Chapter 30: Chapter 30: She’s Drunk, Just Like Five Years Ago
Estelle Lockwood was getting a little annoyed.
Looking at Nathaniel Sloan, for a moment, she couldn’t quite tell what time it was. It felt as if she had been transported back to seven years ago, right after she and Nathaniel had gotten married. Back then, she would always wait for him to have dinner, but he would never come home. She starved herself until she developed a stomach condition. When she was sent to the hospital, she was even scolded for not eating properly.
Was it that she didn’t want to eat? The real culprit was obviously someone else!
As the memories flooded back, Estelle grew angrier the more she thought about it. "None of your business! Leave me alone!"
By this time, the nurse had whispered what happened to Nathaniel. He nodded; it turned out she just refused to get an injection. She was exactly like the Estelle in his memories.
Nathaniel asked the nurse to prepare the needle. Estelle panicked the moment she saw it. "Nathaniel, what are you doing? I don’t want a shot! I told you to leave me alone!"
Unfortunately, she was too delirious from the fever to muster any strength, so her words came out soft and weak. Instead of a threat, she sounded like she was acting coy.
Nathaniel paused, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I am looking after my future business partner. If Miss Lockwood insists that I leave her alone, then forget it."
Future business partner...? Estelle was bewildered for three seconds before finally digging up last night’s conversation from the depths of her memory.
"Besides the Kingston Group, you can also choose me."
"Not interested."
Estelle nearly choked on her own breath. If she could collaborate with Evernight International, she could put aside her personal grudges against Nathaniel. After all, it was a massive amount of money!
Why on earth did she reject him!
She was just about to speak when Nathaniel actually told the nurse to pack up the supplies and turned to leave. "Then I’ll leave Miss Lockwood alone. We can forget about the partnership, too."
"W-Wait!" Estelle’s cheeks were flushed red, and her brain wasn’t working properly. However, since Nathaniel was delivering himself to her doorstep, she had to fleece him for all he was worth! She tried her best to pull herself together, but her eyes couldn’t focus due to the fever and hangover. "I think Mr. Sloan is absolutely right. A partnership... A partnership is better..."
A muffled chuckle rumbled in Nathaniel’s chest as if he was deliberately teasing her. "Weren’t you not interested?"
Estelle had given up on using her brain, blurting out whatever came to mind. "Are you stupid? I was just afraid you’d run away. What if I told you that you were important, and you got a big head and pushed your luck? I already have experience with this. Men need the cold shoulder. For example, in the past, I doted on my ex-husband, cooked for him, and cared for him, yet he still..."
At this point, Estelle grew even angrier and said petulantly, "If you don’t want to partner up, then forget it!"
She told him to forget it, but her eyes were full of expectation, practically broadcasting the words, "I’m saying the exact opposite of what I mean."
Nathaniel didn’t quite catch her earlier mumbling; he only heard the part about pushing her luck. Who exactly was pushing their luck right now? Perhaps because Yara Lockwood and Estelle were truly too similar, Nathaniel couldn’t resist teasing her. "Fair enough. Let’s forget it, then."
Estelle’s expression almost cracked. Fair enough?! He actually agreed! Couldn’t he tell she was just throwing a tantrum?
Incredulous and exasperated, Estelle snapped, "Nathaniel, you’re supposed to urge me to stay! Do you even know how to interact with people?!"
Nathaniel hadn’t expected Yara to have this side to her. Estelle used to act like this, too. Was it really just a coincidence? Still, he never thought that a woman who usually acted like a prickly hedgehog could be this cute when drunk. He pretended to ponder. "What should I say, then?"
Estelle’s eyes lit up. She coughed, a little embarrassed, and suppressed her shyness. "You should say, ’Evernight International has waited all these years just for a business partner like Miss Lockwood. To be able to collaborate with Miss Lockwood is the greatest privilege for me, Nathaniel Sloan.’"
Nathaniel thought to himself that it was a good thing he had dismissed the nurses. Otherwise, if Yara woke up and found out so many people had seen her like this, she would probably be angry enough to murder someone.
Meeting those dark, bright, expectant eyes, Nathaniel spoke in a husky voice, enunciating every word. "Evernight International has waited all these years just for a business partner like Miss Lockwood. To be able to collaborate with Miss Lockwood..."
Estelle nodded. "Continue."
Nathaniel paused before adding the final sentence, "...is the greatest privilege for me, Nathaniel Sloan." He suddenly took a step closer. "Miss Lockwood, there is one more question that I, as your business partner, must ask."
The man’s voice seemed to carry a bewitching tone. Estelle was slightly confused. Why were there more questions? Hadn’t she made everything clear?
The next moment, she heard Nathaniel whisper into her ear. "Miss Lockwood, may I ask what your name is?"
Her name... Estelle’s fever-addled brain didn’t realize it was a trick question. She opened her mouth instinctively. "My name is Es..."
Just as she subconsciously tried to say those syllables, an intense wave of dizziness suddenly flooded her brain. Estelle closed her eyes and collapsed into Nathaniel’s arms.
Nathaniel frowned. What a coincidence. Was it a coincidence, or... Had Yara’s internal defense mechanism made her pass out right before she could utter that name?
Nathaniel’s eyes flickered slightly. Right at that moment, Luke White knocked on the door. "Mr. Sloan, it’s a call from Mrs. Sloan."
A flash of impatience crossed the man’s eyes. On the other end of the line, Laura Jennings’s nagging voice could already be heard.
"Nathaniel, come to Dewdrop Garden for lunch... Of course, there’s a reason. You’ll know when you get here..."
At noon.
Estelle slowly woke up. There was a sticky note from Nathaniel on the nightstand, telling her to rest well. Estelle stared at the hospital ceiling for a long time as her memories slowly returned.
Was she out of her mind? To actually act coy with Nathaniel? And... Nathaniel must have been crazy, too, to bring her to the hospital and coax her into getting a shot. In the past, Nathaniel had never accompanied her to the hospital. Even in the days leading up to her childbirth, she had been entirely alone...
"Have you checked social media? Huge news!"
"What huge news?"
"The Sloan Group issued an announcement saying Mr. Sloan is getting engaged to Noelle Lockwood! Mr. Sloan is probably having lunch with her right now."
"Huh? But didn’t Mr. Sloan just bring a woman to the hospital in the middle of the night? What’s going on..."
"If Mr. Sloan really cared about that woman, he would be accompanying her right now instead of having lunch with Noelle."
"That’s true..."
The voices gradually faded away, and Estelle’s gaze slowly darkened.
Memories from five years ago surged forward. It had also been in a hospital, and it had been the exact same words—Nathaniel was finally going to get engaged to Noelle and make it official?
Heh, and to think her heart had actually softened for a brief moment earlier. As expected, men were nothing but trouble. Estelle expressionlessly crumpled the sticky note into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. She had been blind five years ago, but did he think she was still blind now?
Meanwhile, at Dewdrop Garden Restaurant.
Christian quietly trailed behind Nathaniel, avoiding the crowd, and hid in the lounge next to the private dining room.
Nathaniel pushed open the door to the private room. The moment he saw Rose Lowell and Noelle, his expression darkened, and he immediately turned to leave.
"Nathaniel! Wait!" Laura hurriedly called out to stop her son, shooting a look at Rose.
Taking the hint, Rose quickly said, "Nathaniel, Noelle found Estelle’s belongings."