Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Snatched the Ring
Nathaniel Sloan’s concerns were not without reason. After all, in the minds of normal people, even though the Sloan Family disliked Estelle Lockwood, she was still Nathaniel’s lawfully wedded wife and the mother of his three children. If the person accompanying him to the event wasn’t Estelle, but another woman, people would only say that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the Sloan Family. Ethan Sloan had abandoned Miranda Lancaster in the exact same way to let Laura Jennings take her place. Could Nathaniel have been influenced by Ethan, deciding to become a scumbag who abandons his own wife?
But Thea York didn’t take it to heart at all, brushing it off completely. "How could that be? The Sloan Family wouldn’t object!"
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, his fingertips lightly rubbing the tabletop as he asked casually, "Oh? And why is that?"
Convinced that Nathaniel was already madly in love with her, Thea replied shyly, "Of course it’s because Uncle Sloan has always supported us being together. Don’t worry, Nathaniel. Uncle Sloan has known for a long time that I’d be going to the annual gala with you, so just rest assured~"
Nathaniel’s lips curled into a smirk. Known for a long time? Ethan had somehow long known about a decision that he had only "made today." At this point, Nathaniel was practically certain that Ethan was the one who had orchestrated all of this, including the drugging.
As for Thea...
TSK.
Nathaniel couldn’t help but wonder if Ethan knew that she had already sold him out.
Since his probing had yielded results, Nathaniel couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. "I’ll send someone to pick you up for the gala."
Thea’s face flushed red, but she still couldn’t resist adding, "Nathaniel... I’m worried Estelle will get angry. What if she comes looking for trouble?"
Nathaniel’s fingertips paused. Suppressing his irritation, he asked, "What do you want to do about it?"
Pushing her luck, Thea whined, "You have to protect me, Nathaniel! Estelle... she doesn’t have a very good temper. I’ve known that for a while. Actually, I don’t mind, I’m just afraid that if she takes revenge on me, it’ll make you sad..."
Nathaniel let out a soft scoff, speaking slowly. "Don’t worry."
Revenge? Thea wasn’t even worthy of it. She was merely collateral in Ethan’s plan. Estelle and Nathaniel’s target had always been Ethan.
Once an ecstatic Thea had left, Estelle finally walked out of the lounge. Smiling brightly, she asked, "Well, Mr. Sloan? What do you say?"
Nathaniel’s eyes crinkled with amusement. "Your guess was spot on. Are you ready for the gala?"
Estelle clicked her tongue. "I’m ready, but I still have one question. How many people know about this?" As Nathaniel raised an eyebrow slightly, she rested her chin in her hand and mused, "Thea is an idiot. Ethan wouldn’t count on her to actually get anything done, so our previous guess—that she’s just a byproduct of his scheme—should be correct.
"But in reality..." Estelle didn’t mince her words. "Ethan is an idiot too. How could an idiot like him be so sure that his plan would succeed? Did he put too much faith in that drug, or is someone helping him?"
Truth be told, Estelle didn’t quite understand why a single drug could make Ethan so incredibly confident. Even if he had seen the ’results’ before, who could guarantee that the drug would have the exact same effect on different people?
Nathaniel replied unhurriedly, "We’ll find out at the gala."
The next day.
With just one day left until the gala, Penelope Sullivan invited Estelle out for a shopping trip. "Aren’t you going to the gala? Let’s go buy you some jewelry."
Estelle replied helplessly, "I’m a jewelry designer myself."
Penelope didn’t care. "What woman would ever complain about having too much jewelry? Let’s go, let’s go! I saw a really gorgeous necklace the other day. Hehe, but more importantly, my parents’ wedding anniversary is coming up soon. I ordered custom rings for them, so you have to come with me to pick them up~"
Estelle hadn’t told Penelope yet that Thea would be "taking her place" at the gala, afraid that her friend would get angry. However, accompanying her to pick up the rings was no problem. "Alright."
Arriving at the shop Penelope mentioned, Estelle wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t a standard jewelry store; it was a boutique specializing in "wedding rings and true love." The rings here were engraved with names and required an ID to purchase. Each person could only buy one ring in their lifetime, symbolizing unyielding loyalty and devotion.
Marching up to the front desk, Penelope pulled out her custom order slip. "I ordered a set of rings here last month..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed the woman standing next to her wearing a very familiar diamond ring on her finger. Penelope was instantly stunned as she realized that the ring’s design was the exact one she had custom-made for her mother. After all, she had personally commissioned the design. For the past few years, Estelle had been the one gifting the anniversary rings, but this year, Penelope hadn’t wanted to trouble her. Instead, she had sought out a niche designer she liked to carefully draft the rings. However, since the designer didn’t have the means to craft the rings themselves, Penelope had chosen this particular shop to produce them.
But now, her mother’s ring was on a stranger’s hand?
"This ring is quite nice. I’ll take it," the middle-aged woman said smugly.
The shop assistant flattered her, "It looks absolutely stunning on you."
Penelope couldn’t hold back anymore. "Wait! Who gave you permission to sell my pre-ordered ring to someone else!?"
The shop assistant froze and instinctively looked over at Penelope. Her face immediately paled, and her eyes darted away guiltily. "Miss, please don’t be unreasonable. We can sell the rings in our store to whomever we want."
Penelope instantly flared up. She wouldn’t care if it was anything else, but these were a pair of rings meant for her parents! What right did they have to sell them to someone else? Moreover, this jewelry store had only charged her for the crafting process; she had paid for the design out of her own pocket!
Penelope sneered. "I have the receipt and the order slip right here. Give me back my ring, or I’m calling the police."
"You..." The shop assistant grew anxious. "Why won’t you listen to reason!" She rushed out from behind the counter, hastily grabbing Penelope’s arm, and whispered urgently, "It’s just a ring! I can give you something else. But you absolutely cannot offend this lady! It’s an honor that she took a liking to your ring! If you insist on causing a scene, don’t blame me for being rude!"
Penelope was utterly flabbergasted by this sheer nonsense. Her ring had been sold to someone else, yet she was the one being told not to cause a scene!
She laughed out of pure anger. "Fine. Tell me, who is she? I really want to know who has the audacity to steal my ring!"
The shop assistant let out an exasperated laugh. She cursed inwardly, thinking that it was one thing for this woman to have a death wish, but she was dragging her down too. Since it had come to this, she wouldn’t hold back anymore!
"Alright. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of this since you’re a customer here, but you leave me no choice. I’ll tell you the truth—this is Mrs. York!"
Mrs. York...
Penelope’s brain practically short-circuited. Wasn’t Mrs. York just the mistress of the York Group who had successfully married her way to the top? Why on earth was she someone who "absolutely couldn’t be offended"? Had the York Family experienced a sudden resurgence while she wasn’t paying attention?