Chapter 203: Causing Trouble for Christian?

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Causing Trouble for Christian?

Yvonne Lancaster grew more confident as she spoke. "At the auction, once we get Mr. Lynch’s connections, we won’t have to worry about Nathaniel Sloan monopolizing that land anymore!"

Liam Sloan fell into a pensive silence.

’So it’s confirmed. The Mr. Lynch they’re talking about is Nathaniel Sloan.’

’Oh... so they despise Nathaniel Sloan on one hand, and want to ask for his help on the other. So *this* is the master plan the Lancaster family devised?’

Liam Sloan couldn’t comprehend it, but he was completely floored.

...

The Lockwood Residence.

Noelle Lockwood could no longer be a star and had no source of income, so she relied entirely on Rose Lowell for support. To make matters worse, their company’s profits were plummeting, as almost no one was willing to offend Nathaniel Sloan. The stress made Austin Lockwood look as if he had aged ten years.

He had none of his former vigor. "I told you not to offend Estelle..."

"How is this my fault? If you want to blame someone, blame that jinx Estelle Lockwood! She refuses to come home, refuses to get along with Noelle. I’m her mother, so what if I scold her a little?! What’s wrong with that?!"

Rose Lowell grew more indignant as she spoke. "Besides, isn’t everyone saying that Chairman Sloan’s son from his first wife is back? I doubt Nathaniel will still be able to..."

"Shut up!" Austin Lockwood’s eyes turned sinister. "If you dare get involved in this, I’ll make you regret it!"

Austin Lockwood suddenly recalled the threat the Lancaster family had made over twenty years ago. He shuddered and clamped his mouth shut.

’If anyone found out about his deal with the Lancaster family—that they had worked together to swap the children—his life would be over!’

’Not just Estelle Lockwood’s, but Nathaniel Sloan’s too... Their true identities absolutely must not get out!’

But Austin Lockwood knew what kind of person Rose Lowell was. She was a big mouth. If she ever learned the whole story, there was no telling what she might go around blabbering.

So Austin Lockwood couldn’t tell Rose Lowell the truth and could only warn her, "In any case, stay out of it. And keep a low profile lately!"

Rose Lowell pouted, feeling indignant.

’What did I say wrong? Estelle Lockwood is my daughter, so what’s wrong with scolding her a bit? Besides, now that the Lancaster family is back with Theodore Lancaster, it’s hard to say if Nathaniel can even continue protecting Estelle!’

At this thought, Rose Lowell’s eyes suddenly darted back and forth.

’He told me not to meddle? Well, I’m going to meddle! How else am I supposed to swallow this insult!’

...

「Two days later.」

Crestfall Kindergarten.

Estelle Lockwood went to the kindergarten to pick up her three children but couldn’t find them. A teacher told her:

"Mrs. Sloan, a classmate of your children is having a birthday today, and they’ve all been taken to Dewdrop Garden for dinner. The other students’ parents went along as well. But Christian said not to disturb you, so we didn’t call. Would you like to go and check on them?"

Estelle Lockwood was a bit surprised. ’Dewdrop Garden?’

’But Dewdrop Garden is our family’s restaurant. Christian is very familiar with the place, so nothing should go wrong.’

Still, she quickly drove over.

...

Meanwhile, at Dewdrop Garden.

A new student with the surname Lowell had transferred into their class today. Others might not have known, but Christian recognized him at a glance: the new classmate was Rose Lowell’s nephew, Joseph Lowell.

Mia fell silent upon hearing the name. She whispered to Zachery, "The Lowell Family... what glory do they have to bring to their ancestors?"

As school was about to end, Joseph Lowell’s parents—Rose Lowell’s brother and sister-in-law—announced they were treating the entire class to dinner at Dewdrop Garden.

In reality, however, the couple, Timothy Lowell and Serena Foster, had only invited the most spoiled and unruly brats in the class. As soon as they arrived, these children, instigated by Joseph Lowell, immediately began to ostracize the three siblings.

