Chapter 447: Chapter 447: Surveillance from 27 Years Ago
He was meeting someone... Who? Could it be a witness from back then? No, that was impossible! They were all in the same boat!
Right at this moment, a young man walked in.
Laura Jennings instantly relaxed. As long as it wasn’t someone from the past, it was fine. Did he think a lawyer could bluff her?
She couldn’t help but say sarcastically, "Nathaniel, who is this? Can he actually prove anything? Don’t be so naive. I am your biological mother, and you can’t change that reality!"
"Hello, Mrs. Sloan. I am a lawyer," the young man introduced himself. "My client’s parents were in a car accident a while ago. The driver insisted it was just an accident, so my client hired me to help with the lawsuit."
Hearing the words "car accident," Yvonne Lancaster’s expression stiffened, while Theodore Lancaster remained completely unfazed.
Laura Jennings planted her hands on her hips, looking every bit the shrew. "What does that have to do with me?!"
The lawyer said mildly, "Don’t be in such a hurry, Ms. Jennings. My client said he found evidence and wants to file a new lawsuit. As his lawyer, naturally, I’ve seen that evidence too.
"Unexpectedly, this evidence exposed a massive secret from over twenty years ago. I have reasonable grounds to suspect that my client’s parents were silenced."
Behind the lawyer stood a teenage boy of about seventeen or eighteen. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared fixedly at Laura Jennings.
"Everyone must be very curious why seeing that evidence led me to suspect Ms. Jennings," the lawyer smiled. "Why don’t we all take a look together?"
"I don’t think that’s necessary!" Yvonne Lancaster blurted out shrilly. Noticing everyone looking at her, she stiffened and quickly added, "I mean, today is Evernight International’s annual gala, after all..."
"Of course it’s necessary. It’s highly likely that Nathaniel Sloan isn’t Laura Jennings’s son. Does the Lancaster Family not care at all?" Estelle Lockwood smiled faintly.
Yvonne Lancaster’s face turned ugly, though she feigned composure. "Why should the Lancaster Family care? Even if he isn’t Laura Jennings’s son, he’s still a bastard."
But anyone could see the panic in her eyes, and the crowd’s gazes grew even more suspicious.
Chairman Lancaster furrowed his brows, vaguely sensing that something was wrong. What did Nathaniel Sloan want to do? Could it be that he wanted to prove his identity? Impossible. The Lancaster Family would never acknowledge him!
"Since Second Miss Lancaster is so certain he’s a ’bastard’, then what are you so anxious about?" Estelle Lockwood mocked calmly. "It’s not the Lancaster Family that will be humiliated anyway. Isn’t it nice to just enjoy the show?"
The others shared the same sentiment. Exactly, why not just enjoy the show? It had nothing to do with their families anyway. Whether Nathaniel Sloan was Laura Jennings’s son or not, it didn’t concern them. They had come to attend an annual gala and were getting to enjoy some juicy gossip. Besides, Mr. Sloan was the host of this gala. Who were the guests to stop him from doing whatever he pleased?
Yvonne Lancaster kept insisting that Nathaniel Sloan had nothing to do with the Lancaster Family, so why was she so desperate to stop him? Wasn’t she just being a busybody?
Yvonne Lancaster gritted her teeth. The more she spoke, the more mistakes she made. She couldn’t help but complain in a low voice, "Dad! Look at this little bastard..."
"Enough!" Old Mr. Lancaster’s eyes were dark and cold. He finally understood why Nathaniel Sloan insisted on inviting the Lancasters.
But... so what?
"Yvonne, Theodore is my true biological grandson. I know it, you know it, and the Lancaster Family knows it. What can Nathaniel Sloan prove?"
Theodore Lancaster also smiled. "Aunt Yvonne, there’s no need to worry. The fire today won’t burn us."
Besides, maybe Nathaniel Sloan was just bluffing? If he could prove it, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?
In the center of the hall, the lawyer nodded at Nathaniel Sloan. "Ms. Jennings, there’s no need to be anxious. Don’t you want to see the evidence in my hands?"
