Editor: Henyee Translations
Everyone in the office turned their heads to look. Estelle wore a professional suit, exuding a sharp, elegant aura. Her curly hair draped over her shoulders, and her features were strikingly radiant. Many people in the office found themselves staring in awe.
Seeing her with two children, Director Miller suddenly realized—ah, right, a Ms. Lockwood had indeed contacted him yesterday. This must be her.
Nathaniel looked up abruptly when he heard the commotion, his throat tightening slightly. Memories flooded his mind. The bite mark on his neck still served as a reminder of what he and this woman had done last night...
Estelle glanced at Nathaniel, feeling a bit disgusted. She rolled her eyes and completely ignored him. "Hello, Director Miller. I’m here to enroll my children."
Director Miller immediately stepped forward to greet her. "You must be Ms. Lockwood! Hello, we’ll register the children’s previous school records here..."
Before he could finish, a little figure darted past Director Miller, and a crisp, childish voice echoed in every corner of the office.
"Mommy! You’re here!"
Director Miller choked on the rest of his words. Christian suddenly broke free from Nathaniel’s grasp and threw himself into Estelle’s arms. He blinked his bright, large eyes and acted affectionately. "Mommy, what took you so long? Daddy and I have been waiting for you for ages!"
The scene instantly fell into a dead silence. Director Miller’s mouth fell open in utter shock. He wondered, "Wait a minute. Young Mr. Sloan just called Yara ’Mommy.’ Is this woman his biological mother?! But didn’t the rumors say Noelle was his mother?"
But looking at the young master’s behavior, it didn’t seem fake. The rumors were probably wrong.
With this thought, Director Miller’s smile grew wider and much more enthusiastic. "So you’re Mrs. Sloan! You came at just the right time. For Christian’s enrollment, we need his mother’s contact information. Please come and fill this out."
Estelle’s eyes widened slightly. What was going on...? Why did Christian suddenly...
"Daddy, Mia wants a hug!"
Before Estelle could figure it out, Mia suddenly stepped forward, opening her arms to Nathaniel and pleading softly. "Why didn’t Daddy wait for Mia? Hmph, Mia is mad. Your punishment is to give Mia a hug!"
Estelle was dumbfounded. Wait, what kind of act was Mia putting on?
To make matters worse, Young Mr. Sloan obediently chimed in, "Daddy, Mia must be tired from walking all this way. Just hug her. Mommy and I will handle the enrollment."
Director Miller thought the child was absolutely adorable, his face full of approval. "Yes, yes, I didn’t expect Christian to be so well-behaved. Mr. Sloan, how about this? You coax your daughter for a bit, and I’ll talk with Mrs. Sloan."
Nathaniel was speechless. How could he not see what these three little ones were up to?
The man’s voice was indifferent. "She is not Mrs. Sloan. I will handle Christian’s enrollment."
Director Miller instinctively looked at Estelle’s eyes. Ah? H-how was she not Mrs. Sloan anymore?
"Daddy, how could you be like this?" Mia’s eyes suddenly reddened as she said pitifully. "Is it just because Mommy fought with you last night? You’re still holding a grudge? But the fight last night was your fault to begin with. Even though Mommy has already forgiven you, you can’t keep being so intimate with Aunt Noelle. Mia is so sad, WAAAH."
Nathaniel immediately had a bad feeling.
Zachery chimed in, "Daddy, a real man should admit his mistakes and change! You already have Mommy, so you shouldn’t associate with shady women."
Christian also nodded. "Please stop being mad at Mommy, okay? I know Noelle is very important to you, but you already have a family."
Estelle was dumbstruck. She recognized every single word these three kids said, but why couldn’t she understand them when strung together?
The veins on Nathaniel’s forehead throbbed violently, inch by inch. These three kids...! No wonder Christian insisted on coming to the kindergarten. It turned out he had teamed up with these two to set a trap for him!