"Oh, Joseph," Serena Foster said deliberately, "the waiter says there isn’t enough room inside. We have three too many people. What should we do?" She shot a sideways glance at Christian and his siblings, feeling smug.

A few days ago, Rose Lowell had come to Timothy and his wife, asking them to help her "teach a few people a lesson." In return, Rose would not only get Joseph transferred into Crestfall’s best kindergarten but also give them a large sum of money.

Timothy and his wife had agreed on the spot. ’Just subtly teaching three kids a lesson? Too easy!’

’Kids are afraid of being isolated and excluded. It’s a subtle kind of cruelty that others can’t see. If anyone asks, you just say their kids are too sensitive. "Look, none of the other children feel wronged, so why are you three the only ones unhappy?"’

So, Serena Foster came up with a plan and said loudly, feigning helplessness:

"Sigh! There’s really no other way. A high-end restaurant like Dewdrop Garden is very particular about its seating. They can’t add more, or it will ruin the dining experience for everyone! The waiter just told me we have three extra people. He said we have to decide: either none of us eat, or three of us don’t go in!"

Joseph Lowell immediately chimed in, "We have a reservation, so of course we’re going in to eat! I heard Dewdrop Garden has lots of cool things, and a single meal costs hundreds of thousands!"

When the other kindergarteners heard that they might miss out on all the fun, they immediately started to throw a fit.

"Then we just have to kick three people out!"

"I want to go eat inside! I have to go inside!"

The parents chimed in placatingly, "Oh, dear, our children are already here. We can’t just ask our own kids to leave, can we!"

Because he was rich, Joseph Lowell had already gathered a group of followers on his first day at kindergarten. One of them said arrogantly, "Christian Sloan, you and your siblings should leave!"

As soon as he said that, the brats who were crying and screaming immediately jumped on the bandwagon:

"Yeah, there are exactly three of you!"

"If your family gets kicked out, you won’t be lonely! Hurry up and get lost!"

Timothy Lowell and Serena Foster exchanged a look. Seeing that their goal was achieved, Serena stepped forward with a smile.

"You’re Sloan, right?" she began. "You see, everyone is saying that you three siblings should leave. There’s nothing we can do. The minority has to yield to the majority, don’t you think?"

"But Sloan, we did invite you to dinner, and it seems a bit unreasonable to just make you leave like this. How about this? You wait for us at the entrance for two hours."

"After we’ve had our fill, we’ll take you home. Look, the environment outside Dewdrop Garden isn’t bad either. If you three stay out here, you’ll have each other for company."

"I’ve made such thoughtful arrangements. Aren’t you going to thank us?"

Serena Foster couldn’t help but feel smug. She used to be a kindergarten teacher, and kids are most afraid of their teachers.

She deliberately adopted the tone she used to use as a teacher, confident that Christian Sloan wouldn’t dare to disobey.

’When the time comes, they’ll be eating inside while Christian Sloan and his siblings wait out in the open. Just the thought of it is so satisfying!’

’And to think her sister-in-law made Christian Sloan sound so terrifying. He’s a complete idiot!’

Christian fell silent.

’Did I remember wrong? Daddy clearly said that Dewdrop Garden refuses entry to the Lockwood and Lowell families. How could Timothy Lowell’s family possibly have gotten a reservation?’

Christian said, with great kindness, "Aunt Foster, I think you might be mistaken about something. Why don’t you go and ask right now if the Lowells are actually allowed into Dewdrop Garden?"

Unfortunately, Serena Foster didn’t appreciate this "kindness," which was tinged with a bit of manipulative innocence. She instantly exploded with rage.

"I was kind enough to bring you here for dinner, so what’s the meaning of this? To think our Joseph remembered you were his classmates, and you just throw his good intentions back in our faces!"

"Sloan, if you really want to eat, I see a dog over there enjoying its meal. Why don’t you three go take a couple of bites?"

"I’m putting my foot down. If you three don’t get lost, then nobody eats!"