Chapter 427: Chapter 427: Ethan Sloan Hires a Hitman
Ethan Sloan had just claimed that Estelle Lockwood had taken the money and run, leaving Nathaniel Sloan behind, painting her as a greedy woman blinded by wealth.
Then, Estelle produced a piece of security footage.
She hadn’t taken the money and run—she had been kidnapped. And her kidnapper looked exactly like Ethan’s assistant. In light of this, how much credibility did Ethan’s words still hold? The only way anyone would believe him now was if he could prove his assistant had an identical twin.
Ethan’s eyes widened abruptly. He whipped his head around to stare at his assistant, cold sweat beading on his forehead as his mind went completely blank.
"Chairman Sloan ordered his assistant to kidnap Estelle Lockwood?!"
"Then what was Chairman Sloan doing just now? Putting on a show? Dragging his daughter-in-law’s name through the mud?"
"Tch, Chairman Sloan never saw Estelle as his daughter-in-law. In his eyes, only Thea York is worthy of that title."
"Exactly. To install Thea in her place, he’d stoop to framing, scheming, and mudslinging. He didn’t even stop to consider if such actions were beneath someone of his status. If word of this gets out, the Sloan Family’s reputation will be ruined."
"No wonder he was so certain Estelle wouldn’t show up. He had it planned all along."
"I just remembered something! Earlier, Mrs. York also confidently declared that Estelle couldn’t possibly appear today. Don’t tell me the York Family was in on this from the start!"
"Of course they were. How could they not be? Just look at what Thea was saying. I didn’t think much of it before, but analyzing it now, every single word was meant to paint Estelle as shameless and unworthy."
The guests were no fools, and not all of Evernight International’s shareholders were tied to the Sloan Group. Witnessing this scene, their disdain for Ethan only grew.
Ethan clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes frantically demanding answers from his assistant. He wondered, "What exactly is going on?! How did this happen! Why is the person you guaranteed was dead standing right here, holding damning evidence?!"
Thea’s throat tightened. Her face pale with panic, she shook her head desperately. "No, it’s not like that. Estelle, how could you play such a joke on everyone? Turn it off, turn it off quickly..."
Mrs. York also snapped to her senses and hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, yes, it’s all a joke! Estelle, really, you’re a grown woman. You shouldn’t be playing pranks like this..."
Ethan, however, wasn’t that stupid. He knew the shareholders wouldn’t be so easily fooled. Gritting his teeth, he shot a vicious glare at his assistant. The meaning behind his gaze was clear: *You created this mess, now you take the fall for it.*
The assistant’s lips curled into a faint smile. Then, the crowd heard his helpless, apologetic voice, sounding every bit like a loyal servant. "I’m sorry, sir. I failed to complete the mission."
Ethan immediately sensed something was wrong. "You—!"
The assistant had already turned to Thea, his expression earnest. "Miss York, I really did listen to your advice and planned to kill Estelle. I originally thought the plan was foolproof, but I truly didn’t expect her to escape. It’s all my fault."
Thea’s face instantly drained of color. She shrieked, "I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t know! This has nothing to do with me!"
Ethan’s face was taut with rage. "Nonsense! It’s obvious you’ve been bought off by Nathaniel to intentionally target me!"
Instead of denying it, the assistant bowed his head even lower. "Yes, sir. I am Nathaniel Sloan’s man. He ordered me to stay by your side and monitor your movements.
"The kidnapping was entirely orchestrated by Nathaniel to frame you. I am simply his accomplice. You are completely innocent in this matter, and I will definitely help you explain everything to everyone."
Ethan was overjoyed. "You... you all heard that, right? He admitted it! He admitted it! It was Nathaniel who instigated this..."
"This is hilarious," someone couldn’t help but interject. "Your assistant claims to work for Mr. Sloan, yet he refers to Mr. Sloan by his full name, ’Nathaniel Sloan’, while respectfully addressing you as ’sir.’
"He can’t even act out his part properly. Maybe he should polish his acting skills before trying again next time."
Estelle curled her lips and exchanged a glance with Nathaniel. Perhaps no one realized that the assistant’s acting wasn’t bad at all; rather, it was far too good...
"If that’s the case, then the people who actually wanted Estelle Lockwood dead are Ethan Sloan and Thea York?"
"Laura Jennings, Chairman York, and Mrs. York are definitely involved too."
"Hah, they really took us for fools!"
Ethan’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head in fury. However, with the "evidence" laid bare right in front of them, no one would believe a single word he said!
Thea was even more terrified. Trembling all over, she listened to the mocking whispers around her. Comparing it to the flattery she had been receiving just moments before, it was like night and day. She simply couldn’t accept such a drastic fall from grace.
"So it was my father pulling the strings all along." Nathaniel let out a soft, faint sigh, his tone laced with deep regret. "Father, tell me, what should I do about this?"
Those words were no different from a death sentence. The crowd held their breath in rapt attention, and even Chairman York felt a chill of genuine fear. The only reason they had agreed to cooperate with Ethan in the first place was because of Nathaniel, wasn’t it? If Nathaniel truly decided to hold them accountable, could the York Family possibly escape unscathed?
Chairman York shivered, attempting to use his personal standing to navigate the crisis. "N-Nathaniel..."
But Nathaniel simply offered a cold smile. Meeting Chairman York’s gaze, he asked nonchalantly, "What is it that Chairman York wishes to say?
"Do you want me to forgive you? Or... do you want me to let this slide?
"If Chairman York insists on making such a request, it’s not completely out of the question for me to consider it. After all, given your advanced age, you are technically my elder. It would be rather unseemly of me to refuse, wouldn’t you agree?"
Chairman York choked on his words. He had indeed been thinking exactly that, but why did it sound so eerie coming from Nathaniel’s mouth?! It made him sound like he was shamelessly playing the age card!
He had originally thought that, for the sake of his family, he would swallow his pride and beg. But just then, his phone began ringing frantically.
BEEP BEEP BEEP. Chairman York pulled it out and checked the screen. His face instantly turned ashen.
The shareholders were messaging him to say that all the shares under his name had been bought out at rock-bottom prices by a mysterious buyer. He was now completely isolated and betrayed within the York Group. Every single asset to his name within the York Family was being sold off at dirt-cheap rates, one by one. The York Group, his proudest achievement, had completely fallen under Stella York’s control today.
In the blink of an eye, the York Family had been shattered into pieces...
With his face deathly pale, Chairman York completely abandoned all concern for his dignity. He rushed toward Nathaniel in an utter panic, cold sweat pouring down his face. "Nathaniel, Nathaniel... please spare the York Family. Please spare..."
Nathaniel slowly curved his lips into a smile. "Chairman York, whatever do you mean by me not sparing the York Family?"
He feigned confusion. "Under Stella’s leadership, the York Family is currently flourishing. It seems they are doing perfectly well without you. The York Family is thriving, so why would they need me to spare them?"
Chairman York’s lips quivered uncontrollably. He looked over at Ethan, desperately hoping that he could help him salvage the situation.
"Bro... you have to help me. You have to help me! You were the one who said that as long as Estelle died, Thea would become Mrs. Sloan! You promised us, and that was the only reason we took such a massive risk!"