Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Sweating Yet, Ex-Hubby?
Nathaniel Sloan wasn’t waiting here on purpose. He had just arrived home and hadn’t even gone inside when he heard the sound of brakes. He turned around and saw Estelle Lockwood and the three children getting out of the car. For a moment, he had the fleeting illusion that they were a real family.
But Henry Kendrick quickly shattered that illusion.
Henry walked up with a smile and offered his hand. "Oh my, Mr. Sloan, it feels like forever since we last met! You don’t mind me showing up uninvited, do you? I was just dropping Yara and the kids off, and since it’s getting late, I figured I’d crash here for dinner."
Without waiting for Nathaniel to speak, he immediately lowered his head, looking like a pitiful puppy. "Why aren’t you saying anything, Mr. Sloan? Was I being too presumptuous? I’m sorry, I just wanted to get to know Yara’s friends. I didn’t realize you’d mind my presence so much. It’s all my fault."
Estelle was speechless.
Nathaniel frowned, feeling like Henry was making pointed insinuations. "Vice President Kendrick..."
Henry immediately cut him off. "What’s wrong? Why are you frowning, Mr. Sloan? Do you not like the way I talk? That shouldn’t be the case. You love those ’green tea’ types who play the innocent victim the most, and I’m a professional at it. Isn’t that right, Yara? Oh my, what are we doing standing at the door? Let’s go in."
With that, Henry walked inside without waiting for an invitation.
He looked completely at ease, as if treating Imperial Crest as his own home. "Yara, this place is really nice. I’ll come visit you often. Surely Mr. Sloan wouldn’t mind Yara’s male friend moving in to keep her company?"
Henry heavily emphasized the words "male friend."
Nathaniel’s temples throbbed. He didn’t understand why Henry harbored such immense hostility toward him.
Luke White watched from the sidelines with mixed feelings. He thought, "Wow... Vice President Kendrick is also a ’green tea’ hypocrite! He’s even more dramatic than Noelle Lockwood!"
It was just about time for dinner. Since Henry was the Vice President of Star Group, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Nathaniel to kick him out.
As they sat around the dining table, Estelle kicked Henry’s leg under the table, signaling him with a look that said, "Stop messing around."
Henry acted as if he hadn’t noticed.
During the five years Estelle spent with the Kendrick Family, he had seen with his own eyes how deeply she loved this man. Even though she had been bruised and battered, almost losing her life, it still took her a long time to let go of that relationship. When she first arrived, she didn’t dare sleep in the dark. She was terrified of thunder and anything related to fire. Old Mr. Kendrick, Mr. Kendrick, and Mrs. Kendrick had stayed by her side, helping her through it, and it took nearly three years for her to fully recover.
The Kendrick Family loved Estelle as if she were their own daughter. The eldest son of the Kendrick Family treated her like a biological sister. Henry, who had accompanied her back to the country to seek revenge, also considered her family.
Facing the man who had hurt her so deeply, Henry had no intention of letting him off the hook!
Henry critically examined the dishes on the table. "This food isn’t that great. Yara, is this what the Sloan Family usually feeds you?"
Mia and Zachery exchanged a glance. Looking at the lavish spread on the table, they remained speechless. They wondered why Uncle Henry couldn’t find a better excuse to pick a fight. How could he possibly find fault with dishes that were practically fit for a state banquet?
But Henry was playing a deeper game. "Mr. Sloan, didn’t you promise to be Yara’s servant for a year? Since you’re a servant, why aren’t you cooking personally when Yara’s friend comes over?"
Dead silence fell over the dining table. Chapman and the rest of the servants didn’t dare lift their heads. They wondered, "Who is this guy? How is he so brave? He actually dares to provoke Mr. Sloan!"
Nathaniel put down his chopsticks and calmly raised his eyes. "Young Mr. Kendrick wants to eat the food I cook?"
With a heavy sigh, Henry replied, "Of course! I really want to taste Mr. Sloan’s cooking. Are you unwilling?
