Chapter 443: Chapter 443: Liam Sloan Is Probably Waiting for a Result
Chairman York and Mrs. York were both shocked. Chairman York trembled all over. "You... you just have to drive us to our deaths... We are your family!"
"When you drove my mother and me to our deaths back then, you never thought of me as your family."
Stella York paused. "By the way, Chairman York, Nathaniel Sloan found something interesting. Aren’t you curious?"
Hearing Nathaniel Sloan’s name, Chairman York shuddered. "What is it?"
"Hmm..." Stella tapped her head. "Nathaniel was curious about how you could be so ruthless to your own biological daughter, not even leaving me a way out. I am your biological daughter, after all, and I grew up by your side until I was ten. Ten years. Even keeping a cat for that long would breed affection, yet you could send me to my death...
"He found it somewhat unbelievable, so he did some investigating. Guess what he found?"
Mrs. York had already realized what Stella was about to say. Her eyes widened in terror. "No! You can’t say it!"
Stella’s smile grew wider. "He said that ten years ago, Mrs. York gave you a certain drug.
"A few days ago, Thea York planned to use this drug to control Nathaniel, but she was caught red-handed. Thea confessed that it’s a potion that can alter a person’s cognition, making someone fall madly and illogically in love with another person.
"So, Nathaniel looked into it. Thea had seen this drug before. Guess why she knew its effects?"
Chairman York wasn’t an idiot. With Stella hinting so obviously, how could he not guess!
Stella faintly added fuel to the fire, feigning a sigh.
"Sigh. Dad, you are my biological father, after all. If you hadn’t gone too far over the years, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.
"Only now do I know that your mind was controlled by this woman back then. You didn’t do it on purpose, but it’s too late..."
Chairman York glared furiously at Mrs. York. Perhaps Stella’s words had given him a glimmer of hope. He hurriedly said, "Stella! I understand now. It was all her! It was this woman who sowed discord and ruined our family!
"Daddy is innocent! It’s all her and Thea! It’s all the fault of that mother and daughter!
"Please, plead for mercy for me... Yes, yes, you can issue a letter of forgiveness! Even though the one who died was your mother, I am your father!
"It’s all their fault! It has nothing to do with me! I... I know a lot more. Thea and her mother have more than one life on their hands. I’ll confess everything, and they’ll be sentenced to death! Stella, please forgive your father!"
Mrs. York’s eyes practically split open in rage. "You useless piece of trash!"
"Shut up!" Chairman York roared. "It’s all because of you, you bitch! If it weren’t for you, why would my biological daughter refuse to acknowledge me?!"
Stella watched them tear into each other and felt extremely satisfied. She enjoyed the spectacle with great interest for a while before getting up to leave.
Well, her goal was achieved. She figured these two wouldn’t have a moment of peace in prison from now on.
Especially Chairman York... Did he feel regret? Did he feel guilty? No, he would only feel that he wasn’t ruthless enough. He’d wonder why he didn’t kill Stella sooner or pin all the blame on Thea and her mother earlier.
How could Stella possibly forgive Chairman York? Even if he hadn’t kicked her and her mother out of the house ten years ago, hadn’t hunted them down, and hadn’t tried to have them killed in an accident, his affair twenty-six years ago was an undeniable fact.
Now, was the source of her and her mother’s tragedy the mistress? Was it the illegitimate daughter? No, it was Chairman York. It was this man.
Therefore, Stella just wanted to watch him suffer in agony.
***
Estelle Lockwood breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that Stella’s matters had been resolved. Shortly after, she received a call from Stella thanking her.
The annual gala wasn’t over yet. Estelle asked with a smile, "Do you think Laura Jennings will resort to desperate measures today?"
Nathaniel smiled and nodded. "That’s her only option."
It was true. The position of Mrs. Sloan had been taken by Thea, and her biological son had never even called her ’Mom.’ Now, Laura had no choice but to resort to desperation.
She might be thinking that as long as her biological son rose to power and became the heir to the Sloan Group, she could openly rely on him and once again become someone of high status.
Unfortunately, Nathaniel was not a puppet to be controlled at will.
Nathaniel wasn’t in a hurry. "We’ll talk about it later, Mrs. Sloan. The initiative is in our hands."
Estelle raised an eyebrow. Come to think of it, she was right. Since they held the initiative, what was there to panic about? The one who should be panicking right now was Laura.
Laura probably never expected that Miranda Lancaster had left behind evidence so very long ago. Even less did she expect that someone involved in the incident back then was still alive.
Estelle paused and asked, "Laura... what did you say to Liam Sloan?"
Although Laura wasn’t Nathaniel’s biological mother, she was at least Liam’s. The two brothers had always had a good relationship. What would Liam think if he knew Nathaniel was scheming against Laura?
Nathaniel lowered his eyes. "How does Mrs. Sloan think I learned of their detailed plan?"
Estelle was stunned.
"Naturally, someone gave it to me." Nathaniel looked out the window. "A son who has been despised since birth, yet has to outwardly proclaim being ’favored’—what manifests in Liam is only fragmentation. Liam respected and loved her, but all he got was disappointment time and time again. When I was locked in solitary confinement in the Sloan Family and had nothing good going for me, Liam stayed with me."
"It’s just that the only person in this family who hated Liam was Laura, while there were plenty who hated me," Nathaniel said calmly. "That’s why Liam left the Sloan Family as soon as he came of age."
Estelle pursed her lips, baffled. "...Why exactly is Laura doing this?
"She hates you because you are Miranda’s son, making her naturally opposed to you. But both Liam and Theodore Lancaster are sons she had with Ethan Sloan, yet she treats them differently. Could it be because she feels guilty that Theodore didn’t grow up by her side?
"But feeling guilty toward Theodore doesn’t mean she has to abuse her other son, right?"
Nathaniel said meaningfully, "That’s a question for Laura herself.
"Or... maybe ask the Lancaster Family?
"I think Liam is also waiting for an answer."
***
Liam was indeed waiting for an answer.
When he was five, he had secretly gone to visit Nathaniel, who was locked in solitary confinement. For this, Laura punished him by locking him in the basement for three days as well. High fever and starvation had nearly killed him, yet Laura didn’t even spare him a glance. From that moment on, Liam knew he had been despised since birth, and his biological mother hadn’t even wanted him to be born.
But being so young, he had still harbored expectations for his family, especially for that special figure—his mother.
Liam understood that the Sloan Family was intentionally raising him to be a failure. That was why he had shown no interest in the family fortune early on, studied law, became a lawyer, and voluntarily gave up his inheritance rights.