Laura Jennings’s eyes darted around shiftily, her face twisting into a shrewd, rat-like expression. "Who knows what forged rubbish you’re going to pull out? I won’t look at it!"
Estelle Lockwood chuckled. "Is Ms. Jennings scared?
"Ah, it’s understandable. After all, you used to beat and scold Nathaniel Sloan when he was a child, always using his status as an ’illegitimate child’ as an excuse. If this child isn’t yours, wouldn’t he have been taking the blame for you? No wonder you don’t dare."
That was right... the crowd nodded.
If Nathaniel Sloan wasn’t Laura Jennings’s biological son, then there were only two possibilities.
One: Nathaniel Sloan was Miranda Lancaster’s child. He should have grown up happily as the legitimate child of the Sloan Family, without suffering cold stares in his childhood.
Two: Nathaniel Sloan was a child Laura Jennings had brought in, completely unrelated to the grudges between the Sloan Family and the Lancaster Family, which would make him incredibly innocent.
No matter which one it was, Laura Jennings could not escape the blame.
After all, everyone knew very well why Laura Jennings had been able to secure her position as Mrs. Sloan all these years.
Firstly, it was because Nathaniel Sloan was outstanding. Even though the mother and son were at odds, people would always say, "There’s no overnight grudge between a biological mother and son," or "Mr. Sloan might not like his mother now, but maybe in a few years he’ll realize her worth. We absolutely cannot offend Laura Jennings."
Secondly, it was because Laura Jennings had always been spreading a certain narrative to the public. She claimed she had originally just wanted to stay by Ethan Sloan’s side without any title or status. It was Nathaniel Sloan who insisted on being Young Mr. Sloan, forcing her to become the mistress, forcing her to climb the ranks, and forcing her to cause Miranda Lancaster’s death. If it weren’t for this son, Laura Jennings would never have coveted the position of Mrs. Sloan, nor would she have indirectly killed Miranda Lancaster!
All of this was Nathaniel Sloan’s fault! It was Nathaniel Sloan who was insatiably greedy! And she, Laura Jennings, was just a pitiful mother thinking about her son and trying to fulfill his wishes.
Later, Miranda Lancaster died, and because of her death, Laura Jennings severely punished Nathaniel Sloan, who was only seven years old at the time. Many people even praised Laura Jennings for clearly distinguishing right from wrong.
But what if Nathaniel Sloan wasn’t Laura Jennings’s son at all... Wouldn’t all of this be highly ironic?
Laura Jennings’s face turned ugly. Gritting her teeth, her eyes filled with malice. "Nathaniel Sloan, you treat me as a burden! You treat your biological mother as a burden, right?! Fine, fine, fine, you unfilial son! From now on, I will pretend I never had you as a son!"
With that, Laura Jennings whirled around and tried to leave.
Nathaniel Sloan lightly raised his eyes, and the bodyguards outside the door immediately blocked her path.
"Nathaniel Sloan, what are you doing?!"
"Ms. Jennings, are you scared?" Nathaniel Sloan asked nonchalantly, not even bothering to spare her a glance. He looked calmly at the lawyer. "Play the video."
The lawyer nodded.
Soon, a piece of surveillance footage from a hospital appeared on the large screen.
The timestamp: Twenty-seven years ago.
Twenty-seven years ago... The crowd subconsciously looked at Laura Jennings.
Back then, Laura Jennings and Miranda Lancaster had been pregnant at the same time and gave birth at the same time exactly twenty-seven years ago. And since this was a hospital room, it was hard not to overthink it.
Right at this moment, a doctor and a nurse walked into view.
"AHHHHHH!!!" Laura Jennings suddenly screamed like a madwoman. Punching and kicking the bodyguards, she charged forward, trying to shut off the video.
How could there be surveillance footage?! Why was the footage from back then still kept! Wasn’t it destroyed a long time ago?!
"AHHHHHH! Turn it off! Turn it off—!!"