Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Don’t Tell Me You’re Getting Engaged to Thea York, Father?
Liam spoke up, "In the past, you said Estelle’s background was poor and she wasn’t good enough for Nathaniel, so you chose Noelle and Thea. Now that Estelle is the eldest daughter of the Yeats family, Father, do you even hear yourself?"
Ethan fell silent.
Ethan fumed, "Liam! This is your brother’s business! It has nothing to do with you! Besides, I’m doing this for his own good!
"Nathaniel and Thea are truly in love. They are childhood sweethearts. If Estelle hadn’t intruded, they would have been married long ago. Estelle would never have been in the picture!"
Liam curled his lips. "Yes, yes, yes. It used to be Noelle in that sentence, and now it’s been swapped to Thea."
The crowd was speechless.
This implied that Ethan had used the exact same excuse to force Nathaniel into a divorce in the past. Having failed then, they simply swapped Noelle for Thea and kept playing the same tireless game.
"Liam, you need to understand that children of our families are destined for arranged marriages anyway," Ethan said. "It just so happens that Thea from the York family is deeply infatuated with him. The fact that he can marry someone he loves is already a great blessing. Estelle truly isn’t worthy of him."
Ethan raised a hand to silence Liam, a smile surfacing on his face once more. "Alright, my youngest son is just being ignorant. Please don’t take it to heart. Come, let’s drink."
Mrs. York and Chairman York exchanged a glance, both seeing the undisguised joy in each other’s eyes.
Mrs. York was thrilled that her daughter could finally ascend to her rightful position. Soon, she would be Nathaniel’s mother-in-law. Who would dare call her the mistress then?
Chairman York’s joy stemmed from the fact that the York Group was now practically under Stella’s control. As a father, he had somehow lost out to the very daughter he had abandoned since childhood. Stella refused to enter an arranged marriage and refused to hand over her shares, which infuriated him to no end. Now that he was about to become Nathaniel’s father-in-law, he didn’t believe for a second that he couldn’t crush a mere Stella.
Mrs. York said haughtily, "Our Thea has adored Nathaniel for over a decade. She didn’t know how to confess her feelings back then and missed her chance. Fortunately, Nathaniel loves her too.
"We also understand that Nathaniel is married and has three children, but... to put it bluntly, a man like him isn’t someone just anyone can be worthy of.
"Thea is marrying Nathaniel entirely for his sake and for the sake of the Sloan family. Put yourselves in our shoes. If your daughter-in-law turned her own family upside down the moment she went home and brought endless turmoil to the Sloan family, would you like her?
"They say harmony brings wealth. As a daughter-in-law, one should naturally be peaceful and amiable. Who could accept someone like Estelle?"
The crowd nodded, feeling that her words made sense. Estelle was indeed quite reckless. The Lockwood family, the Yeats family, the Sloan family—had she ever shown any respect to any of them?
Liam was practically amused by this logic. Wait a minute... The Lockwood family had brought it upon themselves, and the Yeats family had stolen her father’s relics. Estelle was just seeking justice—how was that being unreasonable or failing to understand that "harmony brings wealth"? So she was supposed to swallow her grievances, get bullied, and face it all with a smile just to be called a "good daughter-in-law"?
As if that wasn’t enough, Mrs. York added, "My daughter knows the meaning of compromise. She wouldn’t act like Estelle... Sigh. Anyway, everyone knows that my daughter and Nathaniel are a match made in heaven!"
Thea’s cheeks flushed red. "Mom, what are you saying? How could you not tell me about something as important as an engagement in advance?
"Besides, it’s not that Estelle is bad. She’s just not suitable for Nathaniel. She’s too sharp and naive. She really isn’t fit for a wealthy family."
Ethan looked satisfied. "Indeed. Fortunately, Thea’s hardships have finally paid off. Nathaniel has finally waited until you came along."
Liam couldn’t hold back anymore. "Dad, is this engagement something you can just decide on a whim? Aren’t you going to ask Nathaniel for his opinion? You’re just moving your lips and demanding someone to divorce and remarry?"
Ethan beamed with confidence. "Fine, then why don’t you ask Nathaniel?"
The crowd exchanged silent, bewildered glances. Were they really supposed to ask Mr. Sloan?
Ethan was so confident, which meant he must have already had it all planned out before announcing it at the annual gala. And Mr. Sloan indeed hadn’t voiced any objections. Could it be...
Right, they had also said that Thea and Mr. Sloan had mutual feelings for each other from the start, but they just hadn’t pierced that veil. Estelle had wedged herself in, and then the two accidentally had children. Mr. Sloan probably thought he would just let it be, but now that there was another chance... Then of course he would choose to be with his true love!
Many of the guests present were men, and wasn’t it a classic male flaw to always keep an eye on the next best thing? Judging others by their own standards, they assumed Nathaniel would think exactly the same way they did.
Once someone took the lead in offering congratulations, others quickly followed suit, unwilling to fall behind.
Soon, a chorus of blessings echoed throughout the main hall. "Mr. Sloan, wishing you and Miss York..."
"You’re asking for my opinion?" Nathaniel swept a nonchalant gaze across the room, committing the names of the few who had voiced their "blessings" to memory before slowly parting his lips. "My opinion is... Chairman Sloan, Thea, self-awareness is a rare and valuable trait. Do you understand?"
Thea’s face paled instantly. A faint sense of foreboding crept into her heart.
Ethan didn’t react for a long moment, still assuming that Nathaniel was under his control. He frowned in displeasure. "Nathaniel, what is the meaning of this? Wasn’t this engagement settled long ago? Otherwise, why do you think this main hall is plastered with so many Double Happiness paper cuttings?"
The crowd nodded in agreement. The annual gala’s main hall indeed looked less like a corporate event and more like a wedding banquet hall.
Unexpectedly, Nathaniel showed no signs of panic. A faint smile graced his lips as he mused thoughtfully. "That... is a question for you. You said you wanted to hold an engagement party at the annual gala to give the one you love a proper commitment. So naturally, I assumed...
"I assumed it was you who wanted to give your loved one a commitment. I thought you were the one getting engaged. That’s why I was quite surprised to see Ms. Jennings here just now.
"I was actually a bit curious. Since you’re about to get engaged, Father, why is your ex-wife, Ms. Jennings, here? Don’t you find it awkward?
"But if your fiancée is Miss York... I suppose I can understand. Mrs. York is quite adept at securing second marriages, and I’m sure Miss York has inherited the essence of her mother’s skills."
The crowd fell absolutely speechless. A heavier silence descended over the hall. This was the true definition of a blockbuster revelation. They wondered what had happened to the claim that Nathaniel and Thea were true love. Was this how true love acted?
The slap to the face had come too quickly. For a moment, no one could quite process what was happening.
Ethan was furious. "Thea’s heart has always been entirely devoted to you, yet you refuse to take responsibility for her?!"
Nathaniel frowned. "If I have to take responsibility for everyone who is entirely devoted to me, wouldn’t that be far too many responsibilities? Furthermore, just because Thea is devoted to me, I have to satisfy her desires? Father, why are you so naive? Do you really believe that all deep desires are magically fulfilled? If that were true, why are you still Chairman Sloan instead of Magnate Sloan?"
The crowd was stunned into silence once again.
Liam couldn’t hold it in either, so he simply burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA!"
He thought, "Nathaniel, that sharp tongue of yours! You’ve definitely picked up bad habits from Estelle, haven’t you!"