Chapter 429: Chapter 429: Father Has a Criminal Record, I’m Really Not Comfortable Leaving Estelle Alone
Well, Ethan Sloan, wasn’t this awkward?
His past words flew back like a boomerang, smacking him right between the eyes.
From the moment Nathaniel was born, neither Ethan nor anyone else in the Sloan family—with the sole exception of Iris—had ever cared about him. Old Mr. Sloan appeared to dote on him and value him, even claiming he planned to hand the Sloan Group over to Nathaniel. But that was all it ever was—a mere "plan."
For over twenty years, Ethan had done nothing but suppress Nathaniel. Now that his scheme to hire a hitman was exposed, he suddenly wanted to throw his weight around using his identity as "Nathaniel’s father."
The crowd found it utterly despicable.
Ethan’s face flushed crimson. With trembling fingers, he pointed at Estelle, stammering, "You... you... you..." for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.
Only Old Mr. Sloan managed to maintain his composure. "Nathaniel, since Estelle is fine, and you are a smart man, there’s no need to clash head-on right now. Don’t you agree?"
Estelle could see it clearly now: Old Mr. Sloan would never let anything happen to Ethan today. After all, if Ethan went down, what would happen to Theodore Lancaster? Even if she insisted on calling the police, the former head of the Sloan Group, who had been deeply entrenched in Crestfall for years, had ways to spin a murder-for-hire into a mere accident.
Nathaniel’s gaze swept nonchalantly over Laura Jennings, Ethan, and Thea York. He curled his lips into a slow, deliberate smile. "Since Grandpa has spoken, of course we can let it go."
The crowd was stunned. Even Old Mr. Sloan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Nathaniel to agree so readily.
But on second thought, what else could Nathaniel do? If he really made a scene, causing both sides to lose face and suffer heavy casualties, Evernight International’s shareholders would only harbor more resentment toward Estelle. They would think, "If you hadn’t insisted on blowing this out of proportion, Evernight wouldn’t have become everyone’s laughingstock!"
"Since Nathaniel isn’t going to hold this against anyone, let the annual gala continue," Old Mr. Sloan chuckled, instantly reverting to the image of a benevolent elder. "The gala will last for two days, and we have arranged guest rooms for everyone tonight. Please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
With that, Old Mr. Sloan turned to Estelle. "Estelle, it’s been a while since we last saw each other. How about catching up with Grandpa?"
Estelle narrowed her eyes before flashing a bright, sunny smile. "Sure."
Seeing this, Ethan moved to follow them.
"Estelle," Nathaniel said flatly. "We’ll go together."
Old Mr. Sloan’s expression stiffened involuntarily. "Nathaniel, I’m just catching up with Estelle. What is the meaning of this?"
"It’s not that I mind you," Nathaniel nodded, giving no quarter. "It’s just that my father has a track record. I really can’t feel at ease letting Estelle walk into the lion’s den alone. It’s safer if I accompany her. Otherwise, if something were to happen to her, Father would have a hard time explaining himself. Don’t you agree?" He gave a slight nod. "So, I’m doing this for Father’s own good."
Ethan’s face contorted drastically, turning from green to white. He looked utterly ghastly. Finally, he flicked his sleeve in frustration. "Hmph! Come if you want!"
Estelle and Nathaniel exchanged a glance before leaving with Old Mr. Sloan.
Back in the banquet hall, the remaining guests looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Is it just over like that?"
"Yeah, Mrs. Sloan almost lost her life. Is Mr. Sloan really not going to pursue it?"
"What do you mean, ’not going to pursue it’? Look at what happened to the York family. Before this, Chairman York was sitting pretty, parading around claiming he was going to be Mr. Sloan’s father-in-law. And now? His company is gone, his shares are gone, and his fortune is wiped out. He’s nothing but a stray dog."
"He deserves it. He never showed any mercy when he teamed up with his mistress and illegitimate daughter to drive his first wife to her death and make Stella’s life a living hell."
"If you ask me, the York family was ruined by that mistress. When the first wife was around, the York Group was thriving. Stella is so clever and capable, yet Chairman York just had to dote on this idiotic mistress and her vicious illegitimate daughter. He brought this entirely upon himself."
Chairman York’s face burned red with humiliation and fury, yet he couldn’t refute a single word. He glared daggers at Mrs. York. Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face!
The crowd was stunned.
Mrs. York shrieked, "What are you doing?! What are you doing! A few words from them and you’re suddenly missing that dead bitch, aren’t you?! What is wrong with you?!"
Chairman York gritted his teeth. "Get out! Both of you, get out! Get out of here!"
Thea teared up, looking frail and helpless. "Dad, there’s no need for this. Mom was just doing this for your own good... Ah—"
The next second, Thea received a vicious slap across her face as well.
The bystanders immediately settled in to enjoy the show. Everyone knew how heavily Chairman York favored Thea—to an utterly incomprehensible degree. He had snatched Stella’s belongings to give to his illegitimate daughter. He had stripped Stella of her shares to give to his illegitimate daughter. Now that Thea and Ethan’s murder-for-hire plot was exposed, he was actually slapping Thea?
Thea’s eyes were red. Frail and defenseless, she sobbed, "Dad, why are you doing this? Why?"
"Thea, I told you Nathaniel wasn’t suitable for you, but you refused to listen! Now you’ve ruined this entire family! Are you happy now?!"
Chairman York had already reached his breaking point upon learning that Stella had convened a shareholders’ meeting to vote him out as chairman. The real power in his hands had been steadily chipped away by her, and even the original veteran shareholders had gradually defected to Stella’s camp.
But how could he be wrong? The others were right. The ones at fault had to be Mrs. York and Thea. If it weren’t for this mistress and her daughter, he would still have his first wife by his side. His capable daughter would have perfectly inherited the family business and expanded the York Group. And he would be praised by everyone as a good father, a good husband, and a visionary leader.
How would he have ever ended up in this situation?! It was all the fault of this homewrecking mother-daughter duo!
Mrs. York was furious. Planting her hands on her hips, she roared at Chairman York, "So it’s my fault now?! Did I force you to take a mistress? Did I force you to kill off your first wife? Did I force you to abandon Stella?! Don’t make me laugh! Take a good look at what a pathetic piece of trash you are!"
Chairman York laughed out of sheer rage. He said "Good!" three times before lunging forward to brawl with Mrs. York. The scuffle quickly drew blood, prompting the bystanders to hastily call security to pull them apart.
It was somewhat comical. The scumbag and the mistress, who were once in the same boat, were now suddenly tearing each other apart with punches and kicks. Just a day ago, Mrs. York and Chairman York had been featured in a magazine, boasting about how much they loved each other and how they had weathered the storms together for so many years. However, after the York family... no, after Chairman York went bankrupt, neither of them bothered to keep up the act anymore.
Chairman York wasn’t done yet. With bloodshot eyes, he let out a savage yell and charged forward, slapping Thea across the face once more!
"It’s all your fault! All of it! I must be cursed to have a daughter like you!"
A coppery taste welled up in Thea’s mouth. She clenched her fists, grinding her teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
She thought, "Idiots! These two are absolute idiots! The York Group will never accept me again, and my parents are two useless pieces of trash! Not to mention, the murder-for-hire incident hasn’t been completely resolved yet. I was an accomplice. If Estelle insists on pursuing it, I won’t get off easy either! What do I do... What should I do... I have to find a way out for myself..."