Chapter 539: Testing the Imposter

Theodore Lancaster was quite pleased with Estelle Lockwood’s tact. Reaching out a hand, he made a polite gesture toward the stairs. “Very well. Please head upstairs, Miss Lockwood.”

Estelle’s lips curled into a faint smile as she leisurely made her way up the steps.

The entire villa was heavily guarded. Estelle’s room was on the third floor, its windows completely sealed shut. She meticulously inspected every inch of the space. While she didn’t find any visible cameras, she couldn’t completely rule out the presence of hidden pinhole lenses that might have escaped her notice.

Pondering her situation, she wondered, “Where exactly could Theodore have hidden me? And… will Nathaniel figure it out?”

Later that night, at Aethelgard Villa.

The fake ‘Estelle’ strolled through the villa, treating the entire place as if it were her personal domain. Smug and overjoyed, she radiated a deep satisfaction, as though she had finally seized everything that rightfully belonged to Estelle Lockwood.

Finally, she stepped into the master bedroom. This was Estelle and Nathaniel Sloan’s shared sanctuary, but now, she was the mistress of the house.

As if asserting her dominance, ‘Estelle’ sprawled out on the luxurious king-sized bed. She waited for a long time, but Nathaniel never appeared.

“Nathaniel, is everything all right? Why aren’t you resting yet?” she called out when he finally entered.

Nathaniel cast a cold, indifferent glance over her. “I still have some work to finish. You go ahead and rest.”

‘Estelle’ pouted, stepping forward with the intent of draping her arms over his shoulders. Without changing his expression, Nathaniel took a smooth step back.

“Nathaniel, I—”

“Oh, by the way, Estelle,” Nathaniel interrupted with a faint smile. “Since you’ve won two consecutive design championships, how do you plan to handle this upcoming collaboration?”

He was genuinely curious to find out just how much this imposter actually knew. For instance… did she know that he was Mr. Lynch?

‘Estelle’s’ expression stiffened, though the hesitation lasted only a second before she quickly plastered her smile back on. “The Aethel Group is taking full charge of the collaboration, so I’m not entirely sure yet.”

“I see.”

The corners of Nathaniel’s lips curled up slightly. It seemed this fraud had no idea about his connection to Mr. Lynch. That further proved one thing: whoever was behind this wasn’t targeting him; they were explicitly targeting Estelle.

The imposter knew Estelle inside and out. She knew everything that had happened to her abroad and was capable of silently infiltrating Star, yet she remained utterly clueless that he was Mr. Lynch.

Nathaniel threw out a casual probe. “I’m just afraid the Yeats family won’t let this go easily.”

‘Estelle’ chuckled lightly. “The Yeats family is drowning in their own messes right now. They don’t have the time to worry about me.”

“Mm. Have you thought about what I mentioned a few days ago? Old Mr. Yeats wants to see you,” Nathaniel asked mildly.

‘Estelle’ seemed to pause, evidently caught off guard by this topic. Feigning hesitation as she perfectly mimicked the real Estelle’s expressions, she replied, “I think I’ll pass. There’s really no point in seeing him.”

Nathaniel took a sip of his tea. “True. If Old Mr. Yeats wants to see you, it’s highly likely he’ll just plead for leniency… We can drop the subject. By the way, Liam finally bought that car he’s been eyeing for so long and wants to celebrate. Shall we go to the Sloan family residence tomorrow to check it out?”

This time, the imposter agreed without a second thought. “Sure!”

Nathaniel quietly lowered his eyes.

He thought, “She refuses to visit the Yeats family. Why? Is she afraid of blowing her cover? But she’s perfectly fine visiting the Sloan residence. Could the mastermind behind this imposter be someone from the Sloan family? No, impossible. If it were related to the Sloans, I wouldn’t have been kept in the dark all these years.”

Nathaniel’s primary suspect was, naturally, the Yeats family. After all, Zion Yeats was a prime precedent. He still needed to find more ways to test her. Until he discovered the real Estelle’s whereabouts, he couldn’t afford to tip his hand.

“All right, go get some rest,” he said gently.

A faint, calculating smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I’ll pick you up from Star tomorrow evening.”