Chapter 173: As the Daughter-in-Law, Doesn’t She Know to Serve Me?
Chapter 173: Chapter 173: As the Daughter-in-Law, Doesn’t She Know to Serve Me?
Thea York was a minor internet celebrity.
Unlike most internet celebrities, her Weibo account had long been officially verified as the young miss of the York Group.
She often shared glimpses of her life on Weibo, and her followers loved seeing her post photos of luxury goods and her travels.
Almost everyone knew the York Group’s young miss was named Thea York. What they didn’t know was that the true young miss of the York family was actually named Stella York.
And now, Thea York, with her millions of followers, had posted on Weibo: [Everyone, you have to be brave when dealing with insurance scammers! By the way, I made a new friend today~]
Attached was a photo.
The photo showed the partial back of a woman. Estelle Lockwood’s eyes narrowed abruptly—that was a picture of her!
’When did Thea York take that?’
Her followers, who already knew Thea York had returned to the country, saw the post and rushed to express their concern.
[Did Thea get targeted by a scammer? There are so many bad people out there, be careful, Thea.]
[What new friend did you make?]
[Thea wasn’t the one getting scammed. I happened to see her today. A woman was the target of the scam, and Thea went to help her. The woman in the photo is the lady Thea helped.]
[Oh, so Thea helped her and that’s how they became friends. That woman should be really grateful to Thea!]
[By the way, the bracelet the woman in the photo is wearing looks like the new aquamarine bracelet from Star. I remember it was a limited edition of fifty, and their own chief designer kept one. So this woman... must be Star’s chief designer, Estelle Lockwood.]
Speaking of Estelle Lockwood, she wasn’t a complete unknown. After the huge scandal involving the superstar Noelle Lockwood, everyone naturally learned the name of the other main character in the story.
[Thea and Estelle Lockwood became friends? I remember Thea and Mr. Sloan have always been like best buds.]
[Doesn’t that just prove Thea is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside? She became good friends with her best bud’s wife, and the wife doesn’t dislike her either. It shows Thea is sincere, unlike Noelle Lockwood.]
[Right, right! Noelle Lockwood got close to Mr. Sloan to be the mistress, but Thea can become good friends with Mr. Sloan’s wife. That proves she has no such intentions.]
[Here’s to a long and lasting friendship!]
Estelle Lockwood closed Weibo with a smirk.
’Already starting to market their ’long and lasting’ friendship?’
A call came in. "Miss Lockwood, I’ve looked into the York family’s current situation. Thirty percent of York Group’s shares are in Stella York’s hands. Chairman York wants to make Thea York the successor, but he can’t get past Stella York. That’s why he’s so desperate for Thea York to marry Nathaniel Sloan."
Estelle Lockwood leaned back on the sofa, her eyes half-closed. "What’s in it for the Sloan Family that would make Ethan Sloan and Laura Jennings so desperate?"
The person on the other end of the line said, "I’m sorry, we couldn’t find anything on that. Theoretically, this arrangement offers no benefit to the Sloan Family. The York family’s business can’t provide any support to Mr. Sloan. At his current level, a marriage alliance no longer holds any value for him."
Nathaniel Sloan has climbed too high. Even in a marriage alliance, he would be the one providing support; the woman’s side would have very little to offer him.
Therefore, Nathaniel Sloan doesn’t actually need a marriage alliance.
But for something with no benefit, it would be one thing if that brainless Laura Jennings went along with it, but why would Ethan Sloan?
Estelle Lockwood’s fingers tapped lightly on the table, her expression languid. "Ethan Sloan doesn’t make deals he’ll lose money on."
The private investigator on the phone had been trained by the Kendrick Family. The man thought for a moment. "Miss Lockwood, there is one strange thing."
"You mentioned Julian Jacobs before, so I did a quick check. He’s unaccomplished and has no real skills, but his mother was a mistress that Chairman Keaton doted on. As a result, Julian Jacobs’s status as an illegitimate son rose, and a few years ago, his mother was officially made the new wife."
