Chapter 420: Chapter 420: The Plan to Counter Ethan Sloan
"I just feel like Estelle usually loves expensive jewelry. You’ve given her so much, yet I’ve never seen her wear any of it."
Thea looked worried. "So I was thinking... maybe Estelle took everything you gave her and sold it. Earlier, I was just afraid she would insult your feelings again for the sake of money, which is why I spoke a bit harshly... You don’t mind, do you?"
Nathaniel let out a soft scoff and looked away. "Of course not."
***
After leaving the mall, Penelope Sullivan rested her chin in her hand. "So you’re saying you two plan to give Thea a ’surprise’ tomorrow?"
Estelle Lockwood raised an eyebrow. "How can you say this surprise is for Thea?"
"If not for her, then who is it for?"
"The mastermind behind the scenes, of course," Estelle said slowly.
Penelope looked worried. "According to what you said... at tomorrow’s annual gala, Ethan Sloan will announce the ’news of the marriage’ between Thea and Nathaniel. But if you’re there when it happens, won’t it be incredibly awkward?
"Do you think they might threaten you to keep you from showing up?"
Estelle smiled brightly. "If by ’threaten’ you mean trying to negotiate terms with me, then no."
Penelope was confused. "Why not?"
"Because earlier, when I slapped Evan Yeats in the face, Old Mr. Yeats didn’t step in to say much. So, in Ethan’s eyes, even though I’m a member of the Yeats family, my relationship with the Yeats isn’t that close. If I had the Yeats family’s backing, Ethan might actually try to negotiate with me—try to appeal to my emotions and reason.
"He’d use carrots and sticks, saying things like ’Nathaniel doesn’t love you,’ ’You’re the eldest daughter of the Yeats family, you have plenty of outstanding young men to choose from,’ ’Since you don’t love each other, it’s better to separate,’ or ’I’ll give you money.’ But right now, Ethan believes the Yeats family couldn’t care less about me.
"Since the Yeats don’t care about me, and I’ve lost Nathaniel, to them, I’m utterly alone. If I were to have an ’accident,’ there probably wouldn’t be anyone left to look into it, right?"
Penelope’s scalp tingled with dread. "Estelle Lockwood! Don’t do anything stupid. You’re not planning to walk right into a trap just to set Ethan up, are you? Are you crazy?!"
A person shouldn’t—or at least couldn’t—be this impulsive. This was a terrible idea!
Penelope was frantic. "Based on what you’re saying, Ethan can’t even be bothered to negotiate with you anymore. Moreover, he and Laura Jennings have made it clear countless times that they consider you an obstacle. The implication is obvious: they’re going to find a way to get rid of you.
"What’s the difference between walking into their trap now and just throwing your life away?"
Estelle blinked. "Who said I’m throwing my life away?"
She drawled, "Ethan needs to ensure I don’t appear at the gala so that Thea can attend in my place. If I’m a no-show, it perfectly justifies her stepping in. After that, they’ll probably try to pin some crime on me, and then have Nathaniel agree to a divorce. That way, Thea’s rise to power will be utterly unassailable."
"But wouldn’t that still mean you’d be captured by Ethan?"
Estelle’s lips curled up. "But who is Ethan going to send to capture me? Who is he going to send to keep an eye on me? Has he really thought it through? Or, to put it another way, does he really have that much faith in the Sloan family’s ’own people’?"
Penelope suddenly realized what she meant. "Oh! Ethan has one of your moles!"
Estelle was speechless. While it was true enough, Penelope’s phrasing was a bit too crude.
Penelope immediately corrected herself. "I mean, an undercover agent. A spy."
"Ethan probably hasn’t even realized it himself." Estelle chuckled softly. "He has hardly any real authority within the Sloan family. How many people are actually fiercely loyal to him?"
***
Ethan Sloan listened to the report sent back by his subordinate, an inscrutable expression crossing his face. "It seems victory at the gala is already in the bag.
"Nathaniel is already under my control. With Estelle out of the picture, Thea will also help us. When the time comes, he will inevitably ’volunteer’ to hand Evernight International over to Theodore.
"I’ve already thought of the perfect excuse for him. He’ll say... as an illegitimate child, he feels a deep sense of guilt toward Theodore, so he’s offering up Evernight International as compensation. And since Theodore is so outstanding, I doubt the people at Evernight will dare to gossip.
"Once Theodore accepts willingly, and Estelle’s whereabouts are unknown, what kind of waves could anyone else possibly make?"
Laura Jennings beamed with joy. "That’s wonderful, simply wonderful! And after that, Theodore..."
Ethan furrowed his brows. He knew exactly what Laura meant. She was asking if Theodore Lancaster could officially ’claim his birthright’ and finally call her ’Mom.’
After all, while outsiders were clueless, the two of them knew the truth all too well.
Theodore was by no means Miranda Lancaster’s son, nor was he Ethan’s legitimate child. In reality, Theodore was the illegitimate child Ethan and Laura had together.
However...
"No!" Ethan said sharply. "Theodore is only where he is today because of his title as the ’legitimate son.’ If we let him call you ’Mom,’ how would we explain that to everyone else? Don’t forget the excuse we’re using for Nathaniel to give up Evernight International!"
The excuse was that the illegitimate son felt indebted to Theodore. If people found out Theodore was the actual illegitimate son, there would definitely be opposition to him taking over Evernight International.
Laura looked sheepish. "Fine, fine, I understand. But... but surely he can call me Mom in private, at home, right?"
Her eager anticipation to be recognized by her son, swelling with vicarious pride at his success, made the assistant standing next to Ethan want to laugh.
People were truly strange.
In the past, Nathaniel had genuinely believed Laura was his mother. He had given her every ounce of respect, filial piety, and patience.
Yet Laura had completely despised him. No matter how outstanding Nathaniel was, she had looked down on him.
On the other hand, Theodore—who, in the assistant’s eyes, was only slightly better than a worthless piece of trash—refused to acknowledge Laura as his mother at all. Yet Laura still eagerly fawned over him time and time again. If that wasn’t shamelessly degrading herself, what was?
The assistant narrowed his eyes. Thinking of Mr. Sloan’s orders, he smiled and offered a reminder.
"Chairman Sloan, although everything is currently under your control, Estelle is a ticking time bomb. If we want to ensure she doesn’t cause any trouble, we still need to guarantee that she doesn’t show up on the day of the gala.
"Think about it," the assistant continued. "If she appears, then Miss York’s status will no longer be justifiable. Furthermore, if she shows up, what if she objects later when the shares are being transferred?"
Ethan spoke flatly. "I have already made arrangements. When the time comes, it will be impossible for Estelle to show up."
The assistant’s eyes flashed. "If I may be so bold as to ask... are you planning to kidnap her?"
"Why not?" Ethan replied.
Ethan had personally trained this assistant. The man had been by his side for eight years without making a single mistake and had long since become his trusted confidant. The assistant was fully aware of this entire scheme, including the bait-and-switch drama that swapped Theodore and Nathaniel at birth.
However, Ethan had never given the assistant any concrete evidence, so he wasn’t afraid of the man running his mouth. In fact, Ethan had never once suspected this capable right-hand man. Many of the ideas they used had actually been suggested by the assistant himself.
Right then, he heard the assistant speak again.
"If you kidnap her, there’s no guarantee she won’t escape and ruin your plans again. Besides, I’ve already made some inquiries. The Yeats family is holding a grudge against her for disrespecting their second young master, and they’ve completely abandoned her.
"So, instead of just kidnapping her, why don’t we..."