Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Engagement?
As the shareholder’s voice trailed off, a chorus of contemptuous remarks echoed from the surrounding crowd.
"Mrs. York, what do you mean they can’t come? Do you really think of yourself as Mr. Sloan’s mother-in-law?"
"They are Mr. Sloan’s biological children. If Mr. Sloan agreed to it, why do you have a problem with it? Where do you get the audacity?"
Mia gently bit her lower lip. Her delicate and adorable appearance would soften anyone’s heart.
Mrs. York felt a lump of anger lodged in her throat. She wondered what she had said wrong. Those three little bastards shouldn’t have come in the first place; today was her daughter’s big day! However, faced with the glares of the crowd, Mrs. York could only swallow her anger. Thea had told her that the time wasn’t right yet. Once the banquet started and Estelle Lockwood didn’t show up, she would definitely show these people a thing or two!
Mrs. York stormed off. The three little ones exchanged glances and made an "OK" gesture to one another.
Not long after, the annual gala began. Guests started to enter the venue. However, everyone soon noticed something—Estelle Lockwood still hadn’t appeared.
Thea York had confirmed over and over again that Estelle was indeed dead. She had died simply and easily at the hands of Ethan Sloan’s assistant. That very assistant was currently standing behind Ethan and gave Thea a nod. Thea could barely suppress the excitement bubbling in her heart.
As the gala commenced, only figures of high status and prestige were allowed to remain in the main hall. Unlike the outer areas, which featured performances and lucky draws, the inner hall had none of those activities. The people inside hadn’t come for some raffle; they were here to solidify their connections with Nathaniel Sloan.
However, it was somewhat strange. In the past, the Sloans never had a place at Evernight International’s annual galas. Yet today, Ethan Sloan and Laura Jennings were both present, and even Theodore Lancaster was here, although he hadn’t made an appearance just yet. They wondered what on earth was going on.
"Hey, where is Mrs. Sloan?" someone asked curiously.
The crowd looked surprised. It was true—no one had seen Mrs. Sloan all day. Why wouldn’t she attend such an important event as the annual gala? She had attended the previous one, after all. It was well-known that at these events, people usually brought their spouses and children to showcase a happy family. When choosing business partners, aside from concrete factors, people naturally leaned toward those with a harmonious family life.
How could Mrs. Sloan be absent at a time like this? Even if she were sick, she should have made a brief appearance or released a statement clarifying that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to come, but rather that she couldn’t. Yet now, there wasn’t a single word about her. It was as if Mrs. Sloan had vanished into thin air.
At that moment, Nathaniel also put on a look of confusion and asked Luke White, who was beside him, "Where is Estelle?"
Luke was truly worthy of being the man who could impersonate Damian White; his acting skills were top-notch. First, he glanced at Nathaniel, then shot a warning look at the onlookers nearby. Finally, gritting his teeth, he lowered his head and said with difficulty, "Mr. Sloan... we haven’t seen Mrs. Sloan all day today."
Nathaniel frowned. "How could that be?"
"Mrs. Sloan said she wanted to come on her own, and we couldn’t stop her," Luke replied. "Based on her departure time, she should have arrived an hour ago, but we haven’t heard from her at all. We’ve already sent people to look for her. Please don’t worry, Mr. Sloan."
The crowd exchanged blinking glances. Had Mrs. Sloan really gone missing?
Because of Estelle’s disappearance, Nathaniel declared that he was in no mood to give the opening speech and handed the responsibility over to Ethan.
Some people faintly sensed that something was amiss. What was going on? Evernight International was founded by Nathaniel himself and had absolutely nothing to do with the Sloan Family. Yet today, not only were the Sloans present, but Ethan was even giving the speech in Mr. Sloan’s place. Was this normal? Was Ethan treating Evernight International as the property of the Sloan Family? More importantly, did Mr. Sloan not have any objections?
After Ethan finished his speech, the gala resumed its lively atmosphere. However, even when the event was halfway through, Estelle still hadn’t appeared. No one there was a fool; naturally, they all realized something wasn’t right.
After several rounds of drinks, Ethan surprisingly picked up the microphone again. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make."
The guests exchanged bewildered looks, wondering if Ethan had drunk too much and was about to announce handing the Sloan Family over to Theodore Lancaster. Even if that were the case, he shouldn’t be declaring it at Evernight International’s annual gala.
However, what Ethan said next caught everyone completely off guard.
"Today will be the engagement day of my son, Nathaniel Sloan, and the Heiress of the Yorks, Thea York!"
His words struck like a bolt of lightning, frying the crowd’s brains and short-circuiting their thoughts. The few people gathered around the three little ones were especially dumbfounded, staring blankly at Christian and his siblings.
Christian curled his lips. The bad grandpa had indeed reached this step.
Zachery wanted to rush out and stop him, but Christian grabbed his wrist. The young master lowered his voice, "Don’t rush." ℯℯ𝑙.
Zachery was speechless. He thought, "What do you mean, ’don’t rush’? How can I not rush at a time like this? Thea York is smirking so hard the corners of her mouth are about to touch the sky! Does she think we’re dead?"
Mia blinked her eyes. "Come here, I have a plan."
In the main hall, everyone was utterly stunned, instinctively turning to look at Nathaniel.
Wait... Nathaniel and Thea were getting engaged? But Nathaniel already had a wife! Weren’t they just talking about why Mrs. Sloan hadn’t shown up today? How could a married man get engaged to another woman?
Ethan spoke with unwavering confidence, "Nathaniel’s marriage should never have been left to his own reckless whims. His previous marriage was a mistake. Fortunately, there’s still time to correct it!
"Thea is a good girl who has waited for Nathaniel for many years. Now, lovers are finally united. When they tie the knot, I hope you all will attend!"
A dead silence fell over the room. Before knowing Nathaniel’s stance on the matter, no one dared to utter a word.
Ethan’s face turned grim, his facial muscles twitching. What was the meaning of this? He was Nathaniel’s father! Could he not make decisions regarding his own son’s marriage? Did these people absolutely have to wait for Nathaniel to speak before they dared to respond? And what was wrong with Nathaniel? He had already fallen in love with Thea, and he was already under his control. Why wasn’t he saying a single word? Had he gone mute?
Liam Sloan recalled how secretive Estelle had been acting lately, and how his parents would occasionally burst into idiotic laughter. At this moment, he finally understood the entire situation.
"Dad, bigamy is a crime," Liam said, unable to hold back. "Besides, everyone knows that Nathaniel and Estelle are married. By making him get engaged to Thea now, where are you putting Thea’s dignity? If word gets out, people will think Thea is the mistress. That’s not good, is it?"
Thea had never expected Liam to intervene at such a critical moment. He used to cling to her, following her everywhere, but now he was actually embarrassing her in public for the sake of Estelle Lockwood!
Ethan remained calm, replying unhurriedly, "Liam, you’re wrong to say that. Marriage is dictated by the parents’ wishes. We never approved of Estelle, so even if she married him, she can never be the daughter-in-law of the Sloan Family.
"I am Nathaniel’s father. Would I ever harm him?"