Chapter 91: "Christian is our son!

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: "Christian is our son!

The study plunged into a sudden silence.

Nathaniel’s voice dropped sharply. "A paternity test? For Christian and me?"

"Yeah," Zane said over the phone. "I was absolutely floored. Nathaniel, you really need to book your mom an appointment with a neurologist whenever you get the chance."

Nathaniel let out a cold sneer. "And the results?"

"The results of a paternity test don’t come out that fast," Zane replied, shaking his head. "But how could Christian possibly not be your biological son?

"I really don’t know how your mom’s brain is wired to even entertain such an absurd idea..."

After Zane finished, Nathaniel’s voice was hoarse. "Let me know when the results are out."

Hanging up, Nathaniel headed back to his room. As he passed Estelle’s door, he paused for a long while. He truly hadn’t meant to distrust her today; he had just wanted an answer. He wanted to explain himself, but it was too late. He raised his hand to knock, only to let it fall.

To his surprise, Estelle left the house early the next morning. For the next few days, she consistently left early and returned late. Nathaniel didn’t even catch a single glimpse of her.

KNOCK KNOCK.

A knock sounded at the office door.

Without waiting for an answer, Zane pushed the door open and hurried inside, looking like he was ready for a good show. "Nathaniel, the paternity test results are out!"

Nathaniel didn’t even lift an eyelid. "Hmm."

Zane raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you curious?"

The man’s eyes were utterly unruffled. "Curious about what? Like you said, how could Christian not be my biological son?"

"Fair enough," Zane nodded. "The results show that Christian is one hundred percent your biological son. The hospital director said Mrs. Sloan’s face completely contorted when she came to pick up the report."

Nathaniel scoffed and suddenly stood up.

Zane froze. "Where are you going?"

Nathaniel adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and replied methodically, "To Sloan Manor."

Zane’s intuition told him there was a good show to catch. "Wait for me! I’m coming too!"

When they arrived at Sloan Manor, a dead silence hung over the main hall. Two copies of the paternity test certificate had been slapped onto the coffee table.

Iris looked at Laura with mocking eyes. "Come on, explain this. What is this?"

Laura was seething with rage. The moment she had returned home, Iris had intercepted her, snatched the paternity test from her hands, and blocked her path in the hall without giving her a shred of face.

She was the lady of the Sloan family, for goodness’ sake! Iris was just a spinster who couldn’t get married—an old bitch! What right did she have to point fingers at her?

Seeing Laura’s defiance, Iris let out a cold laugh. "To think you actually doubted the relationship between Christian and Nathaniel. If word gets out, who wouldn’t laugh and say there’s something wrong with your head?"

Laura’s expression twisted.

Thinking of the hesitant looks on those doctors’ faces earlier, she felt a surge of fury rising to her chest.

She was doing this for Nathaniel’s own good! Who knew if the child Estelle was pregnant with back then was actually his? Noelle had said they needed to be careful when it came to children. What was wrong with that?

She couldn’t understand it. Why did every single one of them look down on her?

Laura suppressed her anger over and over again before biting back, "I just felt that Christian had changed a lot lately, that he wasn’t acting like himself at all. I only did the paternity test for peace of mind!"

Iris laughed out of pure exasperation. "Christian’s features look almost exactly like Nathaniel’s did when he was little. As Nathaniel’s own mother, how could you not know that? Anyone with eyes can see it, yet you insisted on listening to Noelle’s instigations and doubting your own biological grandson! No wonder people don’t like you!"

Laura immediately bristled. "Noelle was only looking out for Nathaniel and the Sloan family! How is that instigating? Besides, Christian’s behavior lately has been completely out of line!"

"Do tell, Mother. How exactly has Christian been out of line?"

A cold, clear male voice suddenly cut in. The people in the living room looked back.

Laura instantly looked sheepish. "Nathaniel, why are you here?"

Nathaniel swept a frosty gaze over her. "If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known that my mother had done something this absurd."

Laura panicked for a moment, but remembering that Nathaniel was her son gave her an inexplicable surge of confidence.

"Nathaniel, don’t you think Christian has changed? He’s not steady or mature at all anymore. He only thinks about playing all day, which I bet is his true nature coming through! You were so well-behaved when you were little. Christian doesn’t resemble you at all, which is why I was suspicious..."

"Mother, Christian is only five years old," Nathaniel said, his dark eyes darkening further like a looming storm. "Just how mature do you expect him to be?"

Laura’s self-righteous tone faltered, her momentum deflating. "I... I..."

"Laura Jennings!" Iris couldn’t stand listening to her anymore. "What’s wrong with Christian being a little lively? Don’t think I don’t know that Noelle constantly suppresses Christian. It’s bad enough you don’t feel sorry for him, but you even help Noelle at every turn and make life difficult for your own biological grandson!"

Feeling she hadn’t said enough, Iris scoffed. "You even listened to Noelle regarding this paternity test. I think you should just stop being Mrs. Sloan and go be a mother to Noelle at the Lockwood family!"

Seeing everyone turning against her, Laura couldn’t hold it in anymore. She let out a loud wail, plopping down onto the floor to throw a tantrum.

"What did I do wrong then?! Noelle isn’t wrong! Who knows if a country bumpkin like Estelle has been married before or had kids in the countryside? For all we know, she could be making Nathaniel the sucker who raises another man’s kid!

"You guys don’t know the place where Estelle grew up! Women there get married and have kids at fifteen or sixteen. Someone like her has definitely slept with other men long ago. What if she married Nathaniel while pregnant with another man’s child? I had to look out for him—"

"Shut up!" Nathaniel spun around, shouting her down furiously.

His expression was completely frigid, devoid of a single trace of a smile. Even his gold-rimmed glasses seemed to act as a barrier, making him appear indifferent and distant.

"Mother, Estelle is my wife. She was before, she is now, and she will be in the future! Christian is our child. I will not allow you to insult her!

"You say she’s dirty because she grew up in a place like that."

Nathaniel took a step closer, his voice like the cutting wind of a winter night, chilling to the bone.

"Then let me ask you, Mother. Who was the one who was supposed to be dirty?"

The air seemed to freeze.

Nathaniel sneered. "You look down on Estelle’s background, her family, and her upbringing. But all of that was originally supposed to be the life of your beloved Noelle. Wasn’t it?"

Zane clicked his tongue twice. He felt like he’d missed a huge opportunity. He should have dragged Noelle over here too, so she could get a good listen to these words and stop using Estelle’s background to put her down all day long.

Slumped on the floor, Laura was instantly rendered speechless.

"Nathaniel, you... you..."

"Enough, shut your mouth!" From the side, Nathaniel’s father, Ethan Sloan, hurried in. He took a deep breath and addressed his son. "Nathaniel, let’s not blow this paternity test incident out of proportion. If Christian finds out, it’ll only break his heart for no reason. I’ll keep a close eye on Laura from now on to stop her from causing more trouble. She is your mother, after all. Don’t make things too ugly."

Nathaniel cast a cold glance over the room before turning and walking out.

Zane hurriedly followed, while Iris lingered to take another long look at the paternity test.

Outside the villa, Nathaniel’s face remained impassive. Just then, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he raised an eyebrow.