Chapter 62: I Thought You Were a Different Person

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: I Thought You Were a Different Person

As Zachery spoke, he pinched himself again, but still couldn’t squeeze out a single tear.

Giving up, he simply covered his face with his hands and continued to wail drily.

Nathaniel Sloan’s heart ached. "Christian, it’s okay. Daddy’s here. I’ll make her leave right now."

"Nathaniel," Noelle Lockwood shed silent tears. "I know Christian isn’t close to me. If I just wanted to win his affection, I could simply do nothing and let him have his way with everything.

"But I truly want what’s best for him, which is why I can’t indulge his every whim. That’s why I found a teacher for him, so he could study properly. However... you saw what just happened, Mrs. Jennings."

Laura immediately nodded. "Exactly. Noelle is Christian’s biological mother, and she does everything with his best interests at heart. Think about it—if she weren’t his real mother, why would she go through the trouble of finding him a piano teacher?"

Noelle lowered her head submissively. "Nathaniel, I know I’ve upset Christian. If you blame me for that, I have nothing to say. But Mr. Young is a teacher, after all. How can Christian disrespect his elders? If word gets out, people will turn him into a laughingstock."

Laura’s heart immediately went out to her. "Nathaniel, Noelle is already being so humble. Do you still not believe her? Christian is my grandson, and I dote on him too, but you can’t spoil him rotten!"

"I really don’t get it, Grandma. Am I actually your biological grandson?"

Zachery didn’t back down. "You claim I disrespected the teacher and are forcing me to apologize. But Mr. Young called me stupid! Why aren’t you making him apologize to me?"

The piano teacher and Noelle both froze.

Zachery continued, "Mr. Young said that if it wasn’t for Noelle, he wouldn’t have even come to teach me. He said I was lucky to have him as my teacher and told me to obediently listen to him. What era are we in, acting like it’s a ’blessing’ for me? What, did Daddy not pay him?

"Daddy, Noelle says I don’t like her, but does she actually like me? If she really cared about me, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to introduce a teacher like this. She’s just trying to ruin my future!

"But Aunt Noelle has always treated me this way over the years, and I’m used to it. But what about you, Grandma?"

Zachery sharply changed the subject, continuing, "I used to think you were just being deceived by Noelle. But today, you’re doing the same thing. You demanded that I apologize without even listening to reason. Daddy said a couple of words to Noelle, and you immediately felt sorry for her. Why don’t you feel sorry for your own biological grandson?

"Or could it be that I’m not your biological grandson at all? Should we go get a DNA test? But I look so much like Daddy, so I must be his real son. That leaves only one possibility—you aren’t Daddy’s biological mother!

"And because you aren’t Daddy’s biological mother, you aren’t my real grandmother! That’s why you agree with Noelle’s methods and want to intentionally ruin me!"

The more Zachery spoke, the more sense he felt he was making. In his mind, it formed a flawless loop of logic.

Laura’s face turned pale, then flushed red. By the end, she was both angry and exasperated. "Nonsense! How could I not be Nathaniel’s biological mother?! And... and you didn’t mention earlier that this piano teacher insulted you! If you had told me, Grandma definitely would have taken your side!"

Zachery didn’t want to hear her excuses. With red eyes, he looked up. "Daddy, that’s exactly what happened. I’m not apologizing."

Nathaniel’s expression was icy. His sharp gaze swept over Noelle, though his words were directed at the piano teacher.

"Since you’re so reluctant to teach my child, you’re fired. Chapman, make sure the reason for his dismissal is made public."

The piano teacher instantly panicked. If he left the Sloan Family, where else would he find such a lucrative job?

"Miss Noelle, please help me. I... I only did this because of you..."

"I’m so sorry, Christian! I had no idea Mr. Young would be so out of line!" Noelle suddenly burst into uncontrollable sobs, cutting off the piano teacher’s words.

