Chapter 512: Nathaniel Sloan Comes to Slap Faces

Chapter 512: Chapter 512: Nathaniel Sloan Comes to Slap Faces

[This scoring system is actually meant to prevent under-the-table deals between contestants and judges—unless you can bribe all thirty of them at once.]

[Wow, bribing thirty judges? Only the Yeats family could pull that off. After all, they saw the evidence but chose to go collectively blind out of fear of the Yeats family.]

[So there’s really no need for Estelle Lockwood to seduce a single judge. It’s not worth the effort.]

[So insisting that Estelle seduced Benjamin Carter... is just a huge stretch. Not to mention there’s video evidence.]

Claire Yeats’s face turned pale. "I... I just..."

"These are all your lies!" Liza Shelby screamed. "Because Benjamin Carter was the only one you could get to! You were driven into a corner and had no choice but to seduce him!"

"Is that so?" Estelle curled her lips into a smile.

"I’m also curious about this," a male voice came from the doorway.

BANG! The main doors were thrown open once more.

A tall, slender figure approached against the light. The man wore a silver mask. His light gray eyes were sharp, icy, and carried a trace of indifferent killing intent.

Claire’s pupils shrank violently as a terrifying possibility suddenly struck her.

"Mr. Lynch?!"

Some judges stood up in shock. The others snapped out of their daze and scrambled to their feet, not daring to remain seated in Mr. Lynch’s presence. They all stood to welcome him.

"Mr. Lynch, what brings you here?"

"Mr. Lynch, your seat is right here. Please."

[Mr. Lynch?]

[Is it that exceptionally mysterious Mr. Lynch?]

[What does Mr. Lynch have to do with the XM Design Competition...]

Everyone watched as Mr. Lynch walked up to Estelle, smiled at her, and then headed to his seat—a position elevated above the thirty judges, and even higher than that of Ms. Foster, the head of the judging panel.

Ms. Foster introduced him, her voice cold. "Mr. Lynch is the biggest investor in the XM Design Competition, which was founded by the Aethel Group. This year’s champion will win the opportunity to collaborate with the Aethel Group.

"Others may be unaware of this, but Miss Yeats certainly knows.

"This is not the first time Miss Lockwood and Mr. Lynch have collaborated. They have frequent business dealings and are personal friends. Miss Yeats, you should be very clear about this, shouldn’t you?

"Since Miss Lockwood has connections like Mr. Lynch, if she truly wanted to rely on external help to advance..." Ms. Foster sneered, her gaze contemptuous, "...would she need to choose a useless piece of trash like Benjamin Carter?"

THUD! Benjamin collapsed to the floor, unable to process what was happening for a long time.

Estelle and Mr. Lynch... were actually friends?!

The other judges’ expressions completely shifted. Those who were initially afraid of offending the Yeats family and Claire now looked awful. Their gazes were already filled with hatred toward Claire. She knew Estelle and Mr. Lynch were friends, yet she didn’t say a word earlier?!

[I heard before that Claire Yeats messed up the collaboration between the Yeats family and the Aethel Group, and in the end, it was Estelle Lockwood who saved the day...]

[So Claire must have known back then that Estelle and Mr. Lynch had a good relationship and were working together!]

[We might not know the relationship between the XM Design Competition and Mr. Lynch, but look—none of the contestants look surprised. This proves it’s no secret among them. Don’t even try to say Claire didn’t know.]

[Since she knew—since she fully understood that Estelle had this kind of connection—why did she still insist that Estelle seduced Benjamin Carter??]

[Instead of seducing some useless judge, why wouldn’t Estelle just ’seduce’ Mr. Lynch? At least Mr. Lynch could guarantee her advancement.]

Claire’s face underwent a drastic change. Cold sweat seeped from her forehead, and her vision repeatedly went dark.

She wondered frantically, "Why? Why? I was just about to succeed! Why did Mr. Lynch have to show up now?

"The Aethel Group already approached the Yeats family privately for a collaboration, and the contract is signed. Why is he testifying for Estelle at a time like this?

"Exactly! With a connection like Mr. Lynch, why would Estelle even bother seducing Benjamin Carter? Is she out of her mind?"

Nathaniel Sloan, wearing his mask, swept his icy gaze across the room. Seeing that no one dared to speak, he couldn’t help but let out a scoff. "Benjamin Carter, are you sure... you can compare to me?"

Benjamin went completely limp.

"So it’s absolutely impossible for Estelle to have seduced Benjamin Carter!" people in the stands began to discuss loudly.

"We’ve all been fooled. She has this kind of connection and is Mr. Lynch’s business partner. If she really wanted to advance, all she’d have to do is please Mr. Lynch. Using her body to seduce a judge... What were the people who framed her even thinking?"

"And what about Claire? She keeps claiming that she and Estelle are sisters. Could it be that she didn’t know about Estelle’s relationship with Mr. Lynch?"

"Of course she knew. When Claire and Old Mrs. Yeats ruined the collaboration with Aethel, they found out right then."

"So the Yeats family were insiders?! The Yeats family knew all along that Estelle was innocent?"

"Obviously! Right now, Aethel and Estelle—as Star—are close partners. How could the Yeats family not know?"

"Then what are Old Mrs. Yeats and Old Mr. Yeats doing? Slinging mud at their own flesh and blood? Old Mrs. Yeats is one thing—I heard she loathed Eleanor for being a burden—but hasn’t Zion always claimed that his heart aches for his sister?"

"But in the end, he’s helping Claire spread rumors and slander his sister’s daughter? What a two-faced hypocrite! I couldn’t tell he was so rotten inside!"

Zion Yeats’s face flushed bright red. Completely at a loss, he desperately wanted to shout back and deny it. How could he intentionally frame Eleanor’s daughter? He really didn’t know. When the Yeats Group collaborated with Aethel, he hadn’t returned to the country yet, so he genuinely had no idea! If he had known—if he had only known—he definitely wouldn’t have let Estelle suffer such grievances!

On the stage, Nathaniel casually toyed with the nameplate that belonged to "Mr. Lynch" and slowly raised an eyebrow. "So, you all think that Miss Lockwood would leave a patron like me unutilized... and seduce him instead?"

"No, no, no!" All the judges snapped to their senses. Terrified of bringing trouble upon themselves, they shook their heads frantically. "No, no! Miss Lockwood absolutely did not seduce a judge. It was all Benjamin... It was all Benjamin Carter spreading rumors!"

"Miss Lockwood is outstanding enough on her own, and she’s a renowned designer. She wouldn’t need to do something like that to advance! Benjamin Carter, what exactly were your intentions?!"

"Miss Lockwood, we welcome you back to the competition. We will definitely offer you our most sincere apologies..."

"Yes, yes! I’ll issue an announcement and release the evidence right now. Miss Lockwood, you are innocent!"

"I announce that Liza Shelby is eliminated! She was ranked twenty-first to begin with; it’s only right that she be eliminated!"

Liza screamed like a madwoman on stage, her eyes bloodshot and wide enough to tear. She didn’t understand. Everything had been going so perfectly. Why had it all suddenly changed? Claire had clearly promised to help her advance!

Estelle slowly swept her gaze over Liza and Claire, raising an eyebrow. "So, esteemed judges... are you now inviting me to return to the competition?"

A few judges exchanged glances, their eyes darting around shiftily. "Yes, yes. We are currently holding the pre-semifinal ceremony. Please come up to the stage, Miss Lockwood."

"Miss Lockwood, it’s getting late. Everyone is waiting for you."

As long as Estelle went up to the stage peacefully, this whole matter would blow over. And they—the judges who had accepted bribes from the Yeats family—would be off the hook.