Chapter 485: Claire Yeats’ Fans Look for Trouble

Chapter 485: Chapter 485: Claire Yeats’ Fans Look for Trouble

To her surprise, before Estelle Lockwood even visited the Yeats’ home, she received a call from the Yeats Family. They wanted to meet her outside.

"Is it Old Mr. Yeats who wants to meet me?" Estelle asked slowly.

The person on the other end confirmed, "Yes."

Estelle narrowed her eyes. "Sure."

Old Mr. Yeats had invited her to meet, but not at the Yeats’ home. Instead, he had chosen a private restaurant outside.

Nathaniel Sloan’s expression carried a hint of coldness as he asked, "What exactly is this Old Mr. Yeats thinking?"

Estelle’s identity had already been acknowledged by Old Mr. Yeats. Yet, as her uncle, Old Mr. Yeats wanted to meet her but refused to let her visit the Yeats’ home, opting for an outside venue instead. If word of this got out, what would others think? That even though Estelle’s identity was recognized, she couldn’t even step through the front doors of the Yeats’ home?

Estelle gave a half-smile. "The Yeats are all quite strange.

"In the notes Grandpa left for me, he mentioned Old Mr. Yeats... At the time, he referred to him as ’Eleanor’s brother.’ It’s clear that Grandpa didn’t have a bad impression of Old Mr. Yeats, and I trust Grandpa’s judgment."

She wondered if Old Mr. Yeats had misunderstood something. He couldn’t possibly be unaware of the weight his actions carried as the Head of the Yeats; this move was a blatant refusal to let Estelle "come home." If he knew this and still chose to do it, then either there was a misunderstanding, or this Family Head, Zion Yeats, was fundamentally different from what her grandfather had recorded.

Half an hour ago, at the Yeats’ home.

As the Head of the Yeats, Zion Yeats had to make a personal trip since the Yeats Family was shifting part of their focus to Crestfall. He naturally knew of Estelle’s existence. When his father had mentioned bringing her back, he had readily agreed; after all, Eleanor Yeats’s daughter wandering outside would reflect poorly on the Yeats Family’s reputation.

However, upon arriving at the Yeats’ home, he frowned. "Where is Estelle?"

Why wasn’t the newly recovered daughter of the Yeats Family at home?

Evan Yeats shook his head. "Dad, a lot has happened at home while you were out of the country... This family is on the verge of being torn apart by Estelle!

"Especially Claire. You have no idea how much she’s been bullied..."

Claire Yeats hurriedly spoke up in a weak, delicate voice. "It’s fine. Estelle just has a bit of a temper. With her status being what it is, I can bear with it."

Claire was a child he had watched grow up, and Zion had always held a good impression of her. "What happened? Explain clearly."

Claire’s gaze darted away evasively. She hesitated before finally lowering her head in helplessness.

Evan was filled with righteous indignation. "Claire won the XM design competition; you know about this, Dad. We held a celebratory banquet for her, but Estelle insisted on hosting her own banquet on the exact same day! She stole Claire’s guests and made her a laughingstock!

"She knew perfectly well how important that day was to Claire, yet she deliberately chose the same date and booked the banquet hall right across from Claire’s. What kind of intentions do you think she harbors?"

Zion frowned slightly. "She’s that unreasonable?"

Eleanor had never been like that in the past. Thinking of his late sister, Zion felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He had always assumed that Eleanor’s daughter would be as well-behaved and obedient as she had been. He never expected Estelle to intentionally target Claire the moment she returned home.

In truth, Zion understood why Estelle disliked Claire. It was simply because Claire, despite having thin blood ties to the Yeats Family, had been raised by their side since childhood and treated like a true young lady of the household. However, that was no excuse for Estelle to act out of jealousy and deliberately target her.

Zion had originally brought a gift for Estelle as well and planned to meet her on his very first day back in the country. But thinking of the grievances Claire had suffered, he knitted his brows and decided to put it off for a few days.

"Uncle Yeats, it’s really fine," Claire forced a smile. "Oh, right, I’ve booked a welcome banquet for you at Veridian Retreat. Let’s head over now."

Zion couldn’t help but feel gratified. "Alright."

After they arrived at Veridian Retreat and the dishes were served, Claire suddenly bit her lip. "Uncle Yeats, is it wrong for us to do this... Estelle is also in Crestfall, yet we didn’t invite her to your welcome banquet. I’m worried she might overthink it."

Evan sneered. "True. With Estelle’s jealous and sensitive personality, who knows what kind of gossip she’ll spread behind our backs. Dad, let’s just call Estelle over too, so Claire doesn’t suffer any unwarranted collateral damage later."

Zion knitted his brows once again. He eventually nodded. "I’ll have someone give her a call."

As it happened, the owner of Veridian Retreat was Zane Grant, and he occasionally visited the premises. Claire recognized Zane immediately. Her eyes darted thoughtfully before she stepped forward with a smile. Seeing Claire act so deferentially toward a mere "assistant" only made Zion even more dissatisfied with Estelle.

Estelle looked puzzled. "Veridian Retreat... Isn’t this private restaurant owned by Zane Grant?"

"It is his." Nathaniel Sloan’s fingertips paused slightly. "Let’s go. There’s no need to worry too much; Zane will make all the arrangements."

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "I’m not worried, just a bit curious... What is Claire trying to do? Sow discord? But it doesn’t seem like there’s anything to sow discord over between me and Old Mr. Yeats."

Nathaniel smiled. "Sowing discord only works if Old Mr. Yeats feels guilty toward you. But then again, if he does feel guilty, the discord might not even be effective. That’s why Claire is taking a gamble."

Estelle blinked. That was a mouthful, but she understood.

If Old Mr. Yeats treated her like a stranger, Claire wouldn’t need to sow discord at all. Claire chose to do so simply because Old Mr. Yeats genuinely felt "guilty" toward her—or rather, toward her mother—but this guilt didn’t run deep. Therefore, Claire was gambling. She was betting on exactly how much guilt Old Mr. Yeats harbored for her, aiming to chip away at it bit by bit.

Estelle first made a trip to Star to handle a few matters. By the time she went back downstairs, she found a crowd gathered around her car.

"Smash it, this is her car! Hurry, she’s still inside! We’ll smash it right now so she can’t get out!"

"Won’t we get caught doing this?"

"So what if we do? That woman brought this on herself. We’re just delivering divine justice!"

"But what if she forces her way out of the car..."

"Do you think we’re pushovers?"

The Blondie leading them gave a sinister smile. "She dared to bully Claire, so she’s dead meat!"

The rest of the group suddenly gained confidence. "That’s right! We are Claire’s pillars of support. If we don’t help her, who will?"

"Besides, we’re all minors. What is there to be afraid of?"

CRASH!

A solid iron rod smashed against the car with a dull, echoing boom, instantly caving in a section of the hood.

Estelle narrowed her eyes sharply. She wondered if these were Claire’s fans. Did they think she was inside the car, which was why they had surrounded it to smash it? They were wielding genuine iron rods; if she had actually been in the vehicle, she wouldn’t have been able to escape even if she tried!

"Wait, there’s no one inside!" one of the delinquent girls shrieked after a car window was shattered. "Estelle isn’t here!"