Chapter 453: Chapter 453: The Lancaster Family is Utterly Disgraced
Nathaniel Sloan didn’t leave anyone any way out.
First came the lawyer’s proof, then Miranda’s video, directly putting the Lancaster Family in an incredibly awkward position.
Was the issue still Nathaniel’s identity? No. The issue now was: who exactly was Theodore Lancaster!
The crowd already had their suspicions about Nathaniel’s true identity. Miranda’s inheritance, her video, and Laura Jennings’s hysteria all had an explanation now. There was only one logical conclusion—Nathaniel was Miranda’s son.
So where did Theodore come from?
Chairman Lancaster gritted his teeth. After a long moment, he suddenly forced a smile.
"Theodore doesn’t have a birthmark behind his ear."
The crowd froze in confusion.
Chairman Lancaster feigned a heavy sigh. "Thinking back on it now, Miranda must have given birth to twins.
"We took Theodore away with Miranda’s full knowledge. However, she hid Nathaniel’s existence from us, leading us to mistakenly believe... Perhaps she hated us and worried we wouldn’t take good care of her children, so she chose to take a gamble."
Chairman Lancaster spoke as if it were the absolute truth. "I can’t even blame her. Back then, the Lancaster Family truly let her down. Rather than sending both children to us, she must have fought to keep one by her side.
"It’s just that she probably never expected Laura to be so unhinged as to hire someone to steal her child! We, the Lancaster Family, failed to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Though he claimed the Lancaster Family had failed to investigate, his every word subtly blamed Miranda for not telling them the "truth."
The onlookers were dumbfounded, rendered speechless by this sudden plot twist.
Twins now? Was he implying that Nathaniel and Theodore were full-blooded brothers? That Miranda only let the Lancasters take one child because she couldn’t care for both, but also feared they wouldn’t treat her children well? Supposedly, both children would have grown up safely if Laura hadn’t interfered and caused this tragedy.
And the Lancaster Family was just an innocent party?
Who were they trying to fool?
But Chairman Lancaster knew very well that he didn’t need to fool everyone. He only needed an excuse that could reasonably explain things away.
He sighed, feigning deep emotion. "Miranda left her entire inheritance to Nathaniel. Perhaps she thought that since Theodore had the Lancaster Family, she needed to treat Nathaniel better. We can understand her reasoning."
A bystander sneered. "That doesn’t add up, Chairman Lancaster. You said Ms. Miranda Lancaster hid his identity because she was worried the Lancaster Family wouldn’t treat the child well. Yet, when Mr. Sloan returned to the Sloan Family under the guise of being an illegitimate son, Ms. Lancaster recognized him early on.
"By then, Theodore had been raised well by the Lancasters. Ms. Lancaster should have let her guard down against your family.
"So why didn’t she contact the Lancaster Family to help Mr. Sloan restore his rightful identity?"
Chairman Lancaster’s expression stiffened before quickly morphing into guilt. "Alas, it’s all my fault. It’s entirely my fault! As a father, I gave Miranda far too little love and care growing up. She never asked me for help; she always shouldered everything on her own..."
Yvonne Lancaster also began to weep. "I know I let my sister down. It’s all my fault. I never should have appeared in her life..."
Chairman Lancaster sighed helplessly. "Nathaniel, it’s all our fault. Now that the truth has been revealed, you must know we were also deceived by Laura. Come home, child."
Many people in the crowd scoffed. His words were truly shameless.
Nathaniel curled his lips. He met Chairman Lancaster’s gaze, his own eyes calm and utterly devoid of emotion. "There’s no need for that, Chairman Lancaster."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Chairman Lancaster had swallowed his pride to humbly ask him to come home, only for Nathaniel to bluntly reply that there was no need.
Chairman Lancaster’s face instantly flushed red. Boiling with rage, his facade of a loving grandfather nearly crumbled. "You!"
Yvonne’s eyes reddened as if she had suffered a monumental grievance. "Nathaniel, are you still blaming us? Are you blaming Theodore? But the Lancaster Family is a victim too! How could you blame us? This is all Laura’s fault. We didn’t want any of this to happen!"
"So what you’re saying is..." Estelle Lockwood looked deeply puzzled. "The dignified Lancaster Family was played for fools by the mistress, and you find that to be a point of pride?"
Yvonne choked on her words.
A bystander chuckled softly. "Isn’t that the truth? In the past, the Lancaster Family never gave Mr. Sloan the time of day. They constantly tripped him up in business and always made sure to insult him by calling him an illegitimate son whenever they saw him.
"Now that the truth is out, the Lancasters can’t explain Theodore’s identity, so they’re pushing all the blame onto the mistress?
"What, is the great Lancaster Family proud of being deceived by the mistress? Is it an honor that the entire family seemingly shares half a brain cell?
"Taking a step back, even if Theodore and Mr. Sloan really were twins, you failed to investigate the truth back then and made things difficult for Mr. Sloan at every turn. Now you tell him to come home, and he’s supposed to eagerly follow you like a dog? Who does the Lancaster Family think they are?
"The young master your family so carefully cultivated has already lost to Mr. Sloan countless times. Mr. Sloan probably looks down on your family’s intelligence. Otherwise, how could there be such a massive gap between two ’full-blooded’ brothers? Isn’t it just because the Lancaster Family’s education is subpar?"
"Exactly," another person chimed in. "There really is no need to return to a family like that. They say you are the company you keep; who knows, maybe the Lancaster Family actually has an aura that lowers people’s IQs."
The Lancaster Family had suppressed and looked down on him at every turn, yet they thought a simple "we were deceived by the mistress too" would fix everything?
They had abused their own biological grandson without an ounce of remorse. Their first reaction was to shift the blame to someone else. How could anyone believe their repentance was genuine?
Cold sweat trickled down Chairman Lancaster’s face. Realizing he had been too hasty, he forced a couple of awkward laughs. "Regardless, we are all family now. Nathaniel, come home and visit when you have the time.
"As for Laura, the Lancaster Family won’t let her off the hook! Prison is too good for her after she switched our child!"
Laura finally realized the gravity of her situation. She met Chairman Lancaster’s eyes in sheer disbelief before turning to look at Theodore.
She desperately prayed for him to save her!
Theodore was her biological son. Was her own son really going to abandon her?!
Laura subconsciously cried out for help, "Theodore..."
"Laura Jennings!" Unfortunately, the moment she spoke, Chairman Lancaster sharply cut her off.
Did this stupid woman want to make people even more suspicious?!
He roared, "You killed my daughter and bullied my grandson! I haven’t even settled the score with you yet, and now you want to drag Theodore down with you! Fine, very well! Guards, take her away!"
"Call the police," Nathaniel said coolly.
Chairman Lancaster’s expression stiffened. "This..."
"Ms. Jennings." Nathaniel smiled. "The police station is the safest place for you. I’m sure you understand what I mean."
Laura’s neck went rigid. She slowly raised her head, and upon seeing Chairman Lancaster’s murderous expression, she violently shuddered. "I... I want to go to the police station. I confess to my crimes! Call the police, quickly!"
Theodore’s face paled slightly. He gritted his teeth, but with so many people watching, he couldn’t say a word.