caused any major harm. He should definitely pay for your ruined clothes, but as for anything else, why don’t we just let it go?

"It isn’t easy for someone to find a job. You can’t just get him fired because you’re feeling a little upset. Everyone knows you’re Mrs. Sloan and the heiress to the Yeats family, but you can’t use your power to bully people like this, don’t you agree?

"Besides, Estelle, it was your child who bumped into the waiter, causing him to accidentally spill the coffee. If we really get to the bottom of this... I’m just afraid that others will end up blaming you in the end."

The three little ones, having suddenly been dragged into the mess, exchanged bewildered glances. While the little goofball Zachery hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, Christian and Mia immediately narrowed their eyes, the brother and sister exchanging a knowing look.

Nathaniel’s expression turned icy cold. Shielding Estelle behind him, his deep voice rang out. "At first, I thought he was coming for you. But looking at it now, he’s coming for all of us."

The corners of Estelle’s lips curled up slightly. Was this waiter really coming for her? Perhaps. And he even wanted to drag her children down with him while he was at it. But clearly, that cup of coffee had been thrown at Mrs. Kendrick...

Seeing that Estelle remained silent, a look of disdain flashed in Claire’s eyes. She figured Estelle had simply run out of excuses.