Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Then I Must Thank Miss York
Penelope froze, instinctively glancing at Estelle.
Estelle raised a delicate brow, her tone casual. "Why did you come downstairs, Mr. Sloan? Won’t Miss York mind?"
Penelope silently stepped to the side; this wasn’t a conversation she dared to join.
Nathaniel, however, remained unfazed. With a soft chuckle, he unfastened the necklace’s exquisite clasp, his voice slightly husky. "Shall I put it on for you?"
Estelle examined the piece. It really did suit her. "Did you have this custom-made?"
"Yes. You seem to like this style."
Nathaniel’s fingertips were warm. As he secured the necklace, they inevitably brushed against the nape of her neck, sending a tingling, electrifying shiver across her skin.
Estelle pressed her lips together. "Nathaniel."
"Mhm." He merely hummed in acknowledgment, offering no further response.
Putting on a necklace should have taken no more than half a minute, yet Nathaniel purposely dragged it out to two. Once it was finally in place, he murmured hoarsely, "It looks beautiful on you."
Estelle looked at him. "You can leave now. Thea will get suspicious if you stay too long."
Nathaniel sighed helplessly. "Mrs. Sloan, you’re being a little ruthless."
"If we’re putting on a show, we have to commit to the bit," Estelle replied breezily. "Besides, Ethan would never leave Thea alone. He’s terrified she’ll mess things up or let something slip. Ethan might be an idiot, but he’s far more cautious than she is. There’s bound to be someone of his tailing you two right now."
Nathaniel had naturally thought of this as well. He didn’t elaborate, merely giving a calm nod. "There is someone, but it doesn’t matter."
From Ethan’s perspective, Nathaniel was currently playing the role of a man who loved Thea but had to feign civility with Estelle. Exchanging a few words with his wife wouldn’t raise any alarms.
The man tapped his finger lightly against the necklace resting on her collarbone. The warmth of his touch seeped through the cold metal. Estelle bit her lower lip gently. "What are you doing?"
"Just one more day," Nathaniel said softly. After tomorrow, it would be the day of the annual gala. Whatever Thea was plotting, it would all be resolved then.
Estelle understood what he meant. "I don’t feel wronged by this, nor do I mind."
"I know," Nathaniel nodded calmly. "I’m just the one who doesn’t want to drag this out any longer."
"Nathaniel, I’ve made my choice! Let’s go!"
Suddenly, Thea’s voice rang out from outside the room. "I didn’t like that blue diamond necklace from earlier, so I picked out something else..."
Thea strolled in without knocking, her face plastered with a bright smile as she reached out to hook her arm through Nathaniel’s. Without batting an eye, he took a subtle half-step back to avoid her grasp.
Thea’s gaze shifted, suddenly landing on Estelle’s neck. She feigned surprise. "Nathaniel, did you give this necklace to Estelle? Well, I suppose it makes sense. Since you already bought it, it would be a waste not to give it to her."
Penelope curled her lip. Seriously? Did Thea actually think she couldn’t hear the hidden meaning behind those words? First, she claimed she didn’t like the blue diamond, and now she was acting shocked that he had given it to Estelle, calling it a "waste" otherwise. Wasn’t she blatantly saying that this was just her unwanted hand-me-down? Because she had turned up her nose at it, Nathaniel had to dispose of it like trash, which meant tossing it to Estelle. Did Thea really have to be such a two-faced hypocrite?
Penelope couldn’t hold back. "Estelle, are you thirsty? I’m a bit parched. I think I’ll have them brew me some green tea—the really bitter, two-faced kind."
Thea choked on her words.
Estelle replied nonchalantly, "I’m fine. With Miss York here, I’ve had my fill of bitterness."
Penelope laughed. "True! We’ve got the ultimate ’green tea’ right here. Why bother brewing any when her fakeness is more than enough to go around?"
Thea wasn’t stupid. She obviously understood their thinly veiled insults. Gritting her teeth, she put on an act of magnanimity.
"Estelle... you don’t have to be so hostile toward me. I honestly had no idea Nathaniel would give you the necklace I rejected...
"But since he already bought it, it doesn’t matter who wears it. Please don’t think of it as my unwanted trash. It’s actually a very pretty piece. Nathaniel giving it to you isn’t exactly shortchanging you."
Penelope wanted to lunge forward and wring her neck. Having grown up in high society herself, she knew exactly how to read between the lines. Saying the necklace suited her while simultaneously degrading its worth was just a roundabout way of saying Estelle only deserved trash. What a shameless woman.
Estelle held Penelope back and nodded with a smile. "You’re right."
Thea froze. "What?"
Feigning helplessness, Estelle replied, "I said you’re right, Miss York. This necklace really does suit me. Did you say Nathaniel originally intended to give it to you, but it didn’t catch your eye?"
Thea gritted her teeth, forcing a smile. "Yes. Since I didn’t care for it, I mentioned to Nathaniel earlier that he might as well give it to you. I didn’t expect him to actually do it. Honestly, Estelle, don’t feel inferior. You deserve better, it’s just that Nathaniel...
"It’s my fault for speaking and acting so impulsively. I didn’t mean to insult you, and Nathaniel certainly didn’t either."
To anyone out of the loop, it would undoubtedly sound like Thea was humiliating her. It was as if Estelle were a mere servant being tossed a piece of leftover jewelry by Thea’s gracious hand. However...
Estelle tilted her head in confusion. "So you didn’t like this piece, but you took a liking to the one currently around your neck?"
Thea acted bashful. "Yes, this is what Nathaniel..."
"Then your taste is truly abysmal, Miss York. I suppose I owe you my thanks." Estelle drawled lazily, "This blue diamond necklace of mine is worth at least two hundred million, while the one you’re wearing is the most basic model. It maxes out at a hundred thousand or so.
"You turned your nose up at the expensive one and chose that one instead... I suppose everyone’s preferences are different. Still, I’m very grateful. After all, you said it yourself—this two-hundred-million necklace suits me perfectly, and it’s exactly what I deserve.
"Doesn’t that mean, deep down, you believe I deserve much better things than you do?
"Yes. Thank you, Miss York. That’s a very sincere blessing, and I’m deeply moved."
With that, Estelle cast a fleeting glance at Nathaniel before linking arms with Penelope and walking away.
Thea was left speechless.
Her face flushed beet red. Grinding her teeth, she was so furious she nearly ripped the necklace right off her own throat. She had meant to mock Estelle, so how had it turned into a compliment? She hadn’t said Estelle deserved a two-hundred-million necklace; that wasn’t what she meant at all! And wait... was her own necklace really only worth a little over a hundred thousand?
Her eyes grew red with rage as she turned to the man next to her. "Nathaniel... why did you give Estelle something so expensive? She was just bullying me..."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, shooting her a rhetorical question. "Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?"
Thea choked.
"You suggested I give it to Estelle, so naturally, I obliged."
She bit her lip, on the verge of dying from sheer fury. But it wasn’t like she could say out loud that the necklace was too expensive for him to give away, and that he was only allowed to give the expensive jewelry to her and leave the cheap trash for Estelle.
Instead, Thea sighed in feigned distress. "Nathaniel, I didn’t mean to blame you. I’m just..."