Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Reaping What You Sow
He wondered why there were so many people. Right, the original plan was to have Nathaniel Sloan and Thea York sleep together and then get "caught in the act." That way, it would be perfectly logical for Thea to marry Nathaniel. But now, Thea had become his woman... which naturally meant yesterday’s plan was entirely scrapped! Yet why had the man involved switched from Nathaniel to himself? Last night...
"Ethan..." Thea leaned into his embrace, her voice delicate and sweet as tears streamed down her face. "Please don’t fight with Ms. Laura because of me. I never wanted this to happen. I just want to stay by your side." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
With a soft, fragrant beauty in his arms, Ethan completely forgot all his doubts.
Laura Jennings trembled from head to toe. "Get away from him! Thea York, how can you be such a cheap slut? Get out!
"Do you love stealing men that much? You just love stealing married men, don’t you?! You bitch! You’re just as obsessed with being the mistress as your mother was!"
Thea didn’t fight back; instead, she gave Ethan an unwavering smile.
"Ethan, I’d do anything for you."
Estelle Lockwood whispered to Nathaniel, "Thea York really knows what she’s doing."
Anyone who saw this level of manipulation would have to admit it was impressive. She called Ethan by his first name with such affection, yet referred to Laura as "Ms. Laura," positioning her as an older generation. This form of address stroked Ethan’s ego while infuriating Laura. As Ethan watched Laura fly into a rage, his heart ached even more for Thea. The irony was that once upon a time, Laura had played the exact same role Thea was playing now. If this wasn’t a perfect example of karma and dogs biting dogs, what was?
Ethan felt the sudden urge to be brave for the woman he loved. "Laura Jennings, stop being so unreasonable! Thea and I are truly in love. Stop causing a scene!"
Laura stared at him in sheer disbelief.
"So, Miss York and Chairman Sloan are truly in love?" Estelle suddenly spoke up, a bright smile on her face. "That works out perfectly. Today is a wonderful day, so Chairman Sloan, why don’t you give Miss York an official title?"
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat.
Laura was apoplectic, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Estelle Lockwood, shut your mouth!!"
Estelle looked perfectly innocent. "Ms. Jennings, what are you getting so worked up about? Chairman Sloan took Miss York’s innocence; shouldn’t he take responsibility? Isn’t that your own logic?
"Now that so many people have witnessed what happened between Chairman Sloan and Miss York, what will happen to her if he doesn’t take responsibility?"
Laura looked like she was losing her mind. "Get out!! Who said that?! Who said that?!"
"You did."
Estelle sighed. "I know you can’t accept it right now, but...
"Ms. Jennings, look at the situation. It’s no longer appropriate for you and Chairman Sloan to stay together. Everyone knows the person Chairman Sloan truly cares about is Miss York. If you keep clinging to him, wouldn’t that just make you shameless?"
The crowd collectively choked on their words.
Those words sounded incredibly familiar. Miss Lockwood had a fantastic memory. This was exactly what Laura had once said to Estelle, and Estelle had memorized it word for word.
Laura’s face flushed a deep, furious red, her eyes practically bulging out of her head. "What exactly are you trying to do—"
"I just want to bring these two lovers together." Estelle shook her head. "Chairman Sloan’s heart is no longer with you. What’s the point of throwing a tantrum? You’d be better off divorcing him right now. Once Miss York becomes Mrs. Sloan, she won’t make things difficult for you.
"Ms. Jennings, let me teach you a lesson today. Since you love Chairman Sloan, you should be accommodating of the woman he loves. If you love him, how can you not think of his needs? It’s just adding another woman to his life; you should willingly step aside. That’s the true expression of love!
"Ms. Jennings, don’t be so consumed by jealousy. If you keep this up, even Chairman Sloan won’t tolerate you anymore.
"You should be more magnanimous. If you and Miss York accompany Chairman Sloan together in the future, wouldn’t that be a beautiful tale?"
Nathaniel: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
No wonder Miss Lockwood had kept completely silent when Laura was "lecturing" her earlier. She had been saving it all up for this exact moment.
Laura gasped for breath, her eyes wide with fury as a ragged, wheezing sound tore from her throat.
"Ms. Laura, please don’t be angry. I won’t steal your position as Mrs. Sloan." Thea’s eyes welled with tears as she gazed deeply into Ethan’s eyes. "Ethan, as long as I can stay by your side, that’s enough for me. I don’t care about anything else. I don’t care about my status or how the world looks at me, because I love you."
Ethan was profoundly moved. "Say no more. I will marry you!"
"Thea York!!" Laura roared. She then whipped her head around. "Estelle Lockwood, I’m going to kill you!"
Estelle tsked inwardly. If Laura had any real nerve, she’d be unleashing her wrath on Ethan. But perhaps it was precisely because she knew exactly what kind of man Ethan was that she aimed all her hostility at the other women instead.
Estelle spoke in a slow, deliberate tone. "Miss York’s devotion truly moves me. Look, Ms. Jennings—Miss York is willing to stay by Chairman Sloan’s side regardless of her status. Isn’t this true love? After all, you were the one who said that a legally married wife is only after money, and that only the mistress who stays by a man’s side without demanding a title is his true love.
"Does that mean you’re only after Chairman Sloan’s wealth, while Miss York is his true love?"
Laura bellowed. "That’s twisted logic! All of it!"
"It’s not twisted logic at all. These are your own words." Estelle casually pulled out her phone and played an audio recording from last night’s annual gala.
"Estelle Lockwood, Thea is leagues better than you! You only married Nathaniel for his status, but Thea genuinely cares about him as a person! You’re in this for the money, the fame, and the fortune, while Thea asks for nothing in return. It’s perfectly clear who the better woman is!"
"See? That’s what Ms. Jennings told me back then. Doesn’t that prove Miss York is Chairman Sloan’s true love now?" Estelle asked brightly. "You taught me to be magnanimous, so I’m sure you must be an incredibly magnanimous person yourself.
"I’m so touched by Miss York throwing caution to the wind for love. Ms. Jennings, yesterday you said you shared a lot in common with Miss York, that you understood her completely, and that you even wanted to be sisters with her. Well, look at this.
"Now you’re about to become real sisters. Aren’t you moved?"
Estelle kept a cheerful smile on her face. If it was a game of who could disgust the other more, she was more than ready to play. She was simply throwing all the sickening things Laura had ever said right back in her face. First it was Noelle Lockwood, and now it was Thea York. Estelle had a very good memory.
Laura was genuinely about to lose her mind!
She gnashed her teeth at Thea. "You shameless... you shameless whore..."
"Congratulations, Father." Nathaniel drawled out, smoothly drawing the chaotic scene to a close. "Congratulations on finally finding true love at the age of fifty and enjoying the blessings of having two women. Luke White, go prepare a congratulatory gift for my father and his new..." Nathaniel paused for a moment before finishing. "...stepmother. Post it on Weibo. I’ll personally authorize a fund of one million dollars to be used as a lottery giveaway.
"I’ll make sure everyone sends their blessings to this happy, newlywed couple."
Estelle mused inwardly that no one could be more ruthlessly calculating than Nathaniel. This scandal was supposed to be a closely guarded secret within their elite social circle. But if they posted it on Weibo with a lottery giveaway—a massive one million dollars at that—how many people would share it? How many people would find out?
Furthermore, calling them a "newlywed couple"...
That meant Nathaniel was officially acknowledging Thea’s status!
In that case, who would be the future Mrs. Sloan? Laura, or Thea?