Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Laura Jennings Breaks Down
Laura Jennings felt a breath catch in her throat, unable to swallow it down or cough it up as she glared fixedly at Estelle Lockwood. She had been played. She had been completely and utterly played! Nathaniel Sloan and Estelle Lockwood had known about her plan from the very beginning. They had been scheming against her since last night!
Laura choked on her rage. What could she do now? Not only had she missed the perfect opportunity, but she had also made a massive fool of herself!
Her expression was taut. "Fine, I was mistaken. I acted in a moment of panic, knowing Nathaniel’s track record—"
"At this point, is there really a need to drag Nathaniel’s name through the mud?" Estelle tilted her head. "There’s such a commotion inside, and we’re already right here. Aren’t you going to go in and see who is with Miss York, Ms. Jennings?"
Laura was in no mood for this. "That is Thea’s privacy!"
"But didn’t you say Miss York was your ’sister’, Ms. Jennings? Since you two are as close as sisters, aren’t you at all worried that there’s a man beside her right now? What if he forced himself on your dear sister?" Estelle asked at a leisurely pace, "Just a moment ago, you were fully prepared to demand justice for Thea York. You aren’t going to abandon that pursuit of justice just because the man isn’t Nathaniel Sloan, are you?"
Laura choked on her words again.
"However, it should be quite obvious who the man inside is," Estelle added with a light chuckle. "Whoever didn’t return to their room last night is most likely the man in that bed." Her gaze swept over the surrounding crowd. "Wouldn’t you all agree?"
Meeting Nathaniel Sloan’s icy glare, the wealthy ladies suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. Not only had Laura schemed against Nathaniel, but if they hadn’t shown up, whoever had slept with Thea would have successfully framed Nathaniel for the deed. Mr. Sloan had almost been forced to take the blame. He must absolutely loathe the man inside that room.
Eager to avoid his wrath, the ladies hastily cleared their own names.
"It wasn’t my husband. He was in our room all night."
"My son came back to his room too! Honestly, he isn’t even out of bed yet!"
However, Laura suddenly thought of something, and all the color drained from her face.
"Oh..." Estelle furrowed her brows, her tone suddenly turning meaningful. "Speaking of which, Nathaniel, I don’t think we heard Chairman Sloan return to his room last night, did we?"
Nathaniel gave a brief nod. "We didn’t."
Estelle tutted. "Ms. Jennings, why don’t you go take a look? Maybe the person inside is Chairman Sloan."
"Impossible!" Laura’s heart pounded wildly against her ribs. "Estelle Lockwood, stop trying to sow discord—"
"AHHH!"
Right at that moment, Thea York seemed to snap awake. Seeing the bedroom door wide open, she grabbed the blanket and let out a piercing scream. In her panic, she yanked the covers down, fully revealing the face of the man beside her.
Everyone present widened their eyes in stunned disbelief.
The man’s face was flushed, bearing a lingering look of post-coital satisfaction. His bare torso and contented features were undeniable. It was Ethan Sloan!
The man in the bed was Ethan Sloan!
Laura felt as if a bomb had gone off in her brain. All the blood rushed to her head, leaving her ears ringing loudly. How could this be? This was... This was...!
Estelle feigned surprise. "Oh! I actually guessed right. It really is Chairman Sloan. Ms. Jennings, this is quite the mix-up... It was clearly your husband lying next to Thea York. Why were you so insistent that it was your son?"
"AHHH!!!"
Laura could no longer process a word Estelle was saying. Letting out an agonized shriek, she lunged forward, entirely abandoning her poised socialite persona. She violently ripped the blanket away, grabbed Thea by the face, and delivered a barrage of vicious slaps.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
"Thea York! Thea York, you little tramp, who did you sleep with?! I’ll teach you to seduce my husband! I’ll kill you!"
Estelle was utterly speechless. She looked at Nathaniel in shock, silently mouthing the words, "Is she crazy?" Two minutes ago, she had been calling Thea her dear sister. She had turned on her in the blink of an eye.
Nathaniel didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. He cast a leisurely glance her way. "She worked very hard for her position."
Estelle immediately understood.
To Laura, becoming Ethan Sloan’s wife was the crowning achievement of her life. It was a special honor she had secured through exhausting every ruthless tactic at her disposal—outlasting his first wife and even swapping their children. But now, Ethan had cheated on her and climbed into bed with a much younger woman.
Laura knew exactly how she had secured her own position, and she knew Ethan’s true nature better than anyone. That was why she was panicking. But how could she possibly blame her own husband for his infidelity? It had to be Thea’s fault! Therefore, Laura directed all her explosive fury solely at Thea.
Estelle raised an eyebrow. "It’s impossible that Ethan didn’t want this to happen at all."
She knew there was no such thing as entirely losing control due to alcohol. Furthermore, the aphrodisiac incense they used didn’t render a person unconscious or incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. If Ethan hadn’t harbored his own illicit intentions, Thea’s seduction would never have succeeded.
But Ethan was simply that kind of man. Once he had taken a mistress, a second one was bound to follow. Besides, he had engaged in countless wild affairs over the years, and it wasn’t as though Laura was completely ignorant of his wandering eye.
Laura had completely forgotten about Nathaniel. "Thea York, what happened?! Why?! AHHH! Why would you do this?!"
Thea’s cheeks were flushed red from the slaps. Looking as fragile as a wilting flower, she shrank back into Ethan’s embrace. "Ms. Laura, please don’t..."
"You little tramp, I’ll kill you! Get out of that bed! Get down here right now! Who gave you the right to sleep with my husband?! You even try to seduce my husband! Have you no shame?!"
Tears streamed down Thea’s face, making her look utterly pitiful. "Ms. Laura, please listen to me..."
SLAP!
Another vicious slap landed on her cheek.
Thea collapsed weakly into Ethan’s arms. The commotion finally jolted Ethan fully awake. "What on earth is going on...?"
He was just about to comfort the beauty he had claimed the night before, but when he looked up, he was met with Laura’s furious, tigress-like glare. A surge of anger immediately flared up within him. "What do you think you’re doing?! If you have a problem, take it up with me! Why are you screaming at Thea?!"
Yesterday, Thea had confessed her feelings to him, claiming that she had been in love with him for a long time. Looking at the woman who was over twenty years his junior, Ethan couldn’t help but feel incredibly smug. He had always known he was irresistibly charming.
Laura, on the other hand, had a terrible temper and was foolish to boot. Her face had certainly been quite beautiful in her youth, but she was showing her age now. He much preferred someone young and fresh like Thea.
Seeing the stunning beauty from the night before now bruised and weeping, Ethan’s fury intensified. "Laura Jennings, I suggest you stop before you go too far!"
Incensed beyond reason, Laura planted her hands on her hips and let out a series of ear-piercing shrieks. "AH! AHHH! AAAAAAH!"
Estelle silently covered her ears.
Nathaniel reached over and placed his hands over hers, gently shielding her ears as he murmured, "A bit too loud, isn’t she?"
The bystanders watched in sheer disbelief. How could the couple be flirting at a time like this?
"I need to stop before I go too far?! You’re telling me to stop?! Ethan Sloan, do you have no conscience?! This little tramp seduces you, and you tell me to stop! You little slut, I’ll kill you!"
Laura lunged forward again. Outside the open door, the crowd of onlookers covertly craned their necks to watch the drama unfold.
Catching sight of the sheer number of people gathered in the hallway, Ethan’s mind suddenly went completely blank.