Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Nathaniel Is Jealous
"That’s not my home," Estelle Lockwood said, struggling in his grip.
Nathaniel Sloan lightly clasped her wrist. "Stop making a fuss. You’re Christian’s doctor. Where else would you go if you don’t come home with me?"
She paused her struggling, suddenly finding the situation amusing. Was Nathaniel actually, genuinely inviting her to come home? Not going to lie, it was quite a novelty. After all, he had never cared whether she came home or not in the past.
Estelle rubbed her wrist and said lightly, "I’m an adult. I don’t need Mr. Sloan’s permission to decide where I sleep at night."
After saying that, she revealed a bright smile again. "Mr. Kingston, thank you for your hospitality. It’s still early. Would you like to come in and sit for a while? I heard you have a fondness for timepieces. It just so happens that I bought an antique gear watch abroad recently."
Jasper Kingston smiled gently. "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."
Nathaniel was rendered utterly speechless. He forced his eyes shut, taking two seconds to calm down before opening them again. An inexplicable wave of sourness and irritation spread through his chest. She ignored his words entirely, yet invited Jasper into her room to sit for a while in the middle of the night?
"Does Miss Lockwood have any concept of time? Is midnight considered early?" Nathaniel asked coldly.
Estelle furrowed her brows slightly. She only wore her emotions on her sleeve when she was drunk, so both men easily spotted her displeasure.
"None of your business. What’s wrong with midnight? Mr. Kingston doesn’t even mind. Who cares about the time when discussing business?"
Estelle didn’t know where this burst of anger came from either. Just seeing Nathaniel annoyed her, and on top of that, she couldn’t rest easy until the contract with the Kingston Group was signed. Driven by her tipsiness, she pursed her lips in displeasure and pulled Jasper toward her room.
"Ah... Nathaniel Sloan!"
Before she could take two steps, Estelle was suddenly pulled back by a strong force on her wrist. Nathaniel wrapped an arm around her waist, spun into the guest room, and shut Jasper outside in one swift motion.
Jasper frowned. "Nathaniel, open the door. Miss Lockwood is drunk."
Nathaniel replied coolly, "She’s my family’s doctor. Don’t trouble yourself over her."
Estelle tried to open the door but was pulled back by Nathaniel again. Terrified of leaving a bad impression on Jasper, she took a deep breath. "Mr. Kingston, I’m fine. You should head back first and get some rest."
Two minutes later, retreating footsteps sounded, and it fell completely silent outside the door. Estelle finally let her guard down, collapsing onto the sofa without a care for her image.
Seeing that the woman didn’t even bother to put up a front before him, Nathaniel’s gaze turned indifferent, though his words were biting. "Do you care that much about your image in front of Jasper? You even went out of your way to look into his hobbies."
Estelle shot him a dirty look. "Yeah. He’s my potential business partner. Of course I have to cater to his interests."
Nathaniel’s figure was hidden in the shadows. His eyes flickered unpredictably, and his tone carried an ambiguous mockery. "It’s just a partnership. It’s not like you’re selling yourself. Is there a need to debase yourself by drinking so much and accepting anyone who comes your way?"
Estelle didn’t catch the deeper meaning in his eyes; hearing those words instantly ignited her temper.
"What do you mean, ’debase myself’? Who doesn’t drink when discussing business? For Star to establish a foothold in the domestic market, we must partner with the Kingston Group. They have so many options to choose from. How can I succeed if I don’t work hard for it?"
Star indeed enjoyed smooth sailing abroad, but she was unfamiliar with the domestic fragrance market. She needed the Kingston Group’s leverage to open it up. Otherwise, why would she bother sucking up to their head? Was she crazy? How did a legitimate business negotiation turn into something so twisted coming from Nathaniel’s mouth? What did he mean by accompanying men to drink and debasing herself?
