Nathaniel Sloan just asked coldly, "What exactly did you call me here for?"
Theodore Lancaster waved his hand, dismissing the bodyguards hidden nearby. "Nothing much. After all, you’re my dear older brother. Can’t we just catch up?"
Nathaniel Sloan raised an eyebrow. ’Just as I thought. Theodore Lancaster set a trap here. If I’d impulsively rushed into the villa to search, I would have just tipped him off.’
Nathaniel Sloan’s face was etched with exhaustion and despair. He furrowed his brow and turned to leave. "I still have to find Estelle. I don’t have time to waste talking to you."
"Miss Lockwood’s funeral is in nine days, Nathaniel. You still refuse to believe she’s dead?" Theodore Lancaster asked with a smile.
Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes suddenly sharpened. "She is not dead."
Theodore Lancaster looked at Nathaniel Sloan and smiled slowly.
’The more Nathaniel Sloan believes Estelle Lockwood is alive, the easier he’ll be to trick.’
Nathaniel Sloan suppressed the darkness in his eyes.
’He was acting. The more convincing his performance, the more Theodore Lancaster would lower his guard.’
’When dealing with someone like Theodore Lancaster, the best way to succeed is to feed his ego. So, Nathaniel didn’t mind playing the ’fool’ for now.’
But seeing Theodore Lancaster’s smug face, treating Estelle’s life and death as a joke and a tool for threats, a wave of fury rose within him.
Theodore Lancaster was very pleased with Nathaniel Sloan’s performance. "Nathaniel, don’t be so anxious. You’re right. Miss Lockwood has nine lives; maybe she really is still alive."
Nathaniel Sloan’s eyes were ice-cold. "Mr. Lancaster, what do you mean by that?"
Theodore Lancaster chuckled. "If you’re interested, Nathaniel, why don’t you come inside and we can talk?"
Nathaniel Sloan stared at him coldly. After a minute, he gave a slight nod. "Then I hope Mr. Lancaster has some useful information for me."
"Please."
After entering the villa, Nathaniel Sloan’s gaze darkened.
’The villa’s windows are brand new. In fact, only the windows are exceptionally new. It’s obvious they’ve been modified. They were likely boarded up before and only recently uncovered.’
’And sealing the windows is a way to blur the sense of time. So...’
’Estelle was definitely here.’
Nathaniel Sloan entered the rest of the villa, his expression unreadable. A servant soon brought tea.
Nathaniel Sloan said coldly, "Mr. Lancaster, why don’t you cut to the chase and just say what you want to say."
But Theodore Lancaster just let out a soft chuckle. Though he tried to suppress it, his tone was still thick with gloating.
"Nathaniel, to be honest, I’ve felt a little guilty about you. After all, it’s not your fault that you’re the illegitimate son. Father said a person can’t choose their birth, so it was wrong of me to resent you."
"But no matter what, you’re still the Sloan Family’s illegitimate son. You never should have existed in the first place. For more than twenty years, you’ve occupied my position, and it’s time you returned it, isn’t it?"
Nathaniel Sloan’s expression didn’t flicker. "As for the truth, we both know what it is."
’Theodore Lancaster doesn’t know his real identity? ...Heh.’
Nathaniel Sloan took a light sip of tea and let out a sneering laugh.
His lie exposed, Theodore Lancaster didn’t get angry at all. "Alright, then I’ll stop beating around the bush. A few days ago, I heard that Miss Lockwood is still alive."
Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the drawing room, like someone walking over, their clothes rubbing together.
Nathaniel Sloan whipped his head around!
’That walking sound... it’s Estelle!’
He suddenly looked at Theodore Lancaster. "Estelle is here with you?"
This was exactly what Theodore Lancaster wanted: for Nathaniel Sloan to discover a trace of Estelle Lockwood, but to be powerless to take her away.
He just loved watching Nathaniel Sloan break down.
Theodore Lancaster feigned shock. "Nathaniel, what are you talking about? Even if Estelle is still alive, she couldn’t possibly be here with me."



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