Chapter 183: Estelle Lockwood Suspects She’s Not Rose Lowell’s Daughter
Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Estelle Lockwood Suspects She’s Not Rose Lowell’s Daughter
Estelle Lockwood lowered her gaze. "I heard that Old Mr. Lockwood was the only one who tried hard to find me after I went missing. Of course I have to go thank him."
Nathaniel Sloan raised an eyebrow. ’Really?’
But five years ago, after Estelle Lockwood’s supposed "death," this old man hadn’t seemed particularly sad.
Besides, it had been some time since Estelle Lockwood had reclaimed her identity, and Old Mr. Lockwood had never once made an appearance.
Old Mr. Lockwood didn’t live at Lockwood Manor. He and Old Mrs. Lockwood had their own villa, a bit smaller than Lockwood Manor but located in the center of Crestfall.
From a distance, they could see Old Mr. Lockwood in the yard, tending to his flowers and plants.
The residents of this villa complex were mostly wealthy and retired elderly people. At that moment, many old gentlemen and ladies were in Old Mr. Lockwood’s yard, admiring his flowers.
Estelle Lockwood broke into a smile, quickened her pace, and called out directly, "Grandpa."
Instantly, every elderly person in the entire yard turned to look.
Old Mr. Lockwood instinctively turned his head and met Estelle Lockwood’s gaze. CLATTER. The watering can in his hand fell to the ground.
Estelle Lockwood’s lips curved slightly. She walked over, picked up the watering can, and her smile deepened. "Grandpa, how could you be so careless?"
"You, you..." Old Mr. Lockwood suddenly came to his senses, jolted, and his body began to tremble visibly.
A few of the elderly guests exchanged glances. ’Who is this girl? Why is she calling Old Mr. Lockwood ’Grandpa’? She doesn’t look like Noelle Lockwood.’
Then it dawned on all of them—the Lockwood Family’s biological daughter, the one who had been lost for so long.
"So it’s Estelle!" one of the old men said, relieved. "It’s good that you’re back. Spend some time with your grandfather. Old Mr. Lockwood, we’ll be taking our leave now!"
"Yes, yes. You’ve been talking about this granddaughter for over a decade, ever since the year she went missing. Now that she’s back, you two should catch up."
The elderly guests all took the hint and left, chatting and laughing as they walked away.
"That Estelle is a real beauty. Old Mr. Lockwood is a lucky man. Those two muddle-headed Lockwoods actually didn’t want their own daughter."
"Isn’t that the truth? Old Mr. Lockwood moved out of Lockwood Manor years ago, precisely because he didn’t want to indulge his son, his daughter-in-law, and that adopted daughter, right?"
"And young Estelle knows how to repay kindness. She hasn’t even called those other two Lockwoods ’Mom’ or ’Dad’ once, but the first thing she does is visit Old Mr. Lockwood and call him ’Grandpa.’ I bet he’s overjoyed."
"Those two don’t even deserve to be called parents. In the entire Lockwood Family, Old Mr. Lockwood is the only one who truly cares about young Estelle."
...
The voices gradually faded, but Estelle Lockwood had heard most of it.
’It seems that in everyone’s eyes, Old Mr. Lockwood is completely sincere in his affection for me.’
And back then, Rose Lowell had pointed a finger in her face and screamed, "If it weren’t for that old man, we would never have taken you back!"
’So, it’s undeniable... Old Mr. Lockwood, at the very least, genuinely cared for me.’
But why did Estelle Lockwood find it so strange?
Estelle Lockwood handed the watering can to Old Mr. Lockwood, whose smile held a hint of awkwardness. "Estelle, it’s been a long time."
Estelle Lockwood beamed. "It certainly has been. How has your health been lately, Grandpa?"
"Fine, fine." Old Mr. Lockwood sounded as if he were trying to justify something. "Grandpa didn’t know you were still alive before. If I had known..."