Clutching her chest, her tears fell in a continuous stream, like pearls from a broken string. "It’s all my fault. Go ahead and scold me, Christian. It’s all my fault..."

Laura was at a loss. "Nathaniel, look, Noelle knows she made a mistake. It was this teacher who deceived us all. You really can’t blame Noelle for this... She came here today specifically to make pear soup for Christian. You know how much Christian loves the pear soup she makes..."

Zachery pursed his lips.

He thought, "I really want to crack open the young master’s grandmother’s skull to see what’s inside.

"But Noelle is truly something else. Even after I ’cried’ so pitifully, Laura is still defending her.

"They must have bullied Mommy exactly like this in the past!

"Once this starts, it’ll never end. If I don’t completely drive this woman out today, Noelle will just find more excuses to come over in the future. What should I do..."

Wait, pear soup?

Zachery’s eyes darted around as a plan sprang to mind. He tugged at Nathaniel’s sleeve.

"Daddy, I want some pear soup."

Noelle’s eyes lit up. She knew this little brat wouldn’t dare kick her out for real!

Nathaniel frowned slightly. Noelle really wasn’t suited to remain by Christian’s side.

But Christian wanted pear soup...

He shot her a cold glance. "Then stay and make him the soup."

Noelle forced a smile, carefully hiding the venom in her eyes. "Alright, Christian. I’ll go right now."

Noelle headed to the kitchen, and after a moment of hesitation, Laura followed her.

Zachery looked on in disgust. "Daddy, seriously, find some time to do a paternity test with Grandma."

He thought, "With her IQ, she doesn’t seem like she belongs in the same family as scumbag Daddy.

"Even though I don’t want to admit it, scumbag Daddy is undeniably smart and capable. How could he have a mother like that? Could someone like Laura really give birth to a son like scumbag Daddy?"

"Alright, Daddy. I’m done talking. I’m going back to my room."

Zachery scurried off the moment he finished speaking. He needed to hurry and exchange signals with the young master, so he could absolutely dominate the dinner table later!

He ran back upstairs, only to find that Christian was not in his room.

He wondered, "That’s weird. Where did the young master go? Could he be with Mommy?"

Meanwhile, in Estelle Lockwood’s study.

She sat with the two little ones, video-calling Old Mr. Kendrick and Old Mrs. Kendrick. As the call came to an end, the two children obediently said their goodbyes.

Old Mr. Kendrick exclaimed, "Zachery, this is incredible! Since returning to the country, you’re like a completely different person. To think you’ve become so polite and even know to say goodbye to your great-grandfather."

Old Mrs. Kendrick chuckled happily. "What nonsense are you spouting? Our precious Zachery has always been polite. Isn’t that right, sweetie?"

Old Mr. Kendrick teased, "If you weren’t standing right next to Yara, I would have thought you had been swapped out for someone else."

Mia’s scalp tingled with anxiety. Zachery’s Disguise Technique had been taught to him by Old Mr. Kendrick himself. What if their great-grandfather noticed something?!

She gave Christian’s sleeve a quick tug, signaling for him to speak less.

But to her surprise, Christian didn’t panic in the slightest. He even smoothly took the opportunity to compliment himself. "Great-Grandpa, that’s because I met a new friend after coming back to the country. He’s incredibly polite, and hanging out with him made me polite, too. Oh, by the way, his name is Christian."

Mia remained expressionless. She thought, "Heh."

After ending the video call, Estelle brought out a writing brush, an inkstick, paper, and an inkstone, placing them in front of the two little dumplings.

The Kendrick Family had a long lineage of calligraphers, and Old Mr. Kendrick was a master of the craft. Although Zachery was normally highly energetic, he always managed to calm his mind when practicing calligraphy. Because of this, both he and Mia set aside time every week to practice.

However, today, "Zachery" hadn’t moved an inch.

Estelle looked at him in confusion. "Zachery, sweetie, what’s wrong?"