"Alas, Yara, your servant isn’t very obedient. Forget it, forget it. I’m not trying to make things difficult for him. But since he’s so boring on a daily basis and doesn’t know how to do anything, how is he supposed to serve you?"
Estelle was speechless. She thought, "That’s enough! You’re laying the innocent victim act on way too thick!"
But the entire dining room had become Henry’s stage.
Displaying exceptional theatrical skills, he said, "Mr. Sloan, don’t misunderstand. I’m not intentionally making things difficult for you. I just don’t understand why Noelle Lockwood was so desperate to snatch you away. Because, honestly, I don’t think you’re all that great. Sure, you’re not bad-looking, but your personality is terrible, and you have a foul temper.
"Noelle had to have you, even if it meant being the mistress and getting cursed at by everyone. I was just really curious, which is why I wanted to dig a little deeper to see if there were any hidden merits I hadn’t noticed about you, like your cooking skills.
"Now it seems there aren’t any. But then again, it makes sense. How could I possibly use the logic of a normal person to understand the brain of a fake heiress and a true mistress?"
Nathaniel seemed to understand where Henry’s hostility came from now. Noelle... Henry despised Noelle, and he also despised the man who had "taken care of" her all these years. But why would Henry despise her? And why did he have so much animosity toward Nathaniel and Noelle?
Nathaniel’s gaze darkened. Perhaps it was because... the beloved daughter of the Kendrick Family was Estelle. Henry was standing up for her.
Everything in his mind seemed to connect. Nathaniel calmly explained, "There is nothing going on between Noelle and me."
"Don’t bother explaining. Explaining is just covering up, and covering up means it’s the truth." Henry didn’t even hesitate to throw himself under the bus. "Mr. Sloan, I understand you perfectly because I’m a scumbag too. This is how we scumbags operate. We want to have our cake and eat it too. And when we get caught, we say, ’I didn’t know, we have no relationship, we’re innocent.’"
Estelle fell silent. Zachery and Mia also fell silent.
Christian rested his chin on his hands, looking at Henry and nodding thoughtfully.
Zachery was speechless. He thought, "Ahhh, young master, you can’t learn this kind of ’green tea’ manipulative behavior! Learn something good for a change!"
After Henry finished speaking, he felt a bit thirsty, so he chugged a large glass of water and then shot Nathaniel a provocative look. He thought, "You’re sweating now, aren’t you, Mr. Ex-Husband?"
To his surprise, Nathaniel suddenly put down his chopsticks and calmly stood up. "It’s getting late, and Young Mr. Kendrick is almost done eating. You probably can’t stomach any more heavy, rich foods, so I’ll just stir-fry some simple vegetables for you."
With that, he actually went to the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, a plate of bright green vegetables was placed in front of Henry, accompanied by a freshly brewed cup of premium pre-Qingming Longjing green tea.
Henry couldn’t help but feel that something was off. He thought, "Damn it, the ex-husband is mocking me for my ’green tea’ act, isn’t he? He definitely is!"
He sneered inwardly, "He strikes hard against a male ’green tea’ like me, but he couldn’t see through a female one like Noelle Lockwood at all. The ex-husband really is unreliable!"
Once dinner was over, Estelle prepared to go upstairs, but Nathaniel suddenly spoke up. "The collaborative project with Star Group has been finalized. Miss Lockwood, please remember to go to Evernight International tomorrow to sign the contract."
Star had ultimately chosen Evernight International as their fragrance supplier, while opening up a different avenue of collaboration with Kingston Group. Tomorrow was the signing ceremony with Evernight International. As the person in charge of this collaboration, Estelle naturally had to be present.
She never brought personal emotions into her work. "Understood."
After Estelle went upstairs, Henry concluded his performance and was just about to take his leave when Nathaniel suddenly called out to him.
"Young Mr. Kendrick, I have a few questions. Could I ask you to answer them?"