Chapter 281: Nathaniel Sloan’s Reminiscence

Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Nathaniel Sloan’s Reminiscence

Estelle Lockwood could imagine what life must have been like for Miranda Lancaster and Nathaniel Sloan back then.

The entire Sloan Family was festive and joyous, preparing to welcome the new mistress of the house.

Laura Jennings and Ethan Sloan were constantly coming and going.

But Miranda Lancaster, the real wife, could not return to the Lancaster Family and was an incredibly awkward presence in the Sloan Family. Everyone knew she existed, yet because of Laura Jennings, they all ignored her.

Miranda Lancaster was like an invisible person, a phantom wandering through Sloan Manor.

However, there was another, similar ’phantom’.

Nathaniel Sloan, the true legitimate son, who had been branded as the illegitimate son of the mistress.

In the vast Sloan Manor, on a stormy, rainy night, these two unnoticed people ended up talking for a long time, separated only by a door.

Nathaniel Sloan didn’t know if Miranda Lancaster had been aware of his true identity back then.

He only knew that as he bit his lip in fear, too scared to make a sound, a gentle knock suddenly came from outside the door.

That sound was definitely not Laura Jennings. When Laura Jennings dealt with Nathaniel Sloan, she would only scream curses at him, crude and contemptuous.

But this knock was gentle, cautious, as if afraid of disturbing the child inside.

Nathaniel Sloan hesitated for a moment before walking to the door.

Miranda Lancaster’s soft voice sounded from the other side. "Don’t be afraid."

Nathaniel Sloan’s heart instantly settled.

Miranda Lancaster had taken pity on the boy. He was just a four-year-old child, yet he was left unattended in the attic. Aside from his three meals a day, Laura Jennings didn’t even let him see the sun.

In Miranda Lancaster’s mind, even if she thought he was Ethan Sloan’s illegitimate son, she probably couldn’t bring herself to resent him.

It was obvious her heart ached for this child.

Miranda Lancaster’s food and clothing at Sloan Manor were limited, to say nothing of any form of entertainment. She only had a single book with her. When she learned that Nathaniel Sloan hadn’t even started preschool or learned to read, she began personally teaching him, huddled with him in the attic.

It was the only book Miranda Lancaster had, and she left it for Nathaniel Sloan.

Hearing this, Estelle Lockwood’s curiosity got the better of her. "The book Miss Miranda Lancaster left for you... what exactly was it?"

Nathaniel Sloan’s expression stiffened slightly. He glanced to the side. "Do you really want to know?"

Estelle Lockwood nodded. "I’m curious."

Since Nathaniel Sloan had said the box left by the previous Mr. Lynch had a password, and then he mentioned this book right after, it was obvious the password had to be related to it.

’What kind of book could be used as a password?’

Nathaniel Sloan was silent for three seconds before he uttered a title. "Mm, it was *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland*."

Estelle Lockwood: "?"

Estelle Lockwood: "..."

’A girl’s bedtime story?’

Nathaniel Sloan said calmly, "It was the only book Miranda Lancaster had, so it was the only thing she could use to teach me how to read. Over time, the entire contents of the book, every single word, became etched into my mind."

A four-year-old child doesn’t understand the grudges between adults. He only knows who is good to him and who isn’t. And so, he often longed for Miranda Lancaster to come visit him.

Miranda Lancaster had become a ghost in that villa. Ethan Sloan was slowly wearing down her will, deliberately ignoring her to worsen her ’depression’ and create the appearance that she had ’wasted away from grief’.

But with Nathaniel Sloan’s companionship, Miranda Lancaster actually began to get better day by day.

That’s why Nathaniel Sloan knew with certainty that Miranda Lancaster had absolutely not ’wasted away from grief’. A woman full of hope for life, with a young Nathaniel by her side who needed her care—’How could Miranda Lancaster have committed suicide?’

Hearing this, Estelle Lockwood asked, "So, when you were a child, it was Ms. Miranda Lancaster who was with you as you grew up?"

Nathaniel Sloan’s expression was unchanged. "Yes."

"Then, the password left by Mr. Lynch..."

Nathaniel Sloan closed his eyes slightly, as if reminiscing, or perhaps lost in a fond memory.

"When I turned eighteen, someone suddenly approached me, asking me to take over the position of ’Mr. Lynch’ at the charitable foundation. I naturally refused such an unexpected offer that just landed in my lap."

Nathaniel Sloan was cautious enough that his refusal was perfectly normal.

The person seemed to understand and produced a token.

Nathaniel Sloan said, "Before Miranda Lancaster passed away, I suddenly couldn’t find the book. She said, ’It’s just a book. If it’s lost, it’s lost. If fate allows, you’ll see it again someday.’"

"After she died, I was devastated to realize that she hadn’t been able to leave me anything."

"But when I was eighteen, I saw that book again. An identical copy of *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland* from my childhood."

Estelle Lockwood narrowed her eyes, beginning to understand. "The exact same one you read as a child?"

"Yes..." Nathaniel Sloan’s voice was hoarse. "Exactly the same."

So, he assumed the charitable foundation was what Miranda Lancaster had left for him.

But after taking over, he learned that the founder of the charitable foundation was called Mr. Lynch. The founder was actually a woman who didn’t want to reveal her identity, so she went by Mr. Lynch publicly.

But Miranda Lancaster had indeed left him something.

"That letter—"

"She had taught me a very simple code before. It’s a type of code that requires a book that both people have read."

"A code like ’22-25-5’ would mean the twenty-second page, the twenty-fifth line, and the fifth word. It’s a very simple form of code."

Estelle Lockwood nodded. It was indeed very simple. As long as you had the book and enough patience, anyone could figure out the contents of the message.

But the prerequisite was knowing which book it was.

Others wouldn’t know, but Nathaniel Sloan did. The only book he and Miranda Lancaster had read together was that one yellowed copy of *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland*.

So, Nathaniel Sloan quickly deciphered the code.

Mr. Lynch’s associate told him that Miranda Lancaster had asked her to leave it for Nathaniel Sloan.

After Nathaniel Sloan decoded the message...

He fell silent, yet the revelation felt inevitable.

The code was simple, and the letter’s contents were simple as well. Miranda Lancaster told Nathaniel Sloan that she was his mother.

Nathaniel Sloan didn’t know when Miranda Lancaster had discovered the truth, but he had never doubted it.

He realized that his childhood attachment to her was because she was his birth mother.

It wasn’t that Nathaniel Sloan hadn’t had his suspicions, but Miranda Lancaster’s letter gave him the definitive answer.

Estelle Lockwood bit her lip, her heart suddenly aching for this man.

"According to what Scott York said, Young Mr. York offended a man with the surname Sloan. In that case, that man is very likely Theodore Lancaster."

—If Nathaniel Sloan knew his own parentage, wouldn’t Theodore Lancaster know his as well?

He had probably known for a long time who his real parents were, and why the Lancaster Family had raised him.

So, Theodore Lancaster had long seen himself as the heir to both the Sloan and Lancaster families! In that case, it seemed perfectly normal for him to go by the surname Sloan outside.

So...

"Young Mr. York, who offended Theodore Lancaster, is dead. Did he have evidence in his possession, or..."

"I’m more inclined to believe it was because of his identity."

Nathaniel Sloan said calmly, "The Lancaster and Sloan families did a very thorough job of keeping things secret. Even if others knew of Theodore Lancaster’s existence, they would only assume he was Ethan Sloan and Miranda Lancaster’s son. They would never suspect his connection to Laura Jennings."