Chapter 479: Suspecting Her of Harboring Ill Intentions

Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Suspecting Her of Harboring Ill Intentions

Claire Yeats and Old Mrs. Yeats probably never expected Estelle Lockwood to find the evidence so quickly.

Even Estelle herself couldn’t quite figure it out either—

She stared at the message from Mrs. Yeats on her phone, lost in thought. She wondered, "Strange... This sleazy guy obviously knows nothing about me, which means the person who bribed him doesn’t know me either. Is Claire really that stupid? Even if Third Mrs. Yeats was behind it, wouldn’t Claire and Old Mrs. Yeats have objected to such a foolish plan when they found out? Or perhaps their understanding of the situation is flawed."

Estelle narrowed her eyes and handed the phone to Nathaniel Sloan with a smile. "This Mrs. Yeats keeps claiming she’s restricted within the Yeats family, with her every move watched by Old Mr. and Old Mrs. Yeats. Yet, she managed to discover Claire’s scheme immediately. What’s more, without alerting anyone, she dug up this man’s background and informed me."

Tilting her head, Estelle added, "It’s so strange."

Nathaniel took the phone and glanced at it, his gaze calm. "Do you suspect she has ulterior motives?"

Estelle pondered for a moment. "Every time I run into trouble, Mrs. Yeats always offers me some help. No matter how you look at it, she seems to be on my side. Plus, she’s universally recognized as my mother’s good friend, but I still feel..."

She couldn’t quite put her finger on this bizarre feeling; something just felt off.

It was the exact same sense of dissonance she had felt from Noelle Lockwood when she first returned to the Lockwood family.

They seemingly treated her well, but in reality, every smile concealed hidden agendas—utterly insidious.

She would pretend to be the only person in the house who cared about you, then subtly infiltrate your life, steal your family, and take over your marital home. She did everything without leaving a trace, never revealing her true colors. By the time you realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Although Mrs. Yeats wasn’t exactly like Noelle—she was universally acknowledged as a good person and was her mother’s friend—still...

"I should meet with Mrs. Yeats," Estelle concluded.

Nathaniel nodded. "Alright."

He paused before adding, his tone carrying a profound meaning, "Also, XM’s triennial competition is about to begin. Are you interested in participating, Mrs. Sloan?"

Estelle blinked. "Of course."

The next day.

Estelle met with Mrs. Yeats at a café.

With a smile in her eyes, Estelle said, "I have to thank you this time, Mrs. Yeats."

Mrs. Yeats shook her head. "No matter what, I’m your aunt... and your mother’s best friend."

Estelle hummed in acknowledgment and tilted her head. "But there’s one thing I’m a bit curious about. Could you tell me, Aunt Melody?"

Melody Jenson nodded hastily. "Of course."

"How did you know that Claire bribed that man?" Estelle blinked, her expression perfectly innocent. "Claire’s attempt to frame me should have been done very covertly. Nathaniel and I didn’t notice anything at the time, and my eldest brother also said he didn’t know... Yet, in such a short amount of time, you managed to dig up everything about this man. Tell me, Aunt Melody, how did you do it?"

Mrs. Yeats subconsciously took a sip of her coffee.

Estelle took note of her reaction, raising an eyebrow imperceptibly.

Then, she heard Mrs. Yeats say helplessly, "Estelle, you don’t think Claire and I are accomplices, do you? Sigh, we really aren’t. I only found out about this by accident.

"Claire... she doesn’t hide anything from Evan. Although Evan isn’t my biological son, he was kept in the dark about this scheme, so he still tells me about many things.

"He accidentally let it slip, and I remembered it, so I kept an ear to the ground.

"Once I looked into it, I realized something was wrong, so I hurried to warn you."

"Oh, I see," Estelle replied. "So, both Claire and Evan were involved in scheming to frame me? And even Old Mrs. Yeats had a hand in it?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Mrs. Yeats bit her lip slightly before sighing. "As far as I know... yes."

"Estelle, I’ve warned you before. The Yeats family isn’t as simple as they appear," Mrs. Yeats said, her tone earnest and sincere. "They didn’t bring you back to compensate you. Your mother was driven out by the Yeats family back then. They told the public she had gone missing, but in reality... the Yeats family was clearly trying to force her to her death.

"I don’t want you to follow in your mother’s footsteps. Child, you’re still young. Don’t get involved with the Yeats family, okay?"

Estelle feigned being touched. "I understand. This incident has made me see the Yeats family’s true attitude toward me. Old Mrs. Yeats is so wary of me, perhaps because she’s still wary of my mother."

Melody smiled. "I’m glad you figured it out."

Shortly after, Melody received a phone call. She apologetically told Estelle that something had come up and she had to leave. Estelle nodded and agreed.

Only after her silhouette disappeared from sight did Estelle unhurriedly pick up the coffee on the table and take a gentle sip.

As the bitterness spread in her mouth, she walked to the parking lot, pulled open the car door, and raised an eyebrow at Nathaniel, who was waiting inside. "There’s definitely a problem."

Nathaniel started the car. "How so?"

Estelle rested her elbow on the window sill and gazed outside for a moment. "Mrs. Yeats claimed she knew about Claire’s scheme because Evan accidentally let it slip to her.

"But..."

"But whether it’s Claire or Evan, they both know about your relationship with the Kendrick family," Nathaniel said mildly. "Even if they wanted to scheme against you, they wouldn’t be this stupid."

Estelle gave a half-smile. "Exactly."

Would Claire really be that idiotic? To bribe a man yet use such a brainless method—one that not only failed to ruin Estelle’s reputation but also left a permanent stain on Claire’s own name for nothing.

So...

Estelle’s lips curled up slightly. "I’m guessing Claire herself didn’t even know this guy was so useless. She’s probably wondering right now if the person who actually bribed him has a screw loose."

Nathaniel couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

"Hmm... so there’s something wrong with Mrs. Yeats?"

Estelle lowered her eyes. "It’s just a guess."

But at least in her eyes, this Mrs. Yeats was far from simple.

Judging by the expressions on Claire and Third Aunt Yeats’s faces, they had definitely believed they could knock her down in one fell swoop and trample her into the dust.

Little did they know, this sleazy man knew absolutely nothing, giving them such a massive ’surprise.’

Was this the outcome Claire had wanted?

Obviously not.

Therefore, perhaps Claire wasn’t the mastermind behind this setup. And the true mastermind’s goal wasn’t to ruin her reputation at all.

She might have just wanted to—

Estelle sighed softly.

If that was the case, it would be the cruelest outcome of all.

She couldn’t help but assume the worst.

Was this man’s appearance orchestrated by the person who bribed him? Did she use this sleazy guy and even treat Claire and the others as pawns in her grand scheme?

Her true objective was to make Estelle trust her completely—