For the first time, Thea York "ignored" Nathaniel Sloan’s words, gritting her teeth so hard the inside of her mouth filled with the taste of blood.
After a few seconds, Old Mrs. Sloan sneered, "What’s this? Unwilling to apologize?"
Thea York bit her lip, refusing to speak.
Before Old Mrs. Sloan could speak again, some of the society ladies, who could no longer stand to watch, began to jeer.
"Just listen to Miss York. She said she *thought* she had bought the bracelet, so she put it in her own bag. How is that any different from a thief?"
"Exactly. She clearly didn’t buy it. Just because she liked it, she insisted it was hers. And after getting caught stealing, she thinks a simple ’I thought’ is enough? If that’s the case, won’t everything just descend into chaos?"
"Whatever Miss York fancies, she can just take. I mean, who can blame her for having a bad memory? If anyone asks, just say the York Family isn’t short on cash and can afford anything she wants. So how could Miss York possibly be stealing on purpose? She just *forgot*~"
Thea York’s face went pale, then red, and Mrs. York’s mouth twitched several times.
"Just now, Mrs. Sloan gave Miss York a way to save face, repeatedly reminding her there was a third person in the restroom, yet Miss York couldn’t seem to ’recall’ it. And now she comes out with ’I thought’? Tsk, tsk. No wonder they say the York Family has been going downhill all these years. It turns out they’re not very bright."
"And I’d say being dim-witted is hereditary. Mrs. York, Chairman York is getting on in years, so we can let that slide. But since Miss York is still young, maybe you should take her to a hospital for a check-up?"
Someone else laughed. "What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter if Miss York’s brain doesn’t work well and she’s forgetful. The York Family will support her anyway. It’s not like she needs to inherit the family business in the future. She can just wait for her allowance~"
Thea York had a refined public image, but in high-society circles, everyone knew about the York Family’s dirty laundry.
As an illegitimate daughter, Thea York had climbed to her position by stepping on the true heiress, Stella York. The York Family had publicly declared Thea the "eldest daughter," as if the entire family had forgotten about their actual, legitimate first-born daughter.
Now that Stella York controlled the family’s power, Thea York had no chance of inheriting the York Family’s fortune. So, really, it wouldn’t matter if her brain was broken, would it?
"I heard Miss York has a fiancé abroad, doesn’t she? Mrs. York, you’d better lock that down. After all, with her character and her wits, not just anyone would have her."
"You can’t say that. Don’t all the rumors say Miss York will marry Mr. Sloan and become the next Mrs. Sloan?"
"Ah. In that case, doesn’t that mean Miss York did this on purpose today? I mean, she wants to be Mrs. Sloan, so wouldn’t she have to ruin the current Mrs. Sloan’s reputation first?"
Thea York’s face shifted from pale to flushed. "Estelle... I’m sorry, I really didn’t realize..."
Unfortunately, it was too late for apologies.
Everyone present knew what kind of person Thea York really was. Her act of playing dumb and innocent only made her look even more ridiculous.
Old Mrs. Sloan waved a dismissive hand. "Someone, get the Yorks out of my sight."
The news that Thea York and Old Mrs. York had been kicked out of the banquet spread quickly, with rumors even appearing online.
Thea York was a minor internet celebrity. Thanks to her status as the York family heiress, along with her credentials as a jewelry designer, violinist, and so on, she had nearly ten million followers on Weibo.
When these fans talked about the York Family, they only knew of Thea York, not Stella York.
So they were all baffled.
[Our Thea is the York family heiress and the future successor. Who would be so disrespectful?]
[I think I heard the host of the banquet’s surname is Sloan.]
[Oh, then I know. It’s Old Mrs. Sloan, right? Then she definitely wasn’t kicked out. Thea probably had something to do and left on her own. Old Mrs. Sloan has always treated Thea like her own granddaughter.]
...
When the online chatter died down, Chairman York frowned. "Why on earth did you provoke Estelle Lockwood? That woman is bad news."
Seeing her daughter being blamed, Mrs. York immediately raised her voice. "How can you blame Thea for this? Estelle Lockwood stole her position as Mrs. Sloan and was flaunting it in her face! Thea just acted on impulse!"
Chairman York still had a soft spot for Mrs. York. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have supported the mistress in taking the wife’s place, not when he already had so many other flings and a wife at home.
So his tone softened. "I’m not blaming Thea...! Sigh! But since Estelle Lockwood returned to the Lockwood Family, she’s brought the once-prosperous Lockwood Group to its current state. That’s why I say she’s bad news. Rose Lowell called her a Jinx, and I’m afraid she wasn’t wrong. She brings trouble to anyone she gets close to."
Mrs. York was still indignant.
But Chairman York shook his head mysteriously. "However, Estelle Lockwood’s position as Mrs. Sloan probably won’t last much longer. For now, you two stay out of her affairs with the Lockwood Family."
Mrs. York didn’t understand.
Thea York, however, had a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
...
「The Lockwood Estate.」
Rose Lowell was frantic. "You have to think of a way to let Noelle stay!"
These past few days, the Lockwood Group had been declining day by day. The shareholders had been hinting, both subtly and overtly, that Chairman Lockwood needed to handle his "family affairs." For Noelle Lockwood’s sake, Austin Lockwood pretended not to understand.
So now the shareholders weren’t pretending anymore. They demanded to know if Austin Lockwood could restore their relationship with the Sloan Group. Even if things couldn’t go back to the way they were, he had to at least stop the Sloan Group from crushing the Lockwood Group!
And the shareholders believed the root of all their problems was Noelle Lockwood!
A fake heiress who had usurped the true heiress’s identity for years, now with her reputation in tatters. And yet, this Lockwood couple was still protecting her!
Austin Lockwood’s expression was dark and uncertain.
He tentatively suggested, "What if... we send Noelle away..."
"How could you say that?!" Rose Lowell shrieked. "You might as well be killing me! I refuse!"
Austin Lockwood’s eyes darkened.
Of course, he couldn’t bear to send Noelle away either. After all, Noelle...
’No one else knew, but both he and the old master were aware that Noelle was, in fact, his biological daughter!’
The thing was, Rose Lowell had always believed that Estelle Lockwood was their biological child and Noelle Lockwood was adopted. But when faced with the topic of sending Noelle away, Rose’s reaction was even more intense than his.
’That makes things easier.’
Sometimes, Austin Lockwood couldn’t help but feel thankful that Rose Lowell was simple-minded and not very bright, unable to grasp such convoluted matters.
"Rose, do you remember how Noelle saved Nathaniel’s life when they were children...?"
Rose Lowell hesitated. "But... but..."
If that life-debt was so useful, Nathaniel Sloan wouldn’t be so ruthless toward Noelle Lockwood.
That life-debt? It had been extinguished the moment Noelle Lockwood plotted an arson to burn Estelle Lockwood and her child to death. The only reason Nathaniel Sloan hadn’t moved against Noelle yet was the lack of concrete evidence. It would be simple for Nathaniel to have Noelle killed, but what he wanted was to expose the truth to the world. In other words, he wanted Noelle Lockwood to die a convicted criminal!
How could such a merciless Nathaniel Sloan possibly spare Noelle Lockwood just because she had once saved his life?
But Austin Lockwood shook his head. "The life-debt alone isn’t enough, of course. But..."