Chapter 493: What Does the Yeats Family Mean by This?

Chapter 493: Chapter 493: What Does the Yeats Family Mean by This?

Perhaps... she was overthinking things?

Ms. Foster shook her head. Maybe she was just hallucinating from a lack of sleep recently. Claire Yeats was standing right here; how could there possibly be a second Ember?

Before she could figure it out, Zion Yeats stood up in anger.

"Estelle! I thought you had inherited Eleanor’s kind and generous nature, but what are you doing now? You didn’t advance, and instead of reflecting on yourself, you’re blaming it on someone bribing the judges!

"If everyone acted like you, wouldn’t it be chaos? What kind of place do you think the XM Design Competition is? How could such a thing possibly happen? Aren’t you just putting Ms. Foster in a difficult position?!

"Estelle, I don’t know what you’ve learned out there, but your behavior is wrong. Apologize, and your uncle won’t hold it against you."

Terrified that Claire would be negatively influenced by Estelle Lockwood, Zion hastily added, "Ms. Foster, I’m sorry, this is Estelle’s... Our Claire isn’t this kind of person. Please don’t misunderstand."

He only felt utterly humiliated. Why couldn’t she reflect on her own shortcomings after being eliminated, instead of immediately complaining that someone had bribed the judges? Why wouldn’t Estelle consider that her way of thinking was completely wrong?

Claire also bit her lip lightly, then shook her head in exasperation.

"Estelle, I know you are a designer for Star. You’re crowned with honors and find it hard to accept the fact that you’ve been eliminated.

"But you have to understand that there is always someone better out there. It’s perfectly normal to be eliminated when you face a stronger opponent, but...

"Anyway, Estelle, you shouldn’t spout nonsense in front of Ms. Foster."

Estelle’s eyelids fluttered as she looked up. "Do you really think I would say this without having found any evidence?"

Zion was furious. How could she be so unrepentant? "You—"

"Evidence?" Ms. Foster furrowed her brows sharply. "Miss Lockwood, if you have evidence, you can hand it over to me. Rest assured, I will definitely get you justice!"

Estelle twitched her fingers and cast a meaningful glance at Claire. "I’m just afraid someone won’t allow me to present it."

Claire’s face instantly turned pale. Looking utterly pitiful and frail, she said, "Estelle, why are you looking at me? I don’t understand..." ℯ

"How could Miss Yeats not understand?" Liam Sloan feigned astonishment. "I thought all three of you from the Yeats family understood perfectly well.

"Otherwise, when Estelle said her opponent bribed the judges, why didn’t you ask any questions or show a shred of concern? Instead, you concluded she was making a fuss over nothing and told her to stop acting up. I almost thought you were feeling guilty.

"Conveniently, there are so many people here at Veridian Retreat, so I’ll just ask around. Everyone here is a parent. If your child told you they participated in an unfair competition and were eliminated due to foul play, what would your first reaction be?

"Wouldn’t you ask for details and see if there’s any evidence? If it turned out the opponent really did bribe the judges, wouldn’t you want to get justice for your child?"

This was a semi-private restaurant frequented by wealthy elites, many of whom were naturally acquainted with Liam. Hearing his words, people in the crowd began to nod subconsciously in agreement. ℯℓ.

"Yeah, if my son came home complaining, I’d definitely look into it. Regardless of whether it’s true or false, if your child comes to you with a grievance, you at least need to ask for the whole story..."

"But why did Old Mr. Yeats just now assume Miss Lockwood was lying without even asking, claiming she refused to accept the fact that she was eliminated?"

"Uh... Miss Lockwood is a renowned designer, after all. When a famous designer says she didn’t pass the preliminary rounds, shouldn’t the first reaction be to find it strange?"

"But Old Mr. Yeats acted as if it was a given, as though Estelle didn’t know how to design at all, and even felt she was an embarrassment."

"With all due respect, that is absolutely not how a normal parent treats their child."

Zion gritted his teeth. "That’s because Estelle just returned to the Yeats family. I don’t know her well..."

"No, Old Mr. Yeats, that makes it even worse. If you knew Estelle well and knew she was a vain person who refused to admit defeat, then your words would make some sense.

"But you just said you don’t know her. So how could you be so certain she’s lying? I don’t think the Yeats family is sincere at all. Like I said before, if you didn’t want her back, why put on such a hypocritical show of acknowledging her? Are you just acting?"

"You, you all..." Zion’s expression stiffened.

On the other side, Ms. Foster’s expression had turned grave. "Miss Lockwood, what exactly is going on here?"

Nathaniel Sloan gave a slight nod. "Hello, Ms. Foster. I am Estelle’s husband. Let me explain the situation to you.

"After participating in the competition, Estelle was eliminated. As you know, she is the chief designer for Star and has collaborated on numerous designs with my company, Evernight International. Her elimination was highly unexpected. Contestants who are eliminated in this design competition have the right to inquire about who defeated them."

That was indeed true.

Nathaniel smiled. "So we looked into it, only to discover..." Pausing between each word, he continued, "Estelle’s design had her opponent’s name written on it. Her opponent took Estelle’s design and effortlessly advanced through the rounds, while Estelle—the actual creator—was ruthlessly eliminated..."

His tone suddenly shifted. "Old Mr. Yeats, wouldn’t you say this is incredibly bizarre?"

A sudden silence fell over Veridian Retreat.

Zion frowned, not quite understanding why Nathaniel was looking at him.

Ms. Foster trembled with anger. "Mr. Sloan, are you saying that Miss Lockwood’s design was usurped by her opponent? The opponent stole her work and eliminated her with it!"

Nathaniel nodded.

Ms. Foster’s face grew increasingly dark. "I’ll go investigate the information on Miss Lockwood’s opponent right away. I absolutely will not tolerate this!"

Claire’s lips trembled slightly.

"There’s no need to go through all that trouble. Since we’re standing here, it means we’ve already found the results of our investigation," Liam said.

Ms. Foster’s eyes lit up. "Who bribed the judges? Tell me!"

"Well..." Liam feigned a troubled look. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before asking, "Old Mr. Yeats, should I say it?"

Zion still didn’t catch on. "If you want to say it, just say it. Why are you asking me? Do you think I’m the kind of person who would know Estelle was wronged and not seek justice for her!?"

"Oh, so Old Mr. Yeats isn’t that kind of person." Liam nodded. "If you aren’t, then why don’t you admit it?"

"What nonsense are you spewing!" Evan Yeats interrupted with a screech. "Estelle deserved to be eliminated! What bribery? We ask you for evidence and you refuse to provide it, which just proves you’re feeling guilty!"

Ms. Foster instantly furrowed her brows as the surrounding people turned their attention toward the commotion.

Nathaniel said calmly, "Since the Yeats family has no remorse whatsoever, and despite being given so much time and so many opportunities just now, no one has admitted their fault, then there is no need to save them any face."

"Alright," Liam said with a cheeky grin. "I knew the Yeats family favored Claire, but I didn’t realize their bias was so bottomless! Estelle, you really shouldn’t have returned to the Yeats family. Why don’t you just cut ties with them after today!"