Estelle Lockwood gave a light laugh. "It’s alright. That’s all in the past now."
Old Mr. Lockwood fell silent for a moment, then gave an embarrassed laugh. "That’s good, then."
The two fell into silence. Nathaniel Sloan narrowed his eyes, sensing something was wrong.
Estelle Lockwood’s lips curved up. "Oh, by the way, Grandpa, Nathaniel Sloan is here too. You should know him."
Whatever Old Mr. Lockwood was thinking, his eyes flashed with guilt when he met Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze. But it vanished so quickly that Estelle Lockwood thought she might have imagined it.
"Of course. Nathaniel. It was my insistence that got your marriage settled."
Estelle Lockwood smiled softly. "Yes, it’s quite the fate. Nathaniel and I came to visit you today to thank you for making that match. If you hadn’t kept looking for me, the Lockwood Family would never have brought me back, and perhaps my connection with Nathaniel Sloan would have been severed."
Estelle Lockwood noticed that when she brought this up, Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression became extremely unnatural.
He tried to hide it with a cheerful laugh.
Estelle Lockwood’s gaze shifted. "Back then, after Grandpa passed away... I mean, after Grandpa Lockwood, the one who adopted me, passed away, I was only eighteen. Life was very hard for me on my own. It’s a good thing you found me, Grandpa."
Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression instantly stiffened, becoming even more unnatural.
As if she hadn’t noticed, Estelle Lockwood continued, "It’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Chairman Lockwood and Ms. Lowell never gave me a name. The name ’Estelle Lockwood’ was given to me by Grandpa Lockwood. He just so happened to be named Lockwood, too. I guess it must be fate."
Old Mr. Lockwood forced a cheerful expression. "Yes, it’s truly fate. It’s a shame that good man who adopted you has already passed away. Ah, what a pity I can’t meet him. I really wanted to thank him in person."
But Estelle Lockwood suddenly shook her head. "Actually, I don’t know for sure if Grandpa Lockwood really passed away. At the time, he was just gravely ill. He sent me away, saying he didn’t want me to see him on his deathbed, and refused to see me."
"Later, he disappeared from our home. So I’ve been thinking, maybe Grandpa Lockwood went somewhere to recover. His illness just hasn’t gotten better yet, which is why he hasn’t come to see me."
As she spoke, Estelle Lockwood revealed an expectant smile. "Grandpa, what do you think? What if Grandpa Lockwood is actually still alive? What if I invited him over to have a meal with you?"
The corners of Old Mr. Lockwood’s eyes began to twitch, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead!
He ducked his head abruptly. "Of course, that would be wonderful. He’s your savior, after all. It’s only right to have a meal together."
Before Estelle Lockwood could say a word, Old Mr. Lockwood was already rambling on, "Estelle, it’s getting late, and Grandpa hasn’t prepared any dinner. It’s not a good time to have you stay. Why don’t you come back another day? I’ll cook for you myself. How does that sound?"
Estelle Lockwood raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
She wasn’t deaf to the blatant order to leave, just surprised. In her mind, Old Mr. Lockwood was someone who always cared about keeping up appearances. Even two months after she returned home, when his attitude toward her took a sharp downturn, he still maintained a veneer of civility and would never do something as crude as openly kicking someone out.
And yet now, just by mentioning Grandpa Lockwood, she had made Old Mr. Lockwood act as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
Estelle Lockwood raised an eyebrow. ’Don’t tell me I actually guessed right. Is Grandpa Lockwood really connected to the Lockwood Family?’
Estelle Lockwood smiled sweetly. "Alright. It’s a date, then."
With that, Estelle Lockwood and Nathaniel Sloan left the yard.
...
Only after Estelle Lockwood’s retreating figure had vanished did Old Mr. Lockwood’s expression change. Gone was his calm and composed demeanor. He immediately rushed back into the house and made a call to Austin Lockwood. "Austin, didn’t you tell me he was dead?"