Nathaniel didn’t actually feel angry, and he wouldn’t get mad at Christian. He just felt exasperated and helpless. It seemed Christian really disliked Noelle. To drive her away, he even came up with a method like this.
But even if he drove Noelle away, his mommy could never be Yara . He would never marry a woman who deliberately schemed to be Estelle’s substitute.
Nathaniel explained, "Christian, you misunderstood my relationship with her..."
Before he could finish, tears welled up in Christian’s dark eyes. He didn’t make a sound, but just cried desperately. Nathaniel immediately panicked.
Mia and Zachery exchanged a glance and began to wail loudly without shedding a single tear. "Daddy, you’re so mean! Do you not want us anymore? WAAAH! Because of some woman on the outside, you don’t even want a smart, clever, lively, and cute daughter like Mia anymore. You’re so mean..."
Afraid the situation would escalate, Director Miller hastily tried to soothe them. "Little Mia, don’t cry, don’t cry. Mr. Sloan isn’t that kind of person. How could he not want you? Mr. Sloan, say something! The child is crying!"
Nathaniel’s lips pressed into a tight line.
Estelle raised an eyebrow and looked at Zachery. As expected, Zachery couldn’t hide anything. His guilty expression instantly made Estelle realize what was going on. It turned out these two had teamed up with Young Mr. Sloan to mess with Nathaniel.
At first, she hadn’t brought Zachery and Mia back to the country precisely because she worried Nathaniel would recognize their identities and fight her for custody. But she didn’t expect that Nathaniel had brought Zachery and Mia back without even suspecting their backgrounds. People always said there was a telepathic connection between fathers and their children... How ridiculous.
If Nathaniel didn’t want Mia as his daughter, she didn’t want Nathaniel to be Mia’s father either!
Estelle took Mia’s hand. "We don’t want this daddy anymore."
Mia immediately seized the opportunity to act. "WAAAAH... Daddy is a bad man, a big baddie! Mia doesn’t want Daddy anymore!"
For some unknown reason, Nathaniel’s heart suddenly ached. The pain spread through his entire body, leaving him at a loss. Would he actually feel heartache just because Mia Lockwood was crying?
Subconscious actions couldn’t deceive anyone. Without a second thought, Nathaniel crouched down, gently wiping the tears from Mia’s face with his fingertips. He coaxed her clumsily, "Mia... don’t cry. Daddy didn’t fight with Mommy.
"Daddy isn’t defending Noelle either. Since you don’t like her, she won’t be allowed to come over anymore."
Mia choked mid-wail, utterly stunned. She thought, "Why are you coaxing me now? You’re making this very difficult for me!"
Seeing the situation improve, Director Miller smiled. "That’s more like it! Mr. Sloan needs to take on the responsibilities of a father. Sincerely apologize to the three children, and then apologize to Mrs. Sloan, and this matter will blow over!"
After saying this, he turned to Estelle like a peacemaker. "Mrs. Sloan, even though men need to be disciplined, you shouldn’t leave with the kids in a fit of anger. Wouldn’t that just be making room for the mistress? Besides, from what I can see, Mr. Sloan doesn’t care about that Noelle at all, so don’t let your imagination run wild!"
Nathaniel originally wanted to explain that his relationship with Yara and Noelle wasn’t like that at all, and Director Miller had misunderstood. But under these circumstances, he wouldn’t be able to explain it clearly, so he simply kept his mouth shut.
Director Miller beamed. Having pacified the three children, he was just about to register their enrollment when a young teacher suddenly rushed in.
"Director, there’s a woman outside claiming to be Mrs. Sloan and Young Mr. Sloan’s mother insisting on forcing her way in. We can’t stop her!"
Director Miller’s hand trembled as he signed the papers. He wondered if Noelle had come knocking on their door!
He immediately looked at Nathaniel with disgust. No wonder his wife and kids wanted to run away. It turned out the mistress was this arrogant!