Chapter 161: I’m Here for the Men. Husband, You Too?
Chapter 161: Chapter 161: I’m Here for the Men. Husband, You Too?
11:00 PM.
The Gilded Hour club.
When Penelope Sullivan heard Estelle Lockwood was coming, she waved a grand hand and ordered all of the Gilded Hour’s top hosts.
The private room was filled with all sorts of handsome men. Penelope was very satisfied. She turned and asked, "Your ex-husband doesn’t have a problem with you coming here?"
Estelle Lockwood poured herself a glass of wine, took a small sip, and narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn’t know."
’Wouldn’t know? What kind of answer is that?’
Just as Penelope was about to ask for details, she suddenly heard a commotion outside the door.
The manager of the Gilded Hour seemed to be following someone, her face a mask of ingratiation. "This is an entertainment venue exclusively for ladies, sir. If you’re interested, the place next door caters specifically to men. Perhaps you’d like to..."
The man walking in front didn’t reply, his pace swift.
Then, a clear male voice called out, "Wait for me, bro! Do you even know how to get there?"
Penelope thought the voice sounded a little familiar.
Estelle Lockwood raised an eyebrow. Soon, someone recognized them.
"That’s the second young master of the Sloan Family!"
"Which second young master?"
"The most favored one! The one who supposedly gave up the family business to become a lawyer. Liam Sloan, you know who I’m talking about, right?"
"Liam Sloan?! Then the one in front of him... Don’t tell me that’s Mr. Sloan!"
"It has to be. Who else would Liam Sloan call ’bro’?"
"What’s a big shot like him doing here? We only have male hosts. He must have come to the wrong place."
"Ahem, I heard..." A few bartenders shot furtive glances at Estelle Lockwood, swallowed nervously, and gossiped in low voices. "I heard that she’s Mr. Sloan’s... uh... ex-wife. Mr. Sloan is probably here to catch her in the act!"
"He even meddles with his ex-wife?"
"She’s his ex-wife, sure, but they have three kids. They could get back together at any moment. What if Mr. Sloan gets furious and thinks his ex-wife is embarrassing him by coming to a place like this? What if he makes a scene?"
The bartenders and waiters were a mix of worried and gloating, but none of them left. After all, they loved watching a good soap opera unfold among the rich.
Nathaniel Sloan’s lips were set in a tight line as he navigated the winding corridors of the Gilded Hour, finally arriving outside the largest private room.
The manager, a woman in her early forties with heavy makeup, forced an obsequious smile. "Mr. Sloan, the person you’re looking for isn’t here. You must have made a mistake! It’s our honor that you’d even grace us with your presence, Mr. Sloan. How about this, sir, I’ll make an executive decision and comp your entire bill today..."
"Tell Estelle Lockwood to come out," Nathaniel Sloan said, his tone flat and unreadable.
But the manager immediately sensed trouble. ’Having no emotion is the biggest emotion of all. He’s clearly here to start something!’
"Mr. Sloan, Miss Lockwood isn’t..."
Nathaniel Sloan gave a slight nod, and Luke White pushed the door open directly.
The scene inside the room immediately came into view—
Estelle Lockwood was sitting in the very center of the sofa, her long, fair legs crossed. She held a wine glass in one hand and idly toyed with a folding fan in the other. Her gaze was languid and hazy. Hearing the noise, she looked toward the door with a half-smile.
Nathaniel Sloan pressed his lips together sharply, the atmosphere around him growing even colder. "Estelle."
Estelle took a sip of her wine and casually placed the glass on the table. A male attendant at her side immediately refilled it.
Propping her chin on one hand, Estelle arched an eyebrow. "Hm?"
The manager looked at the scene, feeling like something was out of place.
The news of Nathaniel Sloan’s marriage was never announced to outsiders by the Sloan Family, which implied they didn’t approve of this Mrs. Sloan.
She ran this club and had seen her fair share of high-society men and women. Given Mr. Sloan’s family background, common sense dictated that *he* should be the one who looked down on Mrs. Sloan, philandering about while Mrs. Sloan showed up in a grief-stricken rage to catch him in the act.
But... but... why was it the other way around now?
The person with the couldn’t-care-less expression was Mrs. Sloan, while the one with clenched fists and a tight jaw, clearly holding back his anger, was Mr. Sloan!
The manager, terrified that things would escalate and ruin her business, stammered to Luke White, "Haha, Luke, h-how did you know Miss Lockwood was in this room?"
Luke White was unperturbed. "With so many people standing around like wooden posts, it’d be harder not to know."
The manager choked up and fell silent.
Inside the room, a startled Penelope Sullivan put down her wine glass and nudged Estelle with her elbow, whispering, "Your ex is here! That was fast! Estelle, what are you going to do now? He looks like he could eat someone alive—"
"Mrs. Sloan," Nathaniel Sloan said, and the entire room fell silent.
Estelle nonchalantly lifted her gaze. "Hm? What brings Mr. Sloan here?"
The manager gasped, completely stunned, her soul nearly leaving her body.
’Mrs. Sloan, at a time like this, you should just give in and apologize! Mr. Sloan himself is here, and you’re still being so stubborn!’
The manager wanted nothing more than to rush over and apologize on Estelle’s behalf, but Estelle herself was completely oblivious, raising an eyebrow. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Have a seat. Oh, right, what are you doing here?"
Nathaniel Sloan: "..."
Liam Sloan hurried forward. "Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law! Listen to me, my brother is here on official business!"
Estelle feigned curiosity. "What kind of official business needs to be discussed here?"
Liam didn’t even know what he was saying. ’My life is so hard,’ he thought. Thinking on his feet, he said, "Ahem, it’s like this. Whatever you’re here for, sister-in-law, that’s what my brother is here for!"
’His sister-in-law can’t possibly say she’s here to pick up men, right? That would be too humiliating. He had already given her a perfect way out. As long as his sister-in-law took the hint, this family dispute could be resolved perfectly.’
’Am I a genius or what?!’
Then he heard Estelle say coolly, "I’m here to find a man. You too, darling?"
Liam Sloan: "..."
Liam Sloan: "?"
Liam gasped, realizing this was beyond his help, and quietly shut his mouth.
The manager nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head. Taking a deep breath, she said in her softest, most fawning voice, "Mr. Sloan, Mrs. Sloan is just joking, haha. We’re a respectable establishment here..."
"No," Nathaniel Sloan raised a hand slightly, signaling for the manager to stop talking. Then he looked at Estelle and answered her question.
Estelle arched an eyebrow.
The manager and Liam exchanged a look, and both saw the despair in the other’s eyes.
’Yep, it’s over. In this situation, no matter what they say, it’ll be wrong. This family dispute seems—’
"I came to learn a few things," Nathaniel Sloan said slowly, his voice calm and gentle, seemingly without a trace of displeasure.
Liam, who had been preparing to mediate the family conflict, now had a giant question mark floating over his head. "...?"
Estelle frowned. "What are you here to learn?"
’What could you possibly learn at a high-end club like the Gilded Hour?’
Then they heard Nathaniel Sloan say nonchalantly, in that voice as gentle as a celestial being’s, "I’m here to learn how to serve someone."
Liam stumbled, the manager’s jaw dropped, and Penelope’s wine glass fell from her hand. Everyone probably thought they had misheard.
So Nathaniel gently explained it again. He was slow and methodical, and though he was trying to please someone, he didn’t seem the least bit subservient.
A smile played on the man’s lips. "Since you like this place, you must have your reasons. So I came here to learn... how to make you happy."