Perhaps she had drunk too much; the alcohol made her dizzy, and her usually suppressed temper flared up all at once. Why did Nathaniel look down on her? Wasn’t it just because he kept comparing her to Noelle Lockwood? It had been like this in the past, and it was still the same now! Noelle was the lofty, ethereal fairy untainted by the mortal world, while she was just a country bumpkin working odd jobs everywhere just to afford a bite to eat. Yet, the fairy had the audacity to ask in a patronizingly naive tone, "Sister, why do you work so hard?"
Estelle’s face was flushed red. Aggrieved, she raised her voice. "Besides, even if I am debasing myself, it’s none of your business! Do you think everyone is like Noelle, who can just wave her hand and have whatever she wants delivered to her doorstep? I don’t have her privilege!"
Nathaniel was momentarily stunned. He couldn’t keep up with Estelle’s train of thought at all. What did this have to do with Noelle?
After venting her frustrations, Estelle felt a bit better. Drowsiness washed over her. She rubbed her cheek against the sofa, actually intending to just fall asleep right there.
A trace of darkness flashed across Nathaniel’s eyes. It was too similar. If Yara Lockwood was intentionally imitating Estelle, would even these subconscious, drunken expressions be exactly the same?
Nathaniel stood in silence for a moment before suddenly leaning down, as if possessed by some strange impulse. "Miss Lockwood, you don’t necessarily have to cater to Jasper."
Estelle couldn’t even be bothered to open her eyes.
Nathaniel chuckled softly. "Besides the Kingston Group, you have a better option. For instance... me."
A better option... Nathaniel Sloan? If Estelle were sober, she would have naturally weighed her options and concluded that, when it came to raw material suppliers, Nathaniel was indeed the superior choice. But right now, she was drunk. And drunkards were unreasonable.
"You?" She cracked her eyes open slightly and looked Nathaniel up and down. Then, adopting the tone of a domineering CEO—three parts disdainful, three parts contemptuous, and four parts nonchalant—she deliberately sneered. "Heh, you’re not good enough."
Did Nathaniel think he was some sort of hot commodity? She hadn’t wanted him five years ago, and she definitely didn’t want him now! Having fiercely vented her spleen, Estelle plopped her head down and went straight to sleep.
Nathaniel had waited for what felt like an eternity, only to receive a flat rejection. He was almost angered into laughter. Fine. Impressive. She would rather drink and put on a smiling face for Jasper than collaborate with him. He might as well let this woman fend for herself here.
He was just about to leave when, struck by a sudden thought, he turned back around. Why was he stooping to argue with a drunk? If he actually left her here, she would definitely come after him for revenge the moment she woke up the next day.
Having convinced himself, Nathaniel prepared to carry her to the bed. However, the moment he touched her, he felt an unnaturally scalding temperature radiating from her skin. His expression instantly darkened.
At six o’clock in the morning.
"Her temperature is too high. She needs a fever-reducing injection..."
"Go inform Mr. Sloan."
"I wonder what this Miss Lockwood’s relationship is to him..."
"Stop gossiping. Do you still want your job? How dare you discuss Mr. Sloan’s private matters."
It was so noisy.
The severe pain in her stomach made Estelle open her eyes in irritation. However, instead of the hotel ceiling, her eyes met a group of nurses surrounding her.
"Miss Lockwood, you’re awake? Does your stomach hurt? You should drink less in the future."
"Miss Lockwood, your high fever isn’t going down. The medication isn’t working, so we need to give you an injection."
Estelle’s drunkenness hadn’t fully faded yet, and coupled with the fever, her head was spinning heavily. Hearing the word injection, she immediately shrank back under the covers.
Nathaniel happened to walk in with her medication at that moment, casting his eyes down at the person on the hospital bed. Her eyelashes fluttered like a small animal trying to hide from a natural predator.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze lowering. "What are you doing?"
Estelle’s head throbbed from the fever, leaving her unable to process things properly. She blurted out whatever came to mind. "I’m pretending to be asleep."
She sounded incredibly righteous about it.
Nathaniel let out a light chuckle. He waved his hand, dismissing the nurses, before walking over to her side.
"Why are you pretending to be asleep?"