"And Thea York and her mother are in the same situation. A mistress and her illegitimate daughter who rose to power after the original wife died. Or rather, those original wives may not have died of natural causes. Although on the surface they all died of illness, in reality, being driven to sickness by anger, being intentionally made sick, or being denied treatment when sick—all of these can lead to death by ’illness.’"
Estelle Lockwood narrowed her eyes. She felt a thread connecting the dots in her mind.
The private investigator said, "Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. I haven’t found anything else."
Estelle Lockwood hummed in acknowledgment, said goodbye to the private investigator, and filed the information away.
’...How could it be such a coincidence? Too many coincidences mean it’s not a coincidence at all.’
’Besides, how did Nathaniel Sloan meet Julian Jacobs and Thea York and become their friend?’
’If the York family really falls into Thea York’s hands, then the lifeline that the former Mrs. York gave her life to secure for Stella York will be severed.’
Estelle Lockwood pressed her lips together. It wasn’t that she was having a sudden burst of kindness. She just wanted to help Stella York because she had a good mother.
Her own mother wished she were dead, yet Stella York’s mother was willing to die for her.
She just...couldn’t bear to see such a mother’s final hope be extinguished.
...
The next morning, as soon as Estelle Lockwood came downstairs, she heard a man’s voice.
"I’m asking you to help Thea. It would only take a single word from you. Is it really that difficult?"
It was Ethan Sloan.
Estelle Lockwood’s eyes narrowed sharply.
Then came Thea York’s gentle attempt to smooth things over. "Uncle Sloan, it’s alright. It doesn’t matter if Nathaniel doesn’t want to help. Stella is part of the York family, after all. She has a right to the inheritance, too. If Nathaniel helps me, it will only lead to gossip."
This only made Ethan Sloan more agitated. "See! How considerate is Thea? Nathaniel, the York Group is your Uncle York’s life’s work! Can you bear to watch it fall into an outsider’s hands?"
Nathaniel Sloan took a sip of tea and spoke slowly, "Thea York just said it herself. Stella York is also one of the Yorks. Giving the York Group to her wouldn’t be letting it fall into an outsider’s hands."
Ethan Sloan choked. "You’re just twisting words! Stella York might not be an outsider by blood, but she is in terms of her relationship with us! Her loyalty is to her dead mother; she doesn’t care about your Uncle York or Thea at all. Giving the York Group to her is as good as driving Thea to her death!"
Nathaniel Sloan said flatly, "No one can take away the shares Chairman York holds. Even if the York Group gets a new chairman, Chairman York won’t become so poor he can’t support his wife and daughter."
That wasn’t what Ethan Sloan meant at all. "You!"
Ethan Sloan was once again half-dead with anger. He thought about the York family’s current situation, and how the Keaton Family’s shares were now firmly in the hands of the legitimate eldest son, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
It wasn’t that he was kindhearted and wanted to help Thea York and Julian Jacobs. He just... he just...
’These people all have one thing in common when it comes to their origins!’
’Only by helping them rise to power can I... in the future...’
Ethan Sloan’s gaze toward Nathaniel Sloan slowly turned sinister.
"Uncle Sloan, please don’t fight with Nathaniel because of me."
Thea York seemed anxious. "Nathaniel is right. I don’t want to fight with my sister Stella. It’s okay if I don’t inherit the York Group. Uncle Sloan, please, sit down and have some tea. Ms. Riddle, please bring a cup of tea—"
However, Ms. Riddle didn’t answer for a long time.
Nathaniel Sloan spoke unhurriedly, "Ms. Riddle took the day off. If you want tea, Father, you can pour it yourself."
Ethan Sloan choked again. "So now I can’t even get a cup of tea? Ms. Riddle isn’t here, and Estelle Lockwood isn’t here either? I, an elder, have been here for so long. Where is she? As a daughter-in-law, doesn’t she know to come out and serve me?!"