Chapter 450: Chapter 450: But We Still Have Evidence...
Chairman Lancaster let out a sigh. "I know that after seeing the evidence, everyone must think Nathaniel is Miranda’s son, while Theodore is the mistress’s son. You must think the Lancaster Family mistook brass for gold and failed Miranda.
"But..."
At this point, Chairman Lancaster actually choked up.
Estelle Lockwood wanted to give him a round of applause. With such acting skills and dedication, even professional actors would bow in defeat.
Yvonne Lancaster also sighed and chimed in.
"But back then, Laura Jennings had long coveted the position of Mrs. Sloan, and Ethan also... Anyway, we were worried about leaving Miranda alone in the hospital, so we rushed over after she gave birth.
"Father was worried the child would be bullied by Laura, so he took the baby away ahead of time.
"Theodore is the child who was taken away right after Miranda gave birth. We are absolutely certain he is Miranda’s son, so..."
Chairman Lancaster took over. "Alas, I was just guarding against the mistress. Who knew she would actually be so completely unhinged!
"We discussed it with Miranda when we took the child away. Miranda said she was worried the baby wouldn’t have a good life if left with the Sloan Family and wanted to send him back to the Lancaster Family. But after all, the child was also Ethan’s son. We worried Ethan wouldn’t agree, which was why we came up with an idea.
"We announced to the public that Miranda’s son had died of an illness. That way, no one would suspect us, and we could raise Theodore properly, doing right by his mother.
"So, although we feel very guilty and never expected Nathaniel to suffer so much, he really isn’t a member of the Lancasters."
...?
The bombshell left everyone completely dumbfounded. No one ever imagined that a supposedly settled matter could still have a twist.
The implication was clear. After Miranda Lancaster gave birth, she discussed it with the Lancaster Family and sent the child away. To deceive Laura Jennings and Ethan Sloan, they faked the news of the baby dying from an illness. Meanwhile, unaware that Miranda’s son had "died," Laura bribed the doctors and nurses. Eager to pocket the two million, the medical staff found a random infant to use as a replacement.
Nathaniel was completely innocent in this matter; he just had terrible luck. But the true Young Mr. Lancaster had already been secretly taken back by the Lancaster Family. It was Laura’s greed and Nathaniel’s bad luck that caused everything else. The Lancaster Family was completely in the dark. Moreover, Theodore Lancaster was Miranda’s biological son, the acknowledged young master of the Lancaster Family.
Put that way... it actually seemed to make some sense?
But would Mr. Sloan’s years of suffering just be brushed off? Yet if someone had to be blamed, there seemed to be no one other than Laura. After all, the Lancaster Family had no obligation to answer to outsiders.
Alas... fate was truly a cruel prankster.
Theodore Lancaster shook his head gently. "From today onward, Lancaster Group will definitely provide support to Evernight International to make up for the injustices Mr. Sloan has suffered over the years."
While saying this, Theodore’s heart bled. Originally, he planned to use the identity of the legitimate son of the Sloan Group today to seize everything that belonged to Nathaniel. After all, it was only right and proper for an illegitimate child to sacrifice everything for him, wasn’t it? But now, Nathaniel had become the wronged party. If he continued to push aggressively, how would public opinion react? The situation they had barely managed to stabilize would become volatile again!
Theodore could only suppress his frustration and act gentle and polite, as if he truly felt sorry for Nathaniel.
Estelle looked surprised. "Make up for? Lancaster Group supporting Evernight International... Just asking since I don’t know, but is there any area where Evernight International needs support from Lancaster Group?
"In terms of financial resources, Lancaster Group is going downhill. In terms of influence, no one currently surpasses Evernight International. Even if it were a collaboration... it should be Lancaster Group begging Evernight International. Why is it that, when Young Mr. Lancaster says it, Evernight International sounds like the subordinate? Stop flattering yourself."
Yvonne shrieked, "Theodore was just being kind!"
Estelle scoffed. "If you can’t help with anything, save your fake kindness. Do you really have to make people think you’re magnanimous and good-hearted?"
"You—" Yvonne choked.
Estelle interrupted, "The one wronged today is Nathaniel. Regardless of whether Theodore is your Lancaster Family’s biological son, your family is partly responsible for Nathaniel’s tragedy. Now you’re hypocritically playing the good guys, talking about support. Does he even need it?
"Can your Lancaster Family offer a lifeline in a crisis, or merely add icing on the cake? Evernight International is thriving and doesn’t need a lifeline right now. As for adding icing on the cake, it seems the current Lancaster Family lacks the power to do even that."
Yvonne was so furious she could die. How could Estelle’s mouth be so venomous!
"Moreover..." Estelle smiled lightly. "Is Theodore Lancaster really Miranda’s biological son? Or rather... does Nathaniel Sloan really have nothing to do with Miranda?
"Chairman Lancaster, Second Miss Lancaster, words and actions require evidence. You can’t just move your lips and call it a day. The doctors and nurses provided very clear evidence that they ’swapped’ Miss Lancaster’s son with the mistress’s son.
"Do you two know what a swap means?"
"Estelle Lockwood!" Yvonne exclaimed, utterly flustered. "We already said we don’t know what happened! After we took Theodore away, we stopped paying attention to the hospital!
"In all likelihood, Laura asked the doctors to swap the children, but when the doctors found Theodore missing, they just grabbed a random infant and gave Laura’s son to someone else. How could our Lancaster Family know about that?
"Can you stop making a scene out of nothing?!"
Estelle curled her lips; the probing was over. "It seems the Lancaster Family really doesn’t have any evidence."
Yvonne realized she had fallen into a trap. Her breath caught in her throat. "You—"
"But we do have evidence."
After speaking, Estelle stepped back to Nathaniel’s side, perfectly illustrating what it meant to borrow someone else’s authority to throw one’s weight around.
Yvonne was speechless. Her expression was ugly, but on second thought, what evidence could Nathaniel possibly have? If he had evidence, he would have brought it out earlier. Nathaniel could only prove that he wasn’t Laura’s son; there was nothing he could do about anything else. Thinking of this, Yvonne let out a faint sigh of relief.
"Does Chairman Lancaster know that I have a birthmark on my body?" Nathaniel suddenly asked in a nonchalant tone.
Chairman Lancaster jolted and furrowed his brows. "What do you mean? Are you trying to say your birthmark can prove you’re a Lancaster? No, the Lancaster Family has never had any hereditary birthmarks."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, the smile on his lips widening. "Then does Young Master Theodore Lancaster have a birthmark on his body?"
Chairman Lancaster initially wanted to say no, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Nathaniel’s words were a bit odd. The words reached the tip of his tongue, but he changed his tune. "...Yes."
Nathaniel subconsciously touched his shoulder, quickly dropping his hand again. He asked casually, "Where is Young Mr. Lancaster’s birthmark?"
Chairman Lancaster’s eyes darted around as he wondered why Nathaniel was so fixated on the birthmark and what it could prove.
But just now, Nathaniel had touched his own shoulder several times...
Chairman Lancaster felt he had figured it out. "On his shoulder."