Chapter 343: There Will Be a Result Tonight

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: There Will Be a Result Tonight

Leaving the restaurant, Mrs. Kendrick grabbed Estelle Lockwood’s hand worriedly. "What’s going on with the Yeats family? Have they still not dealt with Claire Yeats? When they first acknowledged you and brought you back, they clearly promised they wouldn’t mistreat you like the Lockwood family did. But look at what’s happening now."

Estelle paused for a moment before replying, "Godmother... do you really think that cup of coffee was meant for me?"

Mrs. Kendrick gasped softly. "What do you mean?"

Estelle replayed the scene in her mind. The waiter was supposed to place the coffee in front of her, but based on his trajectory, if she hadn’t blocked it, who would the coffee have ultimately splashed onto? Mrs. Kendrick had been sitting right next to her. With just a slight shift in angle, she would have been the target. Furthermore, the waiter’s act of splashing the coffee seemed impulsive. This meant he originally intended to serve the poisoned coffee normally. And that specific cup of coffee had been ordered by Mrs. Kendrick. But... what was the motive? She could understand why Claire would target her, but what reason did she have to target Mrs. Kendrick?

Regardless, when they parted ways, Estelle still urged Mrs. Kendrick to be careful.

Upon returning to Imperial Crest, she received a call from Henry Kendrick.

"Estelle, my mom suffered a minor injury." Henry frowned over the phone. "She said you two encountered someone trying to poison you at the restaurant?"

Estelle narrowed her eyes and recounted the incident at the restaurant, which deepened the crease between Henry’s brows.

"My mom mentioned that too," Henry said. "She didn’t think much of it at first, but since you reminded her to be careful, she was quite cautious on her way back. However, right at the entrance of our residential area, a bicycle suddenly rushed out and startled her. She tripped and fell."

Many people enjoyed cycling for exercise these days, and the villa complex had a dedicated mountain biking area, so it wasn’t unusual to see someone riding a bike there. But how could it be such a coincidence? Could it be Claire again? But Claire should already be overwhelmed dealing with the fallout from the coffee incident. Moreover, the most crucial question remained: what was her motive?

Henry continued, "My mom was worried and asked me to let you know. It’s possible that Claire harbors a grudge against you and is indiscriminately attacking you and those around you."

Estelle nodded. "I understand. Tell her to rest well and recover."

"She’s a doctor, she knows her limits. It’s nothing serious, but if she needs to go out, I’ll accompany her."

After Henry finished speaking and hung up, Estelle fell into deep thought for a long while.

Five minutes later.

Nathaniel Sloan and Luke White entered the study one after the other. Upon seeing Estelle, Luke gave a slight nod before respectfully addressing Nathaniel, "Mr. Sloan, the waiter is insisting he acted alone, even if it means facing jail time. Vincent Ford is also vehemently denying any involvement. At present... there truly is no evidence."

There was no extra money in the waiter’s bank account, nor had he received any untraceable cash or valuables. There were absolutely no signs of bribery. It seemed as though the incident was genuinely the sole doing of the waiter.

Nathaniel was unsurprised. "It doesn’t look like this is Vincent Ford’s first time doing something like this. He’s quite adept at it."

"Then, sir..." Luke didn’t think Nathaniel would just let the matter go.

Sure enough, Nathaniel revealed an intriguing smile. "No rush. Let’s wait a little longer. We’ll have results tonight."

For some matters, Nathaniel didn’t even need to intervene personally. Vincent Ford threw his weight around, relying on his status and background, but in Mr. Sloan’s eyes, such a background was utterly insignificant. Luke made a total of three phone calls. Soon after, the Ford family’s company underwent earth-shattering changes. Let alone that small restaurant, even the majority of the company’s shares changed hands overnight.

Vincent Ford, who had been sitting smugly at home thinking Nathaniel could do nothing to him, immediately panicked. He begged everyone he could find until he finally managed to get Luke’s phone number. He thought Luke wouldn’t answer, but to his surprise, the call connected almost instantly.

Luke even recognized him right away. "Good evening, Young Mr. Ford."

Vincent trembled all over. "L-Luke, we..."

"I know what you want to say, Young Mr. Ford. There’s no rush. Let me ask you a question first," Luke interrupted him leisurely. At Nathaniel’s signal, he asked indifferently, "Are you truly unaware of the waiter slipping poison into the coffee?"

Vincent opened his mouth. He had called specifically for this matter. Although the waiter was the only one arrested, Nathaniel clearly believed he was involved and had punished him accordingly. He panicked, thinking, "But if I admit to it, won’t I go to prison? No, no! I’m the young master of the Ford family. If I go to jail, won’t the Ford family fall into the hands of those illegitimate children?!"

Vincent remained stubborn. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You don’t know?" Luke chuckled. "Then what is the purpose of this call, Young Mr. Ford?"

"I..." A sudden burst of unfounded confidence seized Vincent. "I just want to ask Mr. Sloan why he’s targeting the Ford family! Even if my restaurant’s employee poisoned someone, I was kept in the dark. I’m a victim too!"

"Very well." Luke nodded. "It seems you aren’t sincere, Young Mr. Ford. That’s fine. Since you’re capable of bearing the consequences, I won’t force you."

"Luke!" Vincent felt a wave of panic, his voice trembling. "You... I... I really didn’t know anything! Are you trying to force me into a confession..."

"Of course not. Why would you think that, Young Mr. Ford?" Just as Luke finished speaking, a cold, detached male voice chimed in. Vincent couldn’t hear the voice clearly over the phone, but a chill instantly ran down his spine.

Nathaniel didn’t even bat an eyelid, casually instructing, "Luke, there’s no need to say more."

Luke sighed and spoke helplessly into the phone, "You heard him, Young Mr. Ford. Mr. Sloan doesn’t think it’s necessary to speak with you any further. You’re on your own. Goodbye."

CLICK. Luke hung up the phone.

A surge of terror welled up in Vincent’s chest. For some reason, he had the sinking feeling that he had just lost his final lifeline.

Estelle had been sitting to the side, listening from beginning to end. She shook her head. "Vincent Ford is definitely the one who helped Claire Yeats administer the poison, but he likely assumes her target was me."

But how could she explain that the coffee belonged to Mrs. Kendrick, and that it had been splashed toward her in the first place?

Nathaniel hummed in acknowledgment. "No matter. There’s no rush. We’ll take our time investigating."

Two hours later.

A special guest arrived at Imperial Crest. This special guest probably hadn’t expected to gain entry so smoothly—after all, this was Imperial Crest.

Luke spoke respectfully, "Mr. Sloan, Chairman Ford is here."

Nathaniel curled his lips into an enigmatic smile. His dark eyes lifted sharply as he commanded, "Let him in."

As soon as he spoke, a figure stumbled and practically rolled into the room. Upon seeing Nathaniel, Chairman Ford hit the floor with a heavy THUD, sliding right to his feet. He looked as though he wanted to kowtow right then and there.

"Mr. Sloan! Mr. Sloan! I beg you to be the bigger person and show us mercy!"

The Ford family had suffered a devastating blow overnight. Chairman Ford had to pull many strings just to find out that they had offended Nathaniel Sloan.