Chapter 287: Face-slapping Thea York and Laura Jennings

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Face-slapping Thea York and Laura Jennings

’So... the savior he’d been searching for all this time was Estelle? It was always Estelle?’

Nathaniel Sloan floated above the dreamscape, watching the young woman take care of his past self, who lay on the hospital bed...

After what felt like an eternity, he saw the young woman slowly turn around...

"Nathaniel!" Zane Grant suddenly cried out in alarm.

Nathaniel Sloan’s sharp eyes snapped open, only to be met by the pale white ceiling of the hospital.

Zane Grant walked over. "You’re awake. Don’t move. Let me check on you."

Nathaniel Sloan shielded his eyes from the light overhead. Once they adjusted, he glanced at the time—one in the afternoon.

"How long was I unconscious?"

Zane Grant sighed. "Three days. We had the poison in your system suppressed, but for some reason, it’s flared up again. I’ve prepared medication for you based on the old formula."

Nathaniel Sloan asked, "Where’s Estelle?"

Zane Grant’s body visibly stiffened. He quickly looked away, trying to casually change the subject. "Are you hungry? You’ve been on an IV drip for the past three days..."

"Where’s Estelle?"

Zane Grant forced himself to answer, "Luke White had Ms. Riddle keep some porridge simmering. You can have some in a bit."

Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze was heavy. He repeated the same two words: "Where’s Estelle?"

Zane Grant: "..."

Zane Grant truly didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth several times, but each time he met Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes, he closed it again.

Nathaniel’s eyes were filled with sorrow, and Zane was afraid of upsetting him further, so he didn’t dare to speak.

But Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze was firm. "Tell me."

"Estelle..." Zane Grant squeezed his eyes shut. "Nathaniel, when we found you, you were alone. Luke White had his men search the entire area, but there was no sign of Estelle."

Nathaniel Sloan’s hands clenched into fists.

"But don’t worry. There was no blood... At least, she was unharmed at the time. Luke White has already sent more people to look for her!"

Nathaniel Sloan slowly closed his eyes. The clenching in his heart was unbearable.

The last time, five years ago... Estelle Lockwood had left just like this.

This time, too, she left without a word of goodbye.

Nathaniel Sloan felt as if the sky itself had dimmed. His moon was gone.

But this was no time for him to despair—

The man’s gaze was firm, laced with grim determination. "What’s the situation outside? How are Christian and the others?"

Zane Grant quickly replied, "Luke White and I have kept your injury and Estelle’s disappearance a secret. No one outside knows. The three children are... with Old Mrs. Sloan."

Zane Grant suddenly recalled going to Imperial Crest that night. He had been afraid of worrying the three children, so after discussing it with Old Mrs. Sloan, they decided to hide the truth for now.

—Hide it from the children, hide it from the public, and hide it from the rest of the Sloans.

When Zane Grant arrived at Imperial Crest, he told them that Nathaniel and Estelle had to go on a business trip and wanted to send them to stay with Old Mrs. Sloan for a few days.

He had expected the three children to object, to disagree, or to spot the holes in his story.

But Christian had merely given him a quiet look and, without a word, agreed. "I understand, Uncle Grant."

Yet that calm gaze sent an inexplicable shiver down Zane Grant’s spine.

’Did the three little ones guess the truth?’

"Nathaniel, who do you think could have abducted Estelle?" Zane Grant changed the subject.

Nathaniel Sloan coolly uttered two words: "Theodore Lancaster."

"Theodore Lancaster..." Before Zane Grant could say more, a commotion erupted outside the door—

"Mrs. Sloan, Miss York, you can’t go in! The patient is resting! Mr. Sloan really isn’t here..."

"There’s another patient in that room! Mrs. Sloan, if you barge in like this, we’ll have to call the police!"

"Mrs. Sloan, you can’t! You can’t go in!"

The nurse chased after the two women, her voice fraught with anxiety, but Thea York shoved her aside, and Laura Jennings pushed the door right open.

Zane Grant’s expression instantly soured.

The moment Laura Jennings saw Nathaniel Sloan, her eyes darted around, and she immediately launched into a tirade, tearing into the nurse behind her.

"What is wrong with you? You’re a bald-faced liar! Nathaniel is right here, yet you lied and told me he wasn’t? Well, well, you little nurse! You’re deliberately trying to drive a wedge between me and my son, aren’t you!"

The nurse, covering her face, anxiously tried to explain, "N-No, that’s not..."

Laura Jennings put her hands on her hips. "No? Then what do you mean? Are you trying to say that Nathaniel deliberately shut me out? That he deliberately didn’t tell me he was in the hospital? That Nathaniel doesn’t trust his own mother?!"

The young nurse was so frightened she nearly collapsed, tears streaming down her face. "I didn’t..."

Laura Jennings snorted. "Still denying it? Just you wait. I’m going to have the hospital director fire—"

"Ms. Jennings, it really has nothing to do with her."

Nathaniel Sloan cut her off, his voice flat and his gaze cold. "Because those were my orders."

’Did Laura Jennings think he couldn’t see through her indirect accusations?’

Laura Jennings hadn’t expected Nathaniel Sloan to be so direct. Her throat tightened, and the words she wanted to say caught in her craw. "You... you..."

But she immediately changed her tune, pushing Thea York forward from behind her.

"Oh, Nathaniel, Thea was so worried when she heard you were hurt. Look, she said she wanted to come and take care of you. I saw how sincere she was, so I brought her along!"

"You don’t have anyone around to look after you. This girl, Thea, is gentle and thoughtful. With her by your side, I can rest easy!"

As she spoke, Laura Jennings shot Thea York a look. Thea bit her lower lip and stepped forward shyly. "Nathaniel..."

"Miss York knew I was injured and came especially to take care of me?" A cold smile touched the corners of Nathaniel Sloan’s lips.

’This is a great opportunity,’ Thea York thought. ’If I’m taking care of Nathaniel personally, and something... ambiguous were to happen, wouldn’t that mean...’

Before she could speak, however, Nathaniel Sloan’s voice turned chillingly sharp. "But I am quite curious. The matter of my injury and hospitalization has been kept completely confidential. As of now, no one knows—"

The man lifted his gaze and said, word by word, "So, Miss York, might I ask how you found out?"

Zane Grant helped the young nurse to her feet and told her to leave, then he, too, smiled.

"That’s right. We were worried that news of Nathaniel’s injury would cause too much of a stir, so Luke White and I worked together to lock down all information. We also ordered the hospital not to say a word to anyone. That’s why the nurse just now insisted that Nathaniel wasn’t in this room."

"Not even the three children or the company’s senior executives know Nathaniel is hospitalized. How is it that you, Miss York, are so well-informed?"

Nathaniel Sloan gave a calm hum of agreement. "I’ve been looking for the mastermind. Since my car accident was never made public, it’s highly likely that anyone who knows the details is the culprit."

Nathaniel Sloan looked coolly at Thea York, his gaze oppressive.

"Miss York, how exactly did you find out? Or should I say... are you the mastermind?"

A single sentence plunged the hospital room into stunned silence.

Thea York’s pupils dilated. A chill shot up from the soles of her feet straight to her heart. She instinctively looked at Laura Jennings. "It wasn’t me! I didn’t know at first!"

Nathaniel Sloan asked calmly, "Is that so? In that case, Miss York